Bridging Traditions and Modernity: The Cycling and Pedestrian Bridge in Bohinj Slovenia

Municipality of Bohinj, Radovljica, Slovenia

Project Status: Built

Year: 2020

Size: 1000 sqft – 3000 sqft

Budget: 100K – 500K

Cycling and Pedestrian Bridge in Bohinj Slovenia – The footbridge is a structure, added to our recycled Bohinj Cycling path (designed 2009), that links people and two banks of the river. But it is also a symbol, that connects tradition and modernity, past and present, urban and natural worlds. In the spirit of critical regionalism it explores the genius loci and the archetype of the “house on the water”, but also sustainability, life cycles and the diversity of local woods. By inviting views, paths and human encounters to flow into it, the bridge transformed the perception of space into place, which now centers the nearby communities.

Architizer chatted with Aleksander S. Ostan from Atelje Ostan Pavlin to learn more about this project.

Architizer: What inspired the initial concept for your design?

Aleksander S. Ostan: It all began with thoughts about bridges: what is transcendent about them lies in the essence of their ontological being, since they connect phenomena (shores, opposites, people), they centre space (paths and human encounters flow into it) and they also ground communities around them. So our bridge did not want to become only a physical archi-structure, but a deep architectural statement and at the same time a symbol. A symbol (old greek symballo) was a stick, divided in two parts and later reconnected into integral One. It evokes emotions and meanings, but also represent ideas, relationships, artefacts. Parallel to the questions of meaning, the architectural thoughts were unfolded within a creative process. Our bridge is placed sensibly into natural setting to create a dynamic balance, but at the same time it forms a linear gesture, an abstraction, that nearly hovers over the waters.

This project won in the 10th Annual A+Awards! What do you believe are the standout components that made your project win?

Perhaps it is the right amount of conceptualisation of the footbridge so that it complements the natural and urban features of the site in a sensitive way. The aesthetic experience includes the clarity of the primary structure and its enhancement with the light pavilion structure. The latter becomes an almost dematerialised lace, when it is reflected on the surface of the river Sava Bohinjka. This symbiosis between tradition and invention, brings us back to the basic dilemma of the relevance of the profession in times of all-round crises. Can cutting-edge architecture still serve smaller local communities far from the urban centres? Are non-committal, progressivist ideas in sensitive environments, a surviving paradigm? This project is also about the responsibility towards the environment, which I hope was legible from the design.

What was the greatest design challenge you faced during the project, and how did you navigate it?

It started with the dilemma: is this the best location to link the footbridge to the cycle path? The situation is asymmetrical in terms of meaning (urban-road and natural-wooded shoreline), height (the natural floodplain is about 3 meters lower than the road level), partly being flood-prone. Once the location was confirmed through comparative scenarios and fine-tuning of the structure, new challenges naturally arose! First we wanted to design an all-wooden bridge, but the glulam beams would have been very high for a span of more than 40 meters. When we designed the steel girders, the profiles were large, so we ended up using a flattened rock in the river, on which we leaned an additional third support. Proposed solution resulted in significantly better bridging conditions. Many details, which had to be ergonomic, safety-functional and aesthetic had to be worked out precisely.

How did the context of your project — environmental, social or cultural — influence your design?

Bohinj is a small community in a closed, extremely beautiful, naturally and culturally still quite well preserved Alpine valley. Therefore, a special sensitivity and connection with its inhabitants, when designing new things, is particularly important. Understanding their traditions and ways of living, but at the same time bringing something open and universal into their world, that they can identify with, has been a particular challenge. On a global level, the awareness of the importance of architectural responsibility and resilience in the face of looming climate change was taken into account. Any new (infra)structure must be thought through in the context of its life cycle, with all the implications it implies for the environment in the short and long term.

What drove the selection of materials used in the project?

As mentioned before, we wanted to start from local traditions: wood, stone, steel… and interpret them in a contemporary way. This was also the most rational, sustainable and financially viable choice for our task.

What is your favorite detail in the project and why?

