Calderon-Folch Studio

The pedestrian bridge over Sant Ignasi Road is a fundamental part of an ambitious urban revitalization plan for the center of Manresa, a city near Barcelona.  The aim is to bring back the centrality and dynamism that the historical center used to have opening it to the rest of the city through new ways of access.

It is a basic operation of urban mobility with an enormous power of transformation since it unites two city districts that, although bordering one to each other, have been historically separated by a topographical barrier. The bridge connects the medieval city with the industrial area -traditionally located by the river- and Les Escodines neighborhood, across a gap of 50 meter, vanishing the physical and psychological isolation.

The bridge becomes a new meeting point between the two neighborhoods. Connecting is not only about making possible to cross from one point to another, but also creating public spaces. The bridge is a balcony open to the city landscape as well. The essence of this space, both crossing and staying, inspires new interpretations of the history of the city and the landscape. This landscape is strongly characterized by two landmarks:  The gothic basilica of “La Seu” in one side and “L’ Aranya” (Spider) textile factory at the other.

The structure evokes both the industrial and the gothic legacy, a system of elements hanging in a void that with its impulse defines a leap between the two sides, making the solid stone walls of La Seu and L’Aranya vibrate with its more than one thousand steel cables.

An industrial-looking 50m long Vierendeel truss is a urban scale feature together with the old cheminy of the factory. A knot-like tubular beam fastens the Vierendel truss to the supports giving horizontal stability, evoking the textile background of the neighborhood and the arachnid naming of the place. The third element, the platform, made of crossed steel nerves brings to mind the gothic imaginary.