News: a Stockholm architecture firm has completed a pedestrian bridge with a built-in heating system to keep it clear of ice and snow.
Bridges typically ice up faster than roads and pavements because they have more exposed surfaces, so Erik Andersson Architects solved the problem by circulating warm air through the structure.
The bridge is like a hollow beam with hot air inside it, explained Erik Andersson. "As we only wanted to heat the walkway, we used insulation to direct the heat to the right place," he told Dezeen.
"We wanted a slim bridge and the conventional heating alternatives would have made the bridge too fat."
Located in Norrköping, approximately 100 miles south-west of Stockholm, Tullhus Bridge provides a route between the new residential area of Strömsholmen and the north quay in the city centre.
The steel walkway spans just over 70 metres and has an hourglass body that tapers towards the middle, while LED bulbs have been fitted under the handrails to illuminate the bridge at night.
We recently featured a looping bridge in Sarajevo and a bridge held up by helium balloons in a historic estate in England – see all bridges.
Photographs are by Åke E:son Lindman.