Balingen Footbridge

Baden-Württemberg, Germany

2019 — 2023

Client Balingen

Foot & Cycle

A timber pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Eyach to connect Balingen’s network of walking and cycling pathways, serving as a focal point for the town, and a catalyst for its future development.

A modern pedestrian bridge with wooden accents spans a small river. Surrounding green parkland has scattered trees, people lounging, and sun umbrellas. Buildings with white facades are visible in the background under a clear blue sky.

A serene riverside park with groups of people relaxing on green grass. Trees line the waterway, and a modern pedestrian bridge spans across the river. The sky is clear, indicating a sunny day.

Designed in collaboration with specialist timber engineers Ingenieurbüro Miebach, the pared back structure is in keeping with the natural river setting. The crossing features a pair of outward leaning timber beams, that splay apart as they reach each riverbank enabling fully accessible approaches from all directions. These extend above the level of the deck to form the bridge’s parapets, while allowing it to clear predicted flood levels. The visible, outer faces of the shaped glulam beams are designed to weather naturally over time, while the inner, pedestrian facing surfaces are clad in tactile, native timber slats with carefully integrated lighting and handrails.

‘Balingen Footbridge demonstrates not just the aesthetic and structural potential of timber in place of steel in bridge-building, but the carbon that can be sequestered. Through offsetting the concrete going into the abutments, timber allows you to create a more sustainable piece of infrastructure, that, with the correct maintenance, can last as long as any steel structure’

Bridge Design Awards Citation

Illustrating the aesthetic and structural benefits of timber in place of steel in public infrastructure, and the carbon that can be sequestered, the footbridge embodies Balingen’s dual commitment to sustainability and design excellence.

Two individuals walk on a sunny bridge, one with a cane. They are dressed casually, wearing sunglasses, surrounded by green trees and buildings in the background.

Two people walking hand in hand on a modern bridge surrounded by greenery, with large trees in the background and a palm tree on the right side. The sky is clear and sunny.

‘Thanks to the excellent exchange with the architects, we were able to give the simple structural form of a trough bridge a unique typology. We were able to implement our premise for good structural wood protection in an appealing way through the inclined girders. This shows that together we can interpret wood in a contemporary way for bridges, and hope to herald a paradigm shift.’

Frank Miebach, Director at Ingenieurbüro Miebach