Memorial Bridge in Rijeka
Rijeka, Croatia
3LHD arhitekti

3LHD Architects create a forcefully minimal monument that also serves as a footbridge

© Aljosa Brajdic

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

By Sarah Amelar

After violent conflict in the Balkans, the Croatian town of Rijeka, some 30 miles south of Trieste, held a competition for a structure both symbolically charged and functionally efficient:
a monument to Croatian defenders,
a memorial to an era of death and destruction that would also serve as a footbridge. With a strikingly abstract yet contemplative scheme, the Zagreb firm 3LHD won first prize.

As the city continues to evolve, this pedestrian bridge/memorial will occupy an increasingly important position, connecting Rijeka’s historic center with its former port, an area to the east slated to become a public park. The structure needed to span at least 123 feet across a canal. And a small plaza, or gathering area with benches, at the bridge’s east end also comprised part of the program. But the greatest challenge lay in maintaining a balance between the form’s utilitarian role as bridge and its commemorative qualities as monument.

The architects devised an elegantly thin and distinctive L-configuration that equates the horizontal walking surface with the vertical slab (or memorial) in both importance and materials. The upright leg, rising 29.5 feet on the east bank of the canal, forms a wall with a slot just wide enough for the passage of one person. Reminiscent of a tombstone, the tall, geometrically pure wall confronts you, demanding that you sidestep or penetrate it, single file. Boldly blocking views, the slab prompts reflection on the nature of a place psychologically transformed. Visually, the monument’s stripped-down Minimalism plays starkly against the backdrop of the old city.

The horizontal component, measuring 154 by 16 feet and a mere 21.6 inches thick, features a steel girder structure, while the vertical element relies on reinforced concrete. Pilotis, also of reinforced concrete, support the walkway, edged by panels of safety glass with teak handrails.

In the plaza, cantilevered, L-shaped benches of steel and teak echo the bridge form, while a scarlike strip of crushed brick and epoxy resin, incised in the ground, extends from the wall slot—symbolizing Croatia’s blood-soaked earth.

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Formal name of Project:
Memorial Bridge in Rijeka

Location:
Rijeka, Croatia

Gross square footage:
4,305 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$1.8 Million

Client:
City of Rijeka

Architect:
3LHD arhitekti
N.Bozidarevica 13/4
HR-10000 Zagreb
Croatia, Europe
T:+385 1 2320200
F: +385 1 2320100
E: info@studio3lhd.hr
www.3LHD.com