The Het Wrakhout bridge primarily offers cyclists, pedestrians, and beachgoers a safe crossing. The structure literally and figuratively bridges the polders and dunes, leading users to a panoramic high point with views of the sea, the dunes, and the Uitkerkse Polders.
The bridge connects to the footpaths and the existing wooden steps with a platform in the dunes. A new dune volume naturally provides the access ramps and the required clearance height for the street profiles. Because the bridge is located in an area with high landscape value and exceptional natural features, the structure is not only functional but also has a distinctive architectural appearance that contributes to the visual quality of the surrounding area.
Following a call from the Flemish Government Architect, the design commission was awarded to the Dutch firm West 8 – Urban Design & Landscape Architecture. Architect Maarten van de Voorde, director of West 8 Belgium: "That combination of beach and nature reserve strongly influenced our concept. We chose driftwood as a metaphor, translated into a structure with an irregular appearance."
The bridge's irregularity is also reflected in the six, 13-meter-wide concrete yokes, which extend to the opposite bank in a staggered fashion; the highest gantry is 8 meters, the largest span 14 meters. The simple yokes also evoke conventional engineering structures along the coast and quays, or bunkers in the sand. West 8 did not want to place the bridge on flimsy legs; it is too large for that, "almost a beast."
- Material: The bridge consists of a steel frame with a wooden truss. Over 1,000 wooden elements were required, including 600 beams of varying lengths. The FSC-certified azobé wood, with durability class 1, was chosen as the material.
- Dimensions: The bridge is 83 m long and 4.40 m wide.
- Client: Coastal Department of the Agency for Maritime Services and Coast
- Design: West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture, Rotterdam
- Engineer: Snoeck and Partners; BAS, office for architecture and stability, Leuven
- Contractor: WestConstruct Oostkamp
Location
Harendijke
Sources
www.cgconcept.be/voetgangersbrug-het-wrakhout-in-wenduine-wins-internationale-prijs/
www.hethoutblad.nl/projectnieuws/brug-het-wrakhout-wenduine/7371/
