Neue Steinbrücke in Schwaz — BERGER+PARKKINEN

Neue Steinbrücke
Schwaz in Tyrol

Since the 14th century, a bridge has spanned the river Inn at this point, connecting the town centre on the right bank with the areas on the left bank. The current structure, which we have updated, was built in 1927–28 to a design by the great Austrian architect Clemens Holzmeister.

Although Clemens Holzmeister designed a reinforced concrete bridge, the design is still strongly rooted in the tradition of flat arch structures from the late 19th century. In its implementation, Holzmeister’s formal concept was then, quite literally, flattened.

The structure that was actually built featured parallel girders beneath the carriageway, which had largely taken up the clear span of the arch. This also resulted in a massive reduction in the freeboard. The flattening of the formal approach was even evident in the detail of the capstones above the piers.

The new construction provided an opportunity to subtly compensate for the shortcomings of the initial realization of Clemens Holzmeister’s design by taking up the design’s bold formal language and integrating it into the new engineering plan featuring prestressed concrete girders in the parapets. The ‘bend’ intended by Holzmeister thus became a reality.