The Dafne Schippers Bridge: Three in One

Bicycle and pedestrian bridge, which was opened in Utrecht, Netherlands is connecting the historic part of the city with a new residential area. The main characteristic of the project is its connection to three objects: actually a bridge, a school and a park. The most interesting thing is that the access road to the bridge has the shape of a loop and runs straight on ... the school roof. However, this does not disturb the educational process, indeed, the accessible green roof is intended for school garden planting, games and recreation. 

The city of Utrecht is the fourth largest city in Netherlands. It is famous for its museums, university, beautiful modern and historical architecture as well as for the fact that the Utrecht Union was founded here in 1579 which initiated the unification of the provinces of the country into a single republic. The list of famous citizens of Utrecht is impressive in its length: one can find there famous artist Theo van Doesburg, architects Gerrit Rietveld, Ben van Berkel and even Pope Adrian IV and many others.

In Utrecht there is a wonderful long-term tradition to call streets or some significant objects in honor of its famous inhabitants. So on April 3, 2017, a new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists was opened, crossing the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal and connecting the historic part of Utrecht Oog in Al with the modern area of Leidsche Rijn, which by voting among residents received the name of the Dutch-born athlete Dafne Schippers, who was born here in 1992.

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 Text: ELIZABETH KLEPANOVA
Illustrative materials provided by NEXT ARCHITECTS
Photos: © MASTUM DAKSYSTEMEN / MAURICE ISEGE