Landgangen

Landgangen is a pedestrian bridge and promenade connecting the historic city center of Esbjerg with the port (Denmark’s largest North Sea port). The project shortens the distance by one third by foot, and bridges heavy and dangerous intersections to create a new perceived proximity between city and water. Wedged in between these two areas is the city park; a wooded landscape of steep hills and valleys. Landgangen acts as a unifying element between these three contexts: City, harbor and landscape. The bridge branches out as a superimposed hovering structure that finds its way, twisting and turning, from the city to the harbor in an unpredictable rhythm and creates new vantage points, plateaus, stairs and connecting pathways. The light structure has a minimal impact on the surfaces and mature trees, leaving the precious piece of urban nature untouched.

The bridge winds its way through the tree crowns of the city park. The expressive topography and the park's many beech trees are maintained in the project, as the bridge gently bends to move in and around the landscape.

Landgangen offers spectacular views and quiet places for withdrawal and contemplation, creating places to de-stress in an urban setting. The many vantage points from the bridge provide new perspectives of the harbor and sea. The surrounding park’s historical layers with a water tower and a number of bunkers from World War II are revealed through the many vantage points.

As seasons change, so does the nature of the bridge. In the summer time the bridge is an element of contrast in the park, and in autumn it disappears among the red and yellow leaves.