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Designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects, the Palace Bridge connects the southern Palace district to the historic town centre of 's-Hertogenbosch. Spanning rail tracks, the crossing creates a fast, social and traffic-free connection, improving the accessibility of the Palace district and opening up possibilities for further public development.
Arup’s role included a programme of requirements, 3D framework calculations and control of strength, stability and stiffness. We were also responsible for the lighting design, building services, foundations and optimisation of the design, construction plan and building method. We used Building Information Modelling to facilitate collaboration between the design team, client and stakeholders on the project, including deploying an online portal.
Green route
During the Dutch War of Independence the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch was defended by inundating the surrounding landscape. Much of the land has remained undeveloped, and the city is still surrounded by an open green area today. The bridge is designed as a park, with a green route for pedestrians and cyclists referencing the former inundation area.
Weathering steel
The weathering steel is in harmony with the surrounding fortifications and is used throughout the bridge to achieve the structural and aesthetic demands. This material creates a strong visual effect while also minimizes the long term maintenance requirements for the bridge.
Plants, seats, railings and lighting are integrated into the structure. Recesses in the bridge create space for trees and planting. The steel folds upwards or downwards at various points in the span, accommodating differing levels of ground clearance.
The project team for the Palace Bridge bridge consists of multiple companies that work together to short deadlines. Arup has rolled out an online portal as part of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) strategy for the project.
The portal is accessible from anywhere, provides an introduction to the project and a place for the design team, client and stakeholders to share documents. This ensures that the right information is quickly shared and team members can work to the same parameters efficiently.
As an experienced multidisciplinary consultancy, we have a detailed understanding of the collaboration and information sharing requirements on projects like this. Our ability to develop and implement computational tools and systems has resulted in a tailor-made system that responds to the needs of the project.
