Civita’ di Bagnoregio by Progettospore

Italian architects Progettospore have proposed a triple bridge for pedestrians and small vehicles at the medieval village of Civita’ di Bagnoregio in Viterbo, Italy.

The proposal, drawn up last year for a competition for a new bridge connecting the hilltop village, consists of three steel bridges that twist and support each other.

Here’s some more information from Progettospore:

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The idea that gave birth to this plan is to enhance the value of a village with such rare formal characteristics trough a contemporary project based on past ideas. In fact it was while we were reading the “De re Aedificatoria” by Leon Battista Alberti and his observations on medieval villages that we have leid the guide lines of the project.

Our aim was to be able to reach the village by following various “imaginary” way’s drawn in the sky having the freedom to float in space as birds. Using an animation program we have made float some visitors in the sky, and, once we found the better suited trajectories, we have used them to plan the three paths that compose the bridge.

In some places, the paths almost induce the bridge to deny itself because instead of detaching from the back of the valley, to get directly to its destination, it stretches itself over it merging with the surrounding land. with this solution we created many accesses (one is from the already existing parking) almost as if to question the idea that a bridge must have one entrance and one exit.

The bridge was planned for the pedestrian transit and the small motor means. So, whereas in two paths in places with a significant slope it was necessary to build stairs the third one (the central) is accessible to disable people in wheelchairs too.The main structure is a steel pylon. This solution gave the opportunity to have a lean structure with a very few supports because every path uses part of the other ones to support itself and so in its whole these three tracks in the sky appear to be just one thing.

More over part of the overall structure through two paths is lying on the floor on the already existing foundations. This solution also permits to have a significant supporting base that works directly with the suspended parts. Considering the desire to have a chromatic and visual approach that wold refer to local materials, the pylon structure was covered with brushworks that conceal its complexity in favor of the simplicity of the paths. The bridge appears to have both in the color and in the texture of the surface a similar effect to the construction materials of the place.