New River Douro Bridge

Porto, Portugal

Structural typology: TENDER DESIGN
Date: July, 2021
Scope: tender design
Architect: equipo: Fhecor - ADF - BERD - Álvaro Siza

This bridge is the solution proposed in a competition of ideas to materialize the crossing over the Duero of the metro line that will connect the stations of Campo Alegre in Porto and Candal in Gaia. The new bridge will be built very close to the Arrábida bridge, designed by Edgar Cardoso and classified as a national monument of Portugal.

The challenge is important since it is about making a bridge without supports in the river, with a strong visual presence, and with a great interference with the university area of ​​Porto in which the School of Architecture is located, among others.

In accordance with the contest rules, the jury evaluated, on the one hand, the quality of the concept and, on the other hand, the technical value of each proposal. In relation to the concept, the evaluation criteria evaluated the geographical integration, the quality of the object and the sustainability of the proposals. Regarding the technical value, the evaluation criteria included aspects related to technical justifications, cost, execution time, etc.

The proposal described here received the highest score from the jury in relation to the concept, although it was technically penalized due to the situation and construction of the foundations on the banks, which meant the loss of the contest.