June 27 2023

Moxon Architects are promising to bring European best practice to the UK following the completion of an innovative German footbridge that swaps steel for timber.

The Balingen bridge combines cycle and pedestrian access over the River Eyach, replacing carbon-intensive steel with sustainable and low-maintenance structural timber.

Designed in concert with engineers IB-Miebach the crossing fords the river at an oblique angle, supporting a 40m fibre-reinforced plastic deck on tapered timber beams angled to flare outward on both banks.

Ezra Groskin, director at Moxon Architects said: “Balingen Footbridge demonstrates not just the aesthetic and structural potential of timber in place of steel in bridge-building, but the carbon that can be sequestered. Through offsetting the concrete going into the abutments, timber allows you to create a more sustainable piece of infrastructure, that, with the correct maintenance, can last as long as any steel structure.

"We are excited to bring the experience and knowledge gained through this European collaboration back to the UK, where we are optimistic it can inform our approach to designing both bridges and buildings."

The timber structure extends above the level of the deck to form a parapet, providing necessary clearance for future flooding events. 

Photography by Simon Kennedy

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