menu close

Moreelse Bridge

view

Moreelse Bridge 

The Moreelsebrug was opened in December 2016. This prefabricated bridge for cyclists and pedestrians spans the railway next to Utrecht Central Station and connects the Croeselaan and the Moreelsepark. One of the distinguishing features of cepezed’s design is the integration of trees in the steel design.

  • client(s)
  • municipality utrecht en prorail
  • location
  • Utrecht
  • user(s)
  • public
  • expertise
  • architects
cepezed
ossip van duivenbode

Continuation of the urban space  

The design by cepezed is characterized by a span in a single clear, open gesture. The elongated esplanade has a high user appeal and incentive to linger, achieved through aspects such as the light double curve, the materialization and detailing, and the integration of trees.

In technical terms, the bridge consists of two large girders with a middle section in between. The various sight lines and orientations arise from and fit in with the given urban design situation. As a result, the Moreelsebrug functions more as a high-quality continuation of the urban space than specifically as an infrastructural object.

Jannes Linders
cepezed
cepezed

tree-bridge  

The trees on the bridge form a raised continuation of the trees already present on the connecting routes to and from the city centre. In this way, the bridge establishes an experience of uniformity and continuity that contributes to the naturalness of its use. The bridge’s lighting plan is modest and integrated in its handrail and promenade deck. This also contributes to the recognizability, aesthetics and functional logic; a stylish, elongated light contour with a row of trees lit from below indicates from afar the presence and objective of the bridge spanning the railway.

lucas van der wee | cepezed
lucas van der wee | cepezed
lucas van der wee | cepezed

Model for Vancouver  

Mark Hume, journalist at the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, saw in the Moreelsebrug direct possibilities for the city of Vancouver: ‘This is not just a bridge’, wrote Hume, ‘it’s an architectural statement, a beautiful structure with graceful lines that opens up a pleasant, treed boulevard in the middle of a busy city. A bridge like that over False Creek would be a tourism magnet and would extend Vancouver’s remarkable public waterfront.’

lucas van der wee | cepezed
Jannes Linders

partners

  • client: gemeente utrecht & prorail
  • stability: abt
  • building services: arup
  • main contractor: colijn beton- en waterbouw
  • contractor steel construction: solidd steel structures
  • balustrades: octatube
contact
→ Mail bd@cepezed.nl or call our business development team on +31 (0)15 2150000

related projects

Feasibility study reuse Lek bridge

government office de knoop

The Green House