Competition for a footbridge in Pafos city, Cyprus 1st Award

This proposal for a footbridge on the T. Papadopoulos Avenue ensures safe pedestrian circulation between the adjacent schools and the residential areas while it creates a station for pedestrians and cyclists.

The footbridge form and curvature was based on the circulation diagram of the pedestrians and cyclists. A curved gesture that connects the two sidewalks ensures the direct flow of circulation across the road.

Due to the limited space of the plot in the southwest side of the road, a scale and an elevator are proposed for the vertical circulation. Considering the cyclist circulation a 40cm gap by the stairs is used for cyclist dismount. In the north edge of the bridge, a ramp leads directly to the courtyard of the school, while the footbridge form adapts to the terrain(3% ramp incilation). A second ramp leads to the adjacent road (5% ramp inclination). In the middle of the footbridge two stairwells lead to the level of the road's northeast sidewalk.

The stairwells and the ramps become integral part of the footbridge support system. Thus, the footbridge's circulation and support system sculpt in the same manner the form of the columns towards the ground.

Near the sitting area and on the north vertical circulation, the corridor becomes wider while the lighting system is densified as the holes diameter increases. This gradient of the lighting is a result of an attractor system that influences their geometry. The attractors' position aims to highlight in a macro-scale the certain intersection of the circulation and in a micro-scale the position of the holes on the metallic panels which decrease the panel's heat capacity and weight.

The construction method aims to integrate the surface with the support system of the footbridge. Thus the corridor leads to the ground as a support system. The rest of the footbridge surfaces behave as cantilever.

The footbridge circulation and form determines the landscape design as well.  Sitting areas, isolated benches and the proposed vegetation integrate the footbridge into its surroundings.

Project Architect  : Elina Pattixi
Architect Engineer, National Technical University of Athens

Masters of Architecture and Urbanism (MArch), Design Research Laboratory, Architectural Association

Engineer : Andreas Andreou
Partner engineer : Odisseas Georgiou