OMA designs contemporary boulevard in Bordeaux

In modern times, bridges are often evaluated only from the point of view of their technical utility and their function as a means of extending the city and its periphery, especially by car. The role of bridges as urban spaces in themselves has been lost. The Simone Veil Bridge goes against the current obsession with bridges as triumphant engineering feats or aesthetic statements and reclaims their dynamic urban character to search for an alternative definition of what a 21st century bridge could be.

Since 2010, the OMA architectural firm has played a central role in the design of Bordeaux's Euratlantique urban development area, which extends in the immediate vicinity of the TGV station in the southern part of the city. The planners' vision is to integrate the area harmoniously between the historic, UNESCO-listed center and the districts on the opposite side of the river. As early as 2013, the firm designed a new tram line connecting the Bègles and Villenave d'Ornon districts. In this context, OMA also won the competition for a new bridge over the Garonne in 2014 - the firm's first bridge project. After several delays, the crossing was officially opened in June, although it was originally supposed to be completed in 2018.

The design by Rem Koolhaas and Chris van Duijn impresses with its "extraordinary architectural gesture" that gives pedestrians as much space as all other means of transport combined. The bridge is 44 meters wide, with only a third of that intended for cars. Bicycles and public transport have their own lanes, while most of the area is designed as a "contemporary boulevard". This linear, unprogrammed and neutral space stretches over 549 meters between the districts of Bègles and Floirac. OMA deliberately avoided a dominant formal or structural expression and instead focused on the versatile functionality and use by the citizens of Bordeaux. They developed several scenarios for how the bridge could be used for both cultural and commercial purposes, including markets, trade fairs, and music and wine festivals. The necessary infrastructure was integrated directly into the structure, and some seating was permanently installed.

On the banks, the bridge is connected to the urban structure by small parks, the planning of which was carried out by Michel Desvigne's landscape architecture office. Structurally, the bridge does not have pylons and instead rests on eight massive pillars, each supported by four supports with a diameter of 2.5 meters. The slight arch of the bridge allows sufficient clearance for ships. The project was developed in collaboration with the engineers from WSP, the consultant EGIS and the lighting design office Lumières Studio.