TU Dresden RWTH Leibniz Institut

Student competition to design a resource-efficient pedestrian and cycle bridge at Südpark in Dresden

Studierendenwettbewerb zum Entwurf einer ressourceneffizienten Geh- und Radwegbrücke am Südpark in Dresden
Vivien Fuhrmann, Stefan Gröschel

Studierendenwettbewerb zum Entwurf einer ressourceneffizienten Geh- und Radwegbrücke am 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.

Aim of the competition

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 sensible and material-efficient designs. The material and construction methods are open.

Decisive criteria for the evaluation of the submitted entries are

  • Creativity and innovation,
  • material suitability and efficiency,
  • design and buildability,
  • inclusion of current research and development,
  • Special features.

Task

With the signing of the implementation contract in June 2024, the state capital of Dresden and the German Federal Garden Show Society sealed their joint plans for the Dresden Federal Garden Show 2033 . This will be the first time since 1951, the year of the exhibition's birth, that a Federal Garden Show (BUGA) has been held in Saxony. The BUGA is intended to reflect Dresden's eventful urban history and transform urban areas that were created on the ruins of the Second World War into attractive green spaces and recreational areas. A total of four core areas were selected as the main exhibition and event areas for the BUGA.

Südpark is one of these areas and is located directly south of the main campus of TUD Dresden University of Technology. The hillside location offers a sweeping view of Dresden's city center and towards Saxon Switzerland. Historically, parts of the Südpark were used as a clay pit. After the Second World War, debris was removed from the area. Today, the western part of the Südpark is characterized by valuable succession areas, woodland and grove structures, while the southern and eastern parts are used for agriculture.

To the east of the Südpark is the area around the historic Bismarck Column, which is located on the former battlefield of 1813 and is part of the Bismarck Tower cultural monument. Built in 1906, the structure 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 memorial to Jean-Victor Moreau and the adjacent allotment gardens "Schöne Aussicht & Räcknitzhöhe" to the west. These areas, as well as the Volkspark Räcknitz to the north, will be included as exhibition areas for the BUGA.

The Südpark and Bismarck Tower areas are currently separated by Bergstrasse. Bergstraße, part of the B 170, has served as a feeder road to the A 17 highway since 2005 and is an important traffic artery in the city of Dresden. As part of the BUGA 2033 in Dresden, a barrier-free pedestrian and cycle bridge is to be built over the Bergstraße, which will serve as a new attractive path link between the Südpark, the Bismark Column and the Volkspark Räcknitz, extending the Beutlerpark - Bürgerwiese - Kaitzbach - Elbe green corridor. Due to its close proximity to the highway, the bridge has the potential to become an architecturally valuable gateway to Dresden for visitors to BUGA 2033 and beyond. The bridge must span a clear width of around 40 meters.

STAY TUNED ...

Start: 14.10.2024
Prize: A trip to an international symposium!
Info: Website Institute of Concrete Structures, TU Dresden

If you as a university would like to participate in the competition, please send an expression of interest to Cedric Eisermann in advance.