STUNNING, SUBSTANTIAL AND SUSTAINABLE!

 

These words describe not only the relationships we forge with our clients . . . but also this magnificent Akkerwinde Bridge made from "Acoya" wood in the city of Sneek in the Netherlands.

 

• The unique Akkerwinde Bridge is located in Sneek in the Netherlands and is the first wooden bridge in the world that can support the heaviest load class of 60 tons. 

 

• Spanning 105 feet and rising more than 50 feet in the air, the structure serves as a grand entrance to the city of Sneek. The €3.5 million bridge was commissioned after a 2005 design competition, and is designed by OAK Architects (a collaboration between Achterbosch Architectuur and Onix architects) and constructed by German firm Schaffitzel Holzindustrie.

 

• When designing their masterpiece, OAK Architects specified Accoya wood because of its many benefits, including high strength to weight ratio, enhanced durability and dimensional stability, non-toxicity and aesthetics.  The wood used in the bridge’s dramatic design not only makes it look impressive but performs also the important function of bearing the traffic load.

 

• Culturally, the Dutch are a very environmentally conscious society, and the preference was to build a wooden bridge. Accoya wood was eventually chosen over concrete, steel and tropical hardwood (Azobe) due to its inherent lack of CO2 emissions per year.

 

• Approximately 1,200 cubic meters of Accoya wood was used in the production of the Akkerwinde bridge. The supporting beams that stretch into the sky are 1 x 1.4 meters thick and made by finger jointing and laminating processes. The Akkerwinde bridge was primarily manufactured off site, then lifted into place for final construction.