Artsy circle bridge to make route to campus nicer

Many students will now find their commute to class much shorter, and significantly more stylish, now that construction on a cycle bridge designed by Danish-Islandic artist Olafur Eliasson has begun. It is scheduled to open at the beginning of the summer 2015.

Eliasson designed the “cirkelbroen” to evoke the shape of sailboats, paying homage to the maritime history of Copenhagen. The artist was recently in the spotlight for his ice installation on Rådhuspladsen.

The bridge is intended to help Copenhageners travel faster around Copenhagen harbour and cuts across the Christianshavn canal.

Part of a large project

Situated directly across the water from another architectural landmark the Black Diamond, the bridge will fill in the 32-meter gap between Applebys Square and Christiansbro.

The Bridge also has another ace up its sleeve; it can move. Although tall enough for tourist canal boats to navigate underneath the bridge, it will have the option to retract in order to allow naval traffic to gracefully pass through.

This bridge is part of a grander plan to interconnect the Copenhagen harbour. This project will complement the building of larger bridge, that will extend from the Papirøen island over to the Nyhavn area.

Saving commuting time

The bridge will be just 32 meters long, but it will save almost a kilometer of circumnavigating for those commuting along the Harbour shores.

This will make a difference to students who have to go into the southern part of the city, who will also get a more enjoyable ride.

For students and other users alike it will be an architectural ally. One capable of making a commute faster and a stroll more beautiful, as it will be open to pedestrians as well.

Construction delays

It may resemble a sailboat, but the construction process has not been smooth sailing. Originally designed in 2011 with an expected 2013 completion date, the date has now been pushed forward to 2015.

Challenges faced by construction included a campaign by the residents of Christianshavn to cancel the project, while the company who awarded the original construction contract went bankrupt.

No state expenditure is involved, as the DKK 34 million bridge is a gift to the city from the Nordea Foundation. Until then, spectators can watch construction from the Black Diamond’s cafe, or see Eliasson’s s 3D rendering of the bridge in motion. See the video below:

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