Sustainable wooden bridge designed as elevated inner city park

<p>It’s bold, large and impressive and sets the tone for future city development in the Netherlands and elsewhere: the Passerelle Zwolle. The train station footbridge is an elevated street and links the historic towns city center with the new development area Hanzekwartier and the green IJssel river landscape.</p><p>This elevated street has been designed as an inner city park, measuring 130 by 10 metres, elevated above the railway tracks. It has a multipurpose nature, acting both as a direct pedestrian connection and a green recreational area; a place to wander or meet, an outdoor waiting area for the bus and train station and an explosion of nature in the midst of a busy transport hub.</p><p>The bridge deck layout has specifically been designed as a series of different environments, in which the line of view changes as one walks across the S-shaped path. This way, crossing the railway tracks becomes an adventure. The footbridge design is inclusive, meaning that it is accessible to everyone, safe and appealing.</p><p>Sustainability was key in the entire design process and resulted in a loadbearing wooden bridge deck and ground breaking wooden elevator shafts.</p>