Wooden wreckage bridge Belgium by Danny den Breejen

About "Wooden wreckage bridge Belgium"

by Danny den Breejen

About the artwork

The department KUST started the construction of the bridge Het Wrakhout in February 2013. The bridge forms a safe connection between the Harendijke district near De Haan and the beach. Walkers, tourists and recreational users no longer have to risk the dangerous crossing of the coastal road and the tracks of the coastal tram.

The bridge, 83 metres long and 4.4 metres wide, is constructed from a steel frame with wooden trusses. More than 1000 wooden elements have been incorporated. In the trusses alone there are 600 beams of different lengths. There is about 100 cubic meters of tropical Azobé wood in processed. The wood carries an FSC label, which means that its origin can be traced. There is also over 30 tonnes of profile steel in the bridge. The wreckage and the surrounding works were completed early May 2014.

The idiosyncratic architecture of Het Wrakhout realizes an uninterrupted contact with the sea breeze, the windblown sand and the salty atmosphere of beach and sea. The wooden construction looks random and chaotic and therefore refers to washed-up wreckage scattered in the dunes. The construction reconciles numerous elements and functions of the coast: safety, mobility, nature, seawall, landscape experience, soft recreation and culture. All these aspects make this a textbook example of an integrated and sustainable coastal development project.