Ribeira da Carpinteira Bridge

Designed by João Luís Carrilho da Graça with the aim of flattening the irregular hilly city of Covilhã, more than a bridge, this project is a large-scale sculpture.
The assembly process was subject to a span-by-span analysis due to the irregularity of the terrain and the height of the bridge. These were highly conditioned mainly because the central route was all mounted in the valley at ground level and then lifted to its final level.
The architect initially attempted to conceal the tiny deformations in the steel plates lining the pillars and columns, but eventually embraced them as if they were human traces.


Image:
© Ricardo Oliveira Alves