Two new bridges have been placed in the historic part of the city centre of Delft. They connect the quays of Oude Delft and Lange Geer with the peninsula on which ArsenaalDelft (former Army Museum) is located. Last week Thursday and last Monday, the bridges were placed. A special feature of the identical designs is that the bridges are 'detached' from the centuries-old quays.
protecting quays
The two modern bridges are identical in appearance and fit well into the historic environment. Ancient history was respected in the design and construction. To protect the monumental quays, the construction is not attached to the quays, but stands in the canal and is therefore completely separate from the centuries-old quays. A steel runner serves as a barrier-free transition between bridge and quay.
This construction has two advantages. Because the permanently installed bridges are not fixed to the quay, they protect the quays from permanent damage. And because the bridge does not take up any space on the quay wall, there is a spacious landing area between the bridge and the street. This gives pedestrians the space to cross safely.
a nod to the past
The pedestrian bridge on Lange Geer forms a smooth connection between Giststraat and the peninsula on which ArsenaalDelft is located. This bridge ends exactly at the entrance to the new hotel, which housed the Army Museum for decades.
The material used for the bridge decks is a nod to this past. They are made of Thorca, a slender, strong and rigid material that is also used in Chinook helicopters of the air force.
The other footbridge connects the head of the peninsula and the new terrace extended on the water with the Oude Delft. From there pedestrians can walk along the water of the Schie to the marina or the station. The bridges have been made high enough for canal boats.
connection arsenaaldelft
With the construction of two pedestrian bridges, the redevelopment of the fully renovated and converted ArsenaalDelft building complex is almost complete. This peninsula now houses a restaurant (Loetje), a hotel (opening mid-2022), and an exhibition/congress centre (opening mid-2022). Architectural office cepezed from Delft made the design for the bridges and the ArsenaalDelft, with cepezedprojects as developer and cepezedbouwteam as implementation coordinator, the engineering and execution was done by Haasnoot Bruggen.
Centuries old inner city of Delft gets two new bridges
