Over the past few years, there's been a big push to bring more greenery to urban environments. And this initiative has become increasingly more critical thanks to the pandemic. So, new architectural designs revealing a garden footbridge in Paris couldn't come at a better time.
The bridge concept, called the Green Line, was created by Vincent Callebaut Architectures. Their vision was to tackle several common problems in major cities, including pollution, overcrowding, and lack of green space. The result was a bridge that connects the banks of the 12th and 13th arrondissements and features a garden where locals plant their own crops.
The structure itself was designed by Bollinger + Grohmann, Green, and MEP by Greenaffair and features a winding shape that flows over the Seine River. The all-glass facade acts much like that of a greenhouse to enhance the landscaping provided by Sempervirens. In fact, there will be over 37,600 square feet of orchards and vegetable gardens that will produce crops used by local restaurants and citizens. The panoramic rooftop will feature more green and stunning views of Bibliothèque Nationale de France and beyond.
There is also a goal to establish a large amphibian garden that will naturally filter the air and encourage biodiversity along with the other green space. Other eco-friendly elements of the bridge include the generation of energy from renewable sources and recycling its own waste and wastewater.
And the team hopes that overall the project will bring a new awareness of alternative consumption and eco-gastronomy to citizens. Beyond the structure's mere presence, there are also plans to develop a sort of themed campus comprised of classrooms and research labs to educate students to professional chefs on modern farming.
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This is just the latest example of how architecture firms think outside of the box when it comes to creating green space within an urban jungle. For instance, Koichi Takada Architects recently released images of its "Urban Forest" design that shows a 30-story apartment building covered in trees and plants.
