IJburg Bridges

IJburg is a new city district built on an artificial archipelago in the IJmeer lake on the eastern edge of Amsterdam. Connecting its six islands to one another and to the mainland required dozens of bridges. To organise such a varied set of structures systematically and give the district visual coherence, the City of Amsterdam commissioned five architecture practices, each designing its own family of bridges.

Each family has an expression suited to the function of the bridges and their surroundings. The nine bridges of this group, in the Buitenwater area, carry cars, cyclists and pedestrians. Each has a distinct appearance, yet they are clearly related: all derive from a single, flexible design principle that can be applied to every bridge and every location in the area.