A Singular Prestressed Concrete Pedestrian Bridge in Spain

This paper describes the "Kiss Bridge". This structure represents a softy touch of structures. The beams have been structurally designed as the Japanese art of paper folding called "origami". The material for the floating beams is white reinforced concrete presented in bended plates. The two geometrically parts have different structural behavior. The length of the main path of both structures is over 60 m. The pedestrian bridge crosses an artificial rainwater channel with a veer of 45º with respect to the referred channel.

The union between the cantilever structure and the Y-shaped one is located over the middle of the channel. Each stretch has different transversal sections. The pedestrian bridge is made with prestressed self-compacting reinforced concrete of 60 MPa. The foundation was performed using conventional concrete of 35 MPa, it is superficial and any part of the bridge has an independent foundation. The cantilever structure with its foundations could be considered as a semi-integral bridge. Special care has been taken in consideration of dynamic loads generated by pedestrians when they are walking on the structure, because the cantilevered part could present dynamic interaction. The bridge was recognized, in the 2014 edition of the fib Awards for Outstanding Concrete Structures, as making a valuable contribution to the image and promotion of concrete structures.