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BTA Bernard Tschumi Architects | HDA Hugh Dutton Associates | 08 March 2010 /21

7 rue Pecquay 75004 ParisT +33 (0) 1 42 78 07 07 F +33 (0) 1 42 78 01 [email protected]@HDA_Paris

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LA ROCHE-SUR-YON FOOTBRIDGEPRESS KIT

227 West 17th Street New York, NY 1011T +1 212 807 6340 F +1 212 242 [email protected]

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BTABERNARD TSCHUMI ARCHITECTS

HDAHUGH DUTTON ASSOCIATES

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The extension of the TGV train to La Roche-sur-Yon, France, and nearby towns bordering the Atlantic marks not only an important moment for the modernization of the European and French train network, but also an occasion to initiate civic improvements. Linking the historic city founded by Napoleon (“the Pentagon”) with new neighborhoods, this pedestrian bridge crosses above high-speed railway tracks, providing an important urban connection for the town. Conceived through joint collaboration between the fi elds of architecture and engineering, the bridge was designed by Bernard Tschumi and Hugh Dutton, with their respective teams in Paris and New York. The teams developed the design for La Roche-sur-Yon as both a utilitarian vector of movement and a symbol of contemporary urban relationships. The intention of the designers was to demonstrate an integration of an original structural system with an architectural concept developed from urban scale research of neighborhood identity and carried through the expression of the minutest details.

It has been said that there is no architecture without movement. A pedestrian bridge is not just a static object, but represents a dynamic vector in both its usage and urban perception. The designers have sought to express this dynamic characteristic, as much through the structural system as through fi nishing materials (interlaced polycarbonate surfaces protect passengers from weather conditions, while lighting follows the rhythm of the structure). Even the bright red-orange color was chosen to emphasize the urban signifi cance of the bridge as a pedestrian vector.

Cover: Christian Richters CR4095-26.jpgLeft: Christian Richters CR4095-02.jpg (this image is free-of-charge for publications)

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Some of these photographs are not free of charge. If you wish to use them, please contact the photogrrapher Chrisitan Richters directly at [email protected]

The free of charge photographs (for news items only) and the documents of the project are available on request from Colin Spoelman at [email protected] by email or by phone: 212.807.6340.

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LA ROCHE-SUR-YON FOOTBRIDGELa Roche-sur-Yon, France

ARCHITECTS:Bernard Tschumi and Hugh Dutton

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: Bernard Tschumi Architects (BTA), joint representative, including general design and preliminary urban studies.

ARCHITECTURAL AND STRUCTURAL DESIGN: Hugh Dutton Associates (HDA)

BTA DESIGN TEAM: Schematic Design, Design Development: Francoise Akinosho, Ben Edelberg, Kim Starr.

Construction Documents / Site Supervision : Véronique Descharrières, Vincent Prunier, Rémy Cointet, Alice Dufourmontelle

HDA DESIGN TEAM : Pierluigi Bucci, Pierre Chassagne, Francesco Cingolani, Maria Angela Corsi, Pietro Demontis,

Gaëtan Kolher, Cathy Shortle, Romain Stieltjes, Carla Zaccheddu

CLIENT:City of Roche sur Yon

PROJECT TEAM:SNCF - Engineering Departement, Jean-Marie Garnier

Cost:$6,000,000

CONTRACTOR:Renaudat Centre Constructions

TECHNICAL DATA:67 meters (35+32 spans)

201 square meters of concrete deck160 tons of total weight, of which 130 tons of steel ie 1,9 tons per linear meter

76 circular diaphragms, 2100 compressive diagonals, 600 tensile rods4300 meters of profi les, about 10 km of welding, 1800 conical nodes

¬ Old footbridge ¬ New footbridge


The arrival of the high-speed train in the city is considered an important event and an expression of an image of modernisation. The new bridge replaces an existing one that is a standard railway bridge design that can be found all over France. This bridge type was contemporary with and inspired by the work of Eiffel. It involves the using lateral beams composed of a diagonal mesh of small plate strips that are riveted together.

The design of the new bridge uses the same language of a diagonal mesh, but in a tubular from, to create a complete cylindrical volume through which the users pass. Footbridges over railways require lateral protection for safety of both the users and the trains below. The complete volume provides a single structural solution that possesses the necessary inertia to span between the available support points as well as provide support for the required protective screens and a canopy cover.

¬ Robert Le Ricolais, Experimental structures

¬ G. A. Eiffel, 1832-1932

¬ G. R. Le Ricolais, 1894-1977


Robert le Ricolais, a distinguished thinker and innovator in architectural and engineering design was born in La Roche sur Yon, worked in France before WW2 and then moved to the University of Pennsylvania. He is known for his research work in the development of spatial three dimensional structures, having as his objective ‘Weightlessness and Infi nite span. His work extended beyond architecture and engineering to painting and poetry. The bridge design is an homage to him.


The triangulated mesh of the Roche sur Yon main structural tube is articulated to distinguish between the tensile and compression forces by using simple tie rods for the tensile members. The ties have no compressive capacity and express therefore the tensile zones. The compressive members are in ‘T’ or ‘H’ sections corresponding to the magnitude of forces in them. The section sizes of the members vary as a function of the loading to optimise the steel mass and further express the forces in the system. Mid-span, the lower chords are tensile, while the upper members are compressed. The inverse is true at the support points, where the bending moments are inverted. The shear forces in tubular truss are generally greater at the support points and tending more and more vertical the closer one approaches the supports. The pattern of triangulation of the truss follows this change in direction of forces. The general objective is to fi nd a harmonious geometric composition that expresses the natural passage of forces.

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2010 HAPPY NEW YEAR BONNE ANNEE BUON ANNO HDAHUGH DUTTON ASSOCIES

BTuABERNARD TSCHUMI urbanistes ARCHITECTES

FOOTBRIDGE AT LA ROCHE SUR YON - INSTALLATION 2ND OF DECEMBER 2009

¬ Roche sur Yon footbridge greeting card

¬ Roche sur Yon footbridge p hotochemical machining
