570 Bridge Porto

The University Campus is understood as a large park developed parallel to the river’s slope. With the new bridge a new viewpoint ‘Terraço Panorâmico’ is added to this park with visual connections towards the Ocean and the historic center. This platform could accommodate a Multipurpose Hall for exhibitions, events, presentations of projects of the Architectural Faculty and for public discussions. The stair linking up to this terrace widens up generously at its lower end towards the entrance of the Architectural Faculty, allowing for outdoor lectures, open-air cinema screenings or just offering a generous sitting area. The bridge will gently touch the terrain occupied by a parking lot of the Architecture School. It merges with the topography and continues the existing footpaths. The staircase coming from the bridge deck connects with a granite cobbled surface that extends the materiality of Rua do Gólgota to the Faculty of Architecture. It unifies these areas with a continuous pavement.

A new urban plaza is created along the riverfront, where the main piers are located in place of a current gas station. While carrying the bridge, those piers at the same time hold a thin roof, creating an intimate space below, an urban square that can be used as a marketplace, for small concerts or as a shared outdoor space for cafés and bars.

The pocket plaza is characterized by lush vertical green walls covering the adjacent buildings elevations and low walls, complemented by several freestanding trees punctuating the granite cobblestone hardscape. In the centre of this new urban space, a thin reflective canopy suspended from the bridge piers will mirror the green enclosure and the Douro waters while providing shadow to the people waiting at the tram stop. At night the roof will act as a reflector of all light sources mirroring these over the public plaza.

On Gaia side the bridge offers a new, prominent link for pedestrians between the Arrábida Shopping Mall and the riverfront. Right above the shoreline, close to the bridge’s arrival at the future Arrábida metro station, a staircase descends in the emblematic eucalyptus forest that covers the steep slope. Wrapping around the secondary piers and widening up with a perfect view towards the historic center of Porto, offering a new place for small gatherings. After touching the ground, the path started by the stairs is continued by an undulating walkway between urban gardens, leading to the riverfront. The proposed stair allows for a new pedestrian loop along the Douro River, to Dom Luís bridge and back. A new opportunity for runners or simply a pleasant Sunday walk.