As part of the State Garden Show 2024, which will take place from the end of April to the beginning of October, the town of Wangen im Allgäu is undergoing a transformation. Among other things, the site of the former ERBA cotton spinning and weaving mill is undergoing an impressive revitalization. The aim of this measure is to bring the region’s industrial wasteland back to life. In the course of the redevelopment, the future new district was linked to the old town of Wangen in order to make the natural space in between more usable for the population. In addition, the river, the Obere Argen, which flows through the town of Wangen, was to be reintegrated into people’s lives – old photographs show that this used to be the case. To link the former industrial area and the old town, five bridges were built over the Obere Argen, which can be used on foot or by bike.
One of the five newly built bridges is the foot and cycle path bridge at Klösterle. The commissioned planning office IB-Miebach developed the bridge with a wooden substructure with a high standard of sustainable construction. A transparent railing with a three-dimensionally shaped railing infill complements the sculptural wooden girder. When choosing the bridge covering, IB-Miebach decided on European belgrano® granite from Berlin-based stone contractor BESCO. The high-quality natural stone slabs permanently protect the timber structure from weathering and ensure that the bridge surface is resistant to frost and de-icing salt. They also complete the natural look of the bridge.
For the construction of the 42 meter long and four meter wide bridge, BESCO supplied around 100 large-format paving slabs, which together weigh 56 tons. Each of the one meter wide, two meter long and 12 centimeter thick granite slabs was made especially for this project and has a very specific positioning. 100 cubic meters of wood were used for the load-bearing timber construction.
Because the bridge will only be used by pedestrians and cyclists in future and not by cars, the natural stone slabs will be subject to a lower traffic load. This makes the demand for precision in the production of the slabs even higher, as they are not only visible from above, but from almost all sides. On the other hand, there were increased demands on precision in order to ensure an optimum fit when embedding the slabs in the timber construction.
The deliberate selection and interplay of natural materials not only make the bridge a visual masterpiece – it also scores highly in terms of sustainability. After all, alongside wood, natural stone is one of the most sustainable building materials. Due to its natural sources, it does not have to be produced in an energy-intensive way. The natural stone surface blends in perfectly with the natural timber construction and the overall concept of the bridge and will be an eye-catcher at the 2024 State Garden Show, which opens in spring.
Find out more about the use and range of applications of natural stone.
Landscape architecture
