Many bridges lead to the Speicherstadt.
But few of these bridges are as historically important as Wandbereiter Bridge, which dates from 1901. If for no other reason, it was important to retain this piece of Hamburg’s history without destroying its charm and its role as a legacy of the architectural arts of the previous century.
The challenge was to harmonise the greater usage demands for road traffic with the requirements of conservation. Special features of the bridge are its riveted steel bows. These were overhauled and connected to the new composite construction for the road deck. In addition, new benchings and small bore piles were installed in the area of the abutments in order to avoid further stress to the existing structure.
With this method of construction it was possible to preserve the external appearance of the abutments in natural stone and clinker brick. And the building sequence was carefully planned so that the existing structure was subjected to as little stress as possible.
The result is a bridge construction that combines old and new, and is at the same time designed to handle the increased traffic demands of the future. But the most important thing is that, with Wandbereiter Bridge, a contemporary witness to the history of Hamburg’s Speicherstadt remains for us to enjoy.
© Piet Niemann, BIN, Piet Niemann, BIN, Piet Niemann, Piet Niemann, Piet Niemann, Piet Niemann, Piet Niemann, BIN, Piet Niemann
