Archinect
Juan Francisco Garces Echeverria

Juan Francisco Garces Echeverria

New York, NY, US

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Render- View from Manquehue Avenue
Render- View from Manquehue Avenue
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Parque Araucano Footbridge

Two halves of a park divided by an avenue, one old and one new, this was the situation that called for a solution. The local authority organized an open architectural competition for a footbridge that would turn both parks into one. Our main concerns were to provide a good integration between both sides and the existing walking paths and cycling routes. The bridge works as a panoramic platform that frames certain far landscapes.

Two self supporting and autonomous structures cantilever and meet in the middle, together they span 120 mt (394 ft.) and are 10 meters (33 ft.) wide with interior varying heights between 6  and 9 meters (19.5 -29.5 ft.). As they are independent they allow to clear the structure in the center and have an observation deck to contemplate the distant Manquehue Hill with unobstructed views. We deviced the structure with as few supporting points as possible in order to let the public space of the sidewalk and street remain clear with no hidden spots. The main supports took a tilted V-shape. All the surface of the bridge serves a structural purpose and was designed as an urban facade, especially below, facing the street, with a belly resembling a boat’s hull.

 
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Status: Built
Location: Santiago, CL
My Role: Designer, Manager, On-Site Coordination
Additional Credits: Juan Ignacio Muñoz O., Pablo Levine M. (GLMarquitectos)

 
Inside View
Inside View
View from the Park
View from the Park
Inside View 2
Inside View 2
Aerial View
Aerial View