Stuttgart Wood Bridge

Design: The Stuttgart Wood Bridge was developed as part of a feasibility study which was undertaken by the advisory committee of the Baden-Württemberg timber cluster and funded by the European Region Development Fund. The goal of the study was to establish customizable and high-quality timber bridges as an alternative on the market. Three realizations of the bridge are part of a cycle route connecting all 16 municipalities in the Rems river valley which host the 2019 edition of state horticultural show. Two of the bridges are built in the town of Weinstadt, one in the town of Urbach.

Wood: The concept of an „integrated solid timber bridge“ constitutes an innovative new kind of timber bridges. The solid timber cross section is formed of glulam of various grading classes. High-grade timber is employed in the outer segments, subject to high structural stress, whereas lower grades of timber suffice for the middle segments. Steel rib bars, glued into the glulam elements parallel to the wood fiber and anchored in the reinforced concrete of the abutment, serve as connections. This design allowed for the first-ever realization of a “monolithic joint”. A diffusion-open sealing protects the construction from moisture. Large-sized tiles of textile concrete were used for the deck, with lead wool sealing the butt joints.