Christoph Palmen
Vlatva Bridge in Prague. RWTH Aachen (Germany)
Task:
As part of a new ring road around the historical centre of Prague, a new bridge became necessary in order to connect the suburbs of Holešovice and Troja. At the same time, industrial and flood plain areas are being transformed into commercial and recreational zones adjacent to the river.
Design:
The bridge must be able to accommodate pedestrian, vehicular and tram traffic, while spanning 268 metres. In order to achieve an elegant and lightweight structure, use is made of the principal of the spoked wheel. The structure is based on tensegrity, referring to the experiments of the engineer Robert Le Ricolais in the mid 20th century.
A central compression member – a steel tube – is held in place by spoked wheels and subjected to tension, in order to increase its structural performance. This achieves lower bending moments, making possible a more slender cross section. Furthermore, pre-tensioning the central member acts against horizontal loadings due wind and traffic.
The compression tube acts as a tunnel for tram lines, while lanes for vehicular traffic are attached externally. The pedestrian path is situated on top of the tube, offering unobstructed views from above the traffic.
Construction:
To achieve an aerodynamic design and to minimise the structure’s self weight, the compression tube and traffic decks are monocoque constructions, a technique often used in ship and aircraft design.
Assembly:
The pre-manufactured steel tube is floated to site in two parts. They are then lifted into place by cranes and welded, after which it is already self supporting. In order to account for loads due to traffic, the external cable structure is added and pre-tensioned.
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