ontwerp: NEXT Architects, 2015, Monster (NL)
The Vlotwateringbrug, popularly called the ‘bat bridge’, is part of the Poelzone, a new green recreational corridor with nature-friendly banks and spawning grounds for fish. Because the bridge is located on the flight path of different bat species, it was designed in such a way that it is suitable for different roosts. Three specific bridge components were adapted to this end. The air chambers in the constructive spaces in the cross-section are suitable for mating and breeding. The abutment houses a winter stay in the form of a labyrinth of linked ‘cavity zones’. Both on the underside of the bridge deck and in the masonry of the balustrade, there are summer stays. In the brick bridge wall and in deep caverns in the underside of the bridge deck, there are warming nesting zones. The behaviour and the needs of the bat species were included in the design of the different stays. The way these sheltered locations warm up and cool down throughout the day and the seasons provides the right conditions. Concrete was chosen for the construction, a material that because of its mass ensures a stable temperature and a pleasant climate. The roosts are located in slits that are part of a pattern of grooves in the concrete arch. The bats can reach
-Monster (NL) 2015
-NEXT Architects
more info: NEXT Architects
