Buildings and Bridges

On the 60km long Frankfurt Bridges above motorways, 1.15 million square meters of building space are being created - including around 875,000 square meters of affordable housing and 275,000 commercial space for culture, education, sustainable business and much more.

The “Frankfurt Bridge World” is flooded with light - artistic and beautiful from all sides: greenery on top like the High Line in New York, artistic design or vegetation on their sides and light and bright below them: Light holes in the bridge corpus, covered with walkable glass, flood the area under the bridges with sunlight.

Numerous quarters with different themes and architecture from different eras are being created on the bridges: the youth campus at Platz der Republik, "Little Soho” - the quarter for the homeless at the main bus station, the “North Sea Mile” above Rosa-Luxemburg-Allee, the “Rainbow Quarter” with LGBTQIA+ offerings at Rebstockpark, the IT Campus above Hanauer Landstrasse, and many more. The motto of the whole project is important: EVERYONE should win.

The residents of the bridges win through the green diversity and traffic connections in front of their door - and those of them who are partly shaded by the bridge structures get their warm rent refunded for up to 5 years, depending on the degree of shading - or receive alternative living space, their own allotment gardens on the bridges or other compensation of all kinds. 285 million euros were to be budgeted for compensation payments to residents along the bridges. This may sound exorbitant, but it amounts to less than 1 percent of the construction sum - an investment that is extremely worthwhile because if everyone should win, the most important stake-holders of the Frankfurt Bridges, namely the residents, also have to "win”.

The Bridge World

The Frankfurt Bridges are light, green and artfully designed from above, below and from the side

Humane affordable housing near the city centre

875,000 square feet of affordable housing created with humane building concepts

Special Quarters

Lantern Square, Little Soho and much more: on the bridges there is a colourful variety of neighbourhoods with different focuses

Bridge Diversity

Steel trusses á la Eiffel Tower, ultra-modern arched bridges or columned bridges with stonemasonry: depending on the section, a suitable construction method will be implemented

Resident compensation

The bridge corpus is always kept minimal at bottlenecks. Where they nevertheless shade residents, there is an attractive and fair compensation program

Architectural Diversity

Many eras of architecture are represented on the Frankfurt Bridges, from the historic to the modern

You can download the complete BUILDINGS & BRIDGES topic page here as a PDF presentation - Presentation buildings and bridges

The Bridge World

The Frankfurt Bridges are bright, green, flooded with light and artfully designed from above, below and from all sides. They lead in a ring around the city centre and run with their arms in all cardinal directions, so that many points in Frankfurt are directly connected that were previously only accessible door to door by car. At the ends of the bridge arms are small marketplaces where shops, bistros, doctors' offices, etc. are open 24/7. Behind the marketplaces are the maintenance and parking tracks for the bridge vehicles. "Operator kiosks" of the bridge foundation provide organization and information about bridge life, placed at intervals of about one kilometer on the bridges and serve as a contact point for anyone seeking help.

Content: The bridges will be integrated into the city and will enhance quality of life in the neighbourhodds along their course

The bridges will be adapted to the surrounding architecture: a bright and artistic variety of architectural styles, with modern sections as well as with reference to earlier architectural styles. The end sections of the bridges will also be designed in a lively and aesthetically pleasing manner so that no loneliness or neglect take place there.

A variety of light holes in the bridges provide sunshine under the bridges: either as actual holes in the bridge with railings around them, or covered with walkable glass. The bridges are a safe street for all residents and neighbouring quarters of the city, with well-lit stairs and elevators

As an on-site management infrastructure and contact point for all people's needs, there are operator kiosks of the bridge company every few hundred meters.

While life goes on at the top of the Frankfurt Bridges, traffic continues to flow undisturbed underneath and can continue unimpeded on either side of the bridge

An important principle in the planning of the bridges: no tree along the bridge may fall victim to the construction project, no bicycle path and no sidewalk may be impaired by the bridge columns.

The bridges can be integrated without affecting road traffic or things on the roadside: The bridge height of 5.20m is above the prescribed minimum clearance height of 4.50m for vehicles on German roads.

The distance of the bridge columns of approx. 8m is variable according to the construction statics system up to one meter to the right and to the left, so that trees, car entrances and exits, cables and pipelines in the ground etc. can always be taken into account.

The construction of the Frankfurt Bridges and the buildings on them adapts as much as possible to the style of the surroundings through which they pass

The reference points are always the most beautiful buildings in the neighboring area of the bridges, if there are any. Example on a four-lane federal highway in Frankfurt: The beautiful old buildings are the reference point for the architecture of the bridges in the section.

Even functional units such as the "supply centers" at the bridges are aesthetically artful and brightly designed: They look like high class residences, but in fact they only house technology, control cabinets, electricity and digital lines, etc.

While 60 percent of the overall bridge route is based on earlier architectural styles, 40 percent of the route is planned in modern style

The eastern arms of the Frankfurt Bridges run along Gerbermühlstrasse and Hanauer Landstrasse, where there is hardly any spectacular existing architecture to lean on to either side out of town. Therefore, these sections are planned to be constructed exclusively in modern architecture.

In the modern sections, the bridges are bright as well, and with minimalistic design

If they run through residential areas, the sides of the bridges can be decorated with high-quality modern art

For the plain modern sections of the bridges there is also, for example, the possibility of inviting Frankfurt street artists and sprayers to design the bridge pillars, bridge sections or even stairways on these modern outer arms of the Frankfurt Bridges

Frankfurt already has a fascinating street art culture whose goal is not to deface but to artistically beautify areas of the cityscape. Similar to the Berlin Wall in the past, there may be designated areas where artists can add fascinating art to minimalist areas in certain parts.

Oliver Dorge - Streetart in Frankfurt Ostend

For the friends of steampunk there are also suitable bridge sections. Important here too: Sunlight is paramount!

Steampunk is a design style centered arround the nostalgic "industrial shabby look". There are countless visualizations of steampunk designs on the Internet, and video games in particular discovered this world of past industrial beauty for themselves years ago. It is hardly ever realized, as it is dismissed by experts as historicizing retro glorification. The Frankfurt Bridges, however, are there for everyone and take up all kinds of desires of people, including steampunk.

In addition, the basic attitude of steampunk is very modern and sustainable: forgotten and neglected industrial facilities are not torn down and replaced by something new, but are converted into places to stay with a new splendor of their own. It is undoubtedly resource-saving when energy-intensively produced cast-iron pipes and elements or thick walls made with burnt brick are not simply disposed of, but are given their place and a new function in new building worlds. Bright lighting must be ensured in the bridge underside in steampunk design, as well, by a multitude of light holes with walkable glass in the bridge body and by beautiful lighting with steampunk lamps.

Everywhere under the Frankfurt Bridges must be bright - as many light holes as possible are distributed on the bridges and mostly equipped with walkable glass

Under the bridