Bridge in Tehran, Iran
The Tabi'at Bridge (Persian: پل طبیعت, lit. 'The bridge of nature') is the largest pedestrian overpass in Tehran, Iran. The 270-metre (890 ft) bridge connects two public parks — Taleghani Park and Abo-Atash Park — by spanning Modarres Expressway, one of the main highways in northern Tehran.[1] The word tabiat means "nature" in the Persian language.[1]
The bridge was designed by Diba Tensile Architecture (Leila Araghian and Alireza Behzadi).[1] It has won several awards, including the Popular Choice Prize for Highways & Bridges from the Architizer A+ Awards, a global architectural competition based in New York.[2][3] The bridge also won the 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture[4] for its exemplary approach to an infrastructure project, "a breath of fresh air" according to the award jury.[5]
History
Tabiat Bridge was designed by Leila Araghian as part of a local competition for the design of a bridge to connect two parks in north Tehran which were separated by a highway.[6] In designing the bridge, a process which took a total of 4 years, Araghian wanted it to "be a place for people to stay and ponder, not simply pass."[6] To achieve this the bridge is not straight and contains benches and seating.[3]
Construction of the bridge started in 2010, using a total of 2000 tonnes of steel and 10000 cubic metres of concrete before it was finished in October 2014.[3] Construction of the bridge over a large highway was described as a big challenge, with platforms and temporary tunnels built to ensure that nothing fell onto the road below.[3]
Architecture
Three tree-shaped columns support two continuous deck levels which makes the lower level covered and suitable for use in all seasons.[5] A third level is located where the truss meets the column branches.[7] The complex steel structure has a dynamic three-dimensional truss[1] and the surface is curved with a varying width.[7] Structural elements of the bridge use a latent geometrical order rotated and repeated in all three dimensions.[7]
Restaurants serve customers at either end of the bridge with seating areas[8] and kiosks between.[7] Some areas of the bridge are open to allow trees to grow[8] and the bridge itself has green spaces to encourage visitors to linger.[7] The bridge offers viewing areas for scenery without itself blocking the view of the Alborz mountains and has a small footprint that blends in with its environment.[7]
Each of the two parks the bridge connects has multiple pathways leading visitors onto the bridge.[7]
Gathering Place
The bridge not only connects two parks, it is a popular gathering place for the community in its seating areas[5] and restaurants, acting as a place for people to stay not just pass.[9] Some have described walking on the bridge as feeling like walking through a forest and a place of positive energy where they can come to reenergize when feeling low.[9] Four million people visited the bridge the first year it was open.[9]
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