The OMA/Rem Koolhaas and Chris van Duijn-designed Simone Veil Bridge has officially been opened in Bordeaux, France. 

The project consists of a 549-meter-long and 44-meter-wide platform that is extended over the River Garonne in Bordeaux.

The bridge provides an access to the city access for a new public area. Challenging traditional bridges, the design gives up any sense of style, form, or structural expression in favor of a dedication to performance and an eye toward Bordeaux residents' future use. 

Image © JB Menges, courtesy of Bordeaux Metropole

There are dedicated lanes for cars, bicycles, and public transportation, with the largest lane going to foot traffic. 

The bridge's platform is doubled in width, creating 28 meters of neutral, unprogrammed space that can be used for any kind of cultural or commercial event, including car clubs meetings, farmers markets, art fairs, bicycle rallies, and wine or music festivals.

"The project focuses on performance"

"This bridge is for the people, not for connoisseurs. Rather than concentrating on form, the project focuses on performance," said Rem Koolhaas, Partner at OMA. 

"Instead of spending its budget on structural gymnastics, it doubles the width with a public space to serve and connect the two adjoining communities that so far have not developed a strong identity." 

"On the model of bridges like the Rialto in Venice, this extra public space can be used for any purpose: popular, commercial, cultural, political," Koolhaas added.

According to OMA, these days, bridges are frequently assessed primarily based on their technical utility and their role as instruments for the urban and suburban sprawl that is predominantly powered by cars. Bridges' original function as urban spaces has been forgotten and needs to be revived, as the firm said. 

The Simone Veil Bridge reclaims bridges' urban character as public areas where events can take place, rejecting the current obsession with bridges as magnificent technical achievements or aesthetic statements.

It is another interpretation of what a bridge in the twenty-first century can be. Its points of reference are bridges that serve as locations for commercial and recreational activities in addition to transportation, such as the Rialto Bridge in Venice and the Galata Bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul during the 19th and 20th centuries. 

A modern boulevard that can exist in different configurations of intensity is created by combining various forms of traffic and possible actions. The bridge bolsters a highly optimistic expectation for Bordeaux's metropolitan life. 

"The Simone Veil Bridge is like a stage but without the theatre"

"Our design for the Simone Veil Bridge is like a stage but without the theatre. In an era of icons and landmarks, it is very special that the city of Bordeaux decided to build this anti-iconic design," said Chris van Duijn, Partner, OMA.

"To do its duty the project needs to fade away, to be an open table for possibilities. The ruban has become urban," said Gilles Guyot, Project Manager, OMA.

The idea behind the Simone Veil Bridge is to give the communities on either side of the Garonne a cohesive identity. 

It links the development of Bordeaux and Bègles on the left bank with the development of Floirac on the right bank, where functional and sculptural objects are arranged to provide public amenities, through the reuse of a former highway and green space that is subtly woven into the urban fabric. 

The bridge acts as an urban platform in a landscape while also connecting adjacent areas, giving the city's territory essential continuity.

This project was led by Rem Koolhaas and Chris van Duijn, with key contributions from Gilles Guyot.

Image courtesy Bordeaux Metropole

Image by JB Menges, courtesy of Bordeaux Metropole

Image courtesy of OMA

Scenario Agriculture, Simone Veil Bridge. Image courtesy of OMA

Scenario Agriculture, Simone Veil Bridge. Image courtesy of OMA

Scenario Air Bus, Simone Veil Bridge. Image courtesy of OMA

Scenario Agriculture, Simone Veil Bridge. Image courtesy of OMA

Image courtesy of OMA

OMA recently completed the Lantern, an adaptive reuse of a former commercial bakery and warehouse in Detroit. In addition, the firm completed completed a green campus and a new dining space on Dempsey Hill, Singapore.  

Project facts

Project name: Simone Veil Bridge, Bordeaux

Client: Bordeaux Métropole

Location: Bordeaux, Bègles and Floirac, France 

Site: Jean Jacques Bosc Avenue, over the Garonne 

Program: Bridge: 549m long and 44m wide 120,000m2 of bridgeheads, including roads, underpass, public space and parks

Partners in charge: Rem Koolhaas, Chris van Duijn

Project architect: Gilles Guyot

Design team: Clément Blanchet, Margarida Amial, Henry Bardsley, Denis Bondar, Kimiko Bonneau, Solène de Bouteiller, Alice Chen, Emily Crabb, Alban Denic, My-Linh Dinh, Paul Feeney, Camille Filbien, Marc-Achille Filhol, Stavros Gargaretas, Romina Grillo, Hanna Jankowska, Henri Kapynen, Min Hong Khor, Sang Woo Kim, Pierre-Jean Le Maitre, Pierre Levesque, Salma Maaroufi, Lawrence-Olivier Mahadoo, Pierre-Jean Le Maitre, Deborah Mateo, Edward Nicholson, Ana Otelea, Jerome Picard, Ana Reis, Maria Aller Rey, François Riollot, Claudio Saccucci, Irgen Salianji, Kristin Schaefer, Sai Shu, Helene Sicsic, Lukasz Skalec, Saul Smeding, Ida Stople, Jan Szymankiewicz, Xavier Travert, Nicola Vitale.

Collaborators

Engineers: WSP and Groupe EGIS 

Landscape: Michel Desvigne Paysagiste 

Lighting: Les éclaireurs

Contractors

Preliminary work: Dubreuilh, Etchart Construction, Menard

Civil engineering, equipment and superstructures: Bouygues Travaux Publics Régions France, Pro-fond

Steel structure: Baudin Châteauneuf

Road and network: Colas, Aximum

Green space: ID Verde, Brettes Paysagiste

Lighting: SPIE City Networks

Completion year: 2024

Top image in the article © JB Menges, courtesy of Bordeaux Metropole. 

All images © Clement Guillaume, courtesy OMA unless otherwise stated.

> via OMA 

Bordeaux bridge Chris van Duijn OMA Rem Koolhaas