Through every detail, the whole should be reflected – in a self-similar, fractal way – which is why we pay special attention to them. There are many details that I love about this project, so it would be hard to choose just one. One that certainly stands out is the complex design of the support column, where each section of this hydrodynamic, ellipsoidal element is different, and on top of it there is a steel forest of smaller beams that support the four main girders of the footbridge. It was also a challenge to conceive, proportion and construct the main façade, which, with its lacy lightness, floats above the river and at the same time looks back at itself in its mirror. In addition, there were many other details, all of which required comprehensive coordination and knowledge of the intrinsic nature of the materials, their joining and fixing.

How important was sustainability as a design criteria as you worked on this project?

I’ve said a few things on this topic before: as a studio, we strive for environmental, social and energy sustainability in every project, and to keep the carbon footprint of the building as low as possible! And the sensible and rather protected Alpine environment further raises the threshold of criteria and values that result in a sustainable construction.

In what ways did you collaborate with others, and were there any team members or skills that were essential in bringing this Award winning project to life?

It is a small project in principle, so we had relatively few collaborators. Apart from Nataša and myself, there was graduate student Anže, who is also a local from Bohinj. It’s always good to have a local in the team who understands the specifics of the place and the people. Our colleague at the time, the landscape architect Jana Kozamernik, was also involved in the composition and arrangement of the small rest area on the right bank, where we placed our equipment from the cycle path (benches, a table, bike racks, rubbish bins, rocks, info graphics…). The key was, of course, the quality of the cooperation with the structural engineer Luka Pavlovčič, who was cooperative and precise in his work, following our design, even though it is not usual for infrastructure buildings, especially bridges, to be designed by architects.

Were any parts of the project dramatically altered from conception to construction, and if so, why?

There were no major changes from idea to implementation, but as usual, there were many small adjustments, changes and upgrades to the original solutions. Especially in dialogue with the – not always skilful- building contractors.

How have your clients responded to the finished project?

As far as I know, the reactions to the footbridge (but this is not a statistic, of course) have been very good, often enthusiastic, both from locals and visitors. The bridge performs its original function of connecting the two banks for cyclists and pedestrians very well and is very popular, it is said that it is even a viral point for selfies… in short, the footbridge “Na Rju” has become one of the recognisable, modern “icons” of Bohinj.

What key lesson did you learn in the process of conceiving the project?

Many experiences are gained in all projects, maybe I could metaphorically mention this one: when I was young, I was still touched by the music of Simon and Garfunkel (the latter, by the way, was also a student of FLW), and among their songs, “Bridge over troubled water” was particularly dear to me, both in terms of its content and its music. Perhaps I could point out here an identification point with the message of this song, because in almost every project -and in this one literally- we try to build bridges between different views, opinions, genders, races or beliefs…often over troubled waters.

How do you believe this project represents you or your firm as a whole?

The project is just one – albeit important – pebble in the mosaic of our projects, which build the overall image of our work. Almost all of our projects – from large to small, public and private – are very diverse and often take place in landscape, natural or culturally sensitive contexts or areas, and the Bohinj projects are perhaps particularly highlighted here.

How has being the recipient of an A+Award evoked positive responses from others?

An architect who follows his inner calling does not create for the sake of awards… but every award can also be a confirmation of your commitment, when you dedicate yourself to your work for years and serve people, cities and villages, regions and countries… We have already received several national awards, as well as a few international ones. When friends approached us to apply for Architizer, we were initially hesitant. We are not a generation that cares about promoting ourselves. But when we were finally selected, the response from those who heard the news was very positive. I think this is the most globally-acclaimed award we have received to date and we are really proud of it!

How do you imagine this project influencing your work in the future?

We continue our work consistently and with the same diligence, creativity and responsibility. But perhaps the international exposure of this project can be an incentive and an opportunity to finally get some things right that we previously haven’t: e.g. a serious website, an exhibition, a publication, etc. For me, as an artist, the most relevant answer in this context is still that of F.L. Wright. When asked what his favourite project was the great master answered without dilemma: the next one!

Is there anything else important you’d like to share about this project?

Of course, there are many other things that were interesting and worth mentioning, including various anecdotes, but I’ve probably been informative enough for this occasion…