VLM Bridge / AND-RÉ

Curated by ArchDaily

Architects: AND-RÉ
Year: 2009
Photographs:João Soares
Engineering: Carmo

VLM Bridge / AND-RÉ - Beam — © João Soares

Text description provided by the architects. VLM bridge is a pedestrian and bike bridge, part of a wider intervention in a main avenue in the city of Vilamoura. The 160m long wood bridge is conceived as a particular gesture in the path timeline sequence. An exceptional moment in the pedestrian route, intended not only as a functional structure, but also as a seductive site-specific artwork element.

The project aims to break the relation of the user with the backing street, in terms of visual/sound noise, by directing the attention to the lake view, were sun sets in the golf, enhancing the site- specific nature of the global work. This causes visual surprise, enticing the senses to avoid the obvious, providing an unexpected space for the passing user to rest and enjoy the views.

VLM Bridge / AND-RÉ - Facade — © João Soares

A 25x2.5m structural wood wall divides the street reality from the landscape reality. One destined to rest and enjoy the calm sunset views, and the other with an urban identity, following a straight long plane parallely extended along the lane. This second reality is developed for the fast observation from inside the passing vehicles.

The artist Domingos Loureiro conceived an artwork composed by 180 wood boards, painted both sides, creating two 25m long images, for a different observation from the traffic lanes. The images are invisible in a front view of the facade, but seen in a 45o angle, discovered with the car movement, like frames from a movie.

Project location