Project Data
Architects: RPA (RPBW + ARUP) + MAEDA — Renzo Piano, Noriaki Okabe
Structural Engineers: Ove Arup & Partners (Peter Rice); MAEDA; Hisaichi Ito
Principal Contractors: Yokogawa Bridge, Hitachi Zosen
Location: City of Ushibuka, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
Structure: Steel box girder deck over 7 spans
Completion: August 1997
Harmonious with the natural environment of Amakusa and the delicate scale of the city of Ushibuka, the bridge stands as a structure that, when viewed from a distance, appears as a single drawn line floating on the horizon before your eyes. The pedestrian walkways are divided between upper and lower levels so as to both reduce the impact of wind on the structural resistance and avoid blocking the view from car windows. The measures adopted have created a distinctive quality in the cross-section of the bridge.
The supports have been minimized so that the piers holding the bridge 19 meters above the water surface make contact with the ground at only three points. First, the foundation beneath each pier was built, and then dense clusters of bushes were planted all around them. The landscape design has succeeded in creating an elegant harmony between the bridge and its surroundings.
