Design a bridge!

Design of a resource-efficient pedestrian and cyclist bridge at Südpark in Dresden

Announcement

For the winter semester 2024/2025, the Institute of Concrete Structures and the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 280, under the patronage of the City of Dresden, are announcing a student competition for the design of a resource-efficient pedestrian and cyclist bridge at Südpark in Dresden.

Task description

In June 2024, the City of Dresden and the German Federal Garden Show Society signed the implementation contract, sealing their joint plans for the Dresden Federal Garden Show (Bundesgartenschau, BUGA) 2033. This will be the first BUGA in Saxony since 1951, the birth year of the exhibition. The BUGA aims to reflect Dresden’s turbulent history and transform urban areas, which arose from the ruins of World War II, into attractive green and recreational spaces. Four areas have been selected as the main exhibition and event spaces for the BUGA.

© Landeshauptstadt Dresden

The Südpark is one of these areas and is located just south of the main campus of the TUD Dresden University of Technology. Due to its hillside location, it offers a wide view of the Dresden city center and towards the Saxon Switzerland. Historically, parts of Südpark were used as a clay pit. After World War II, debris was deposited in the area. Today, the western part of Südpark is characterized by valuable succession areas, woodlands, and grove structures, while the southern and eastern parts are used for agriculture.

The area around the historic Bismarck Column, which stands on the site of the 1813 Battles and is part of the Bismarck Tower Cultural Monument located east of Südpark. The structure, built in 1906, is 23 meters high and offers a magnificent panoramic view of the Dresden cityscape from its viewing platform. The Bismarck Column is embedded in green spaces with a monument to Jean-Victor Moreau and the adjacent allotment garden “Schöne Aussicht & Räcknitzhöhe.” These areas, as well as the nearby Volkspark Räcknitz, will be included as exhibition spaces for the BUGA.

© Landeshauptstadt Dresden (modified)

Currently, the Südpark and Bismarck Tower sites are separated by a main road. Since 2005, this road, called Bergstraße, has served as an important access to the A17 highway and is an important traffic route for the city of Dresden. As part of the BUGA 2033 in Dresden, a barrier-free pedestrian and cyclist bridge over Bergstraße is to be built, creating a new attractive route between Südpark, the Bismarck Column, and Volkspark Räcknitz, extending the green corridor Beutlerpark – Bürgerwiese – Kaitzbach – Elbe. Due to its proximity to the highway, the bridge has the potential to become an architecturally valuable gateway to Dresden for visitors to the BUGA 2033 and beyond. The bridge has to span a width of about 40 meters.

The task description for the student competition can be downloaded here.

If you would like to participate in the competition, please send an email with your name, the name of your university, and the names of your team members to Cedric Eisermann (see also section contact).

Competition goal

The competition is intended to encourage students to explore innovative forms, design concepts, and manufacturing methods in bridge construction. We are looking for constructively interesting, statically appropriate, and material-efficient designs. The material and construction method can be chosen freely and innovatively by the students.

Procedure and participation conditions

This is a student competition open to students from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, and related disciplines at universities in Europe. The task can be completed in (interdisciplinary) groups of up to four students or individually as part of a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Diploma Thesis or as Project Work. Submissions can include works created as part of the study program or through individual initiative.

A professional jury, consisting of experts from science and practice and the representative of the City of Dresden, Stephan Kühn (Department of Urban Development, Construction, Transport, and Real Estate), will select the most suitable and creative ideas from the submitted works.

Schedule

The student competition is announced for the winter semester 2024/2025. The task description and further competition documents will be available for download on this website from October 14^th, 2024. Overview of the most important dates:

Further details regarding the consultation opportunity, site visit, jury meeting and award ceremony will be announced in advance of each event in the ‘News and Updates’ section.

Prizes and recognitions

The members of the winning team will travel to a conference or symposium in Europe. The prize includes the participation fee and travel expenses up to €3.000 for the entire team. Possible options include attending the Footbridge Conference from September 3^rd to 5^th 2025, in Chur or a similar event. The selection will be made in consultation with the winning team. All team members must attend the same event. The second and third place winners will receive material prizes.

News and updates

The consultation session for questions regarding the task description will take place on November 4^th, 2024, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. online via Zoom. The agenda is as follows:

The site visit has been rescheduled due to a scheduling conflict from November 15^th, 2024, to November 19^th, 2024. The start is at 1 p.m. at the Bismarck Column.

Contact

If you have any questions about the competition, please contact:

© Stefan Gröschel

Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter

Name

Mr Dipl.-Ing. Cedric Eisermann

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Technische Universität Dresden - Institute of concrete structures

Technische Universität Dresden - Institute of concrete structures

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