Part footbridge over the river Ebro and part exhibition space this remarkable structure was designed by Anglo-Iranian architect Zaha Hadid, who, in 2004, had become the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Prize. The bridge was built for the 2008 Expo held in Zaragoza, Spain, and remains a highly admired structure in a city blessed with numerous fine buildings both old and modern.
The exhibition space it includes was used for the “Water a Unique Resource ” exhibition during the Expo and it currently hosts the “Motor City” exhibition, an exhibition of cutting edge electric vehicle technology.
The basis of Hadid’s design is said to be a single Gladiolus plant streched out over the Ebro with a single stem at one side branching into three stems at the other. The 270 m long bridge is anchored on both banks but makes use of only one other support, resting an a natural island in the middle of the Ebro. The foundation for this structure was excavated to 70 metres, the deepest foundation ever constructed in Spain. This was caused by the very poor ground conditions in the fluvial deposits. Remarkably, the whole bridge/building was constructed on land and moved into place over the Ebro once completed. The structure is based on a rhomboid metal mesh clad in glass plates (2900 of them) in 10 separate shades of grey and intended to represent the scales of a shark.
Know Before You Go
By public transportation take the tram (Tranvia) to the Pablo Neruda stop and then take the circular bus route Ci2 which runs through the Expo site makes several stops there. Any stop on the site after the Cite de Justice complex can be used to access the bridge but the Palacio de Congress stop is closer for the north bank. The most economic way for a tourist to travel around Zaragoza is to buy a Tarjeta Bus (which can be used on both buses and trams). Be sure to validate the card for each journey.
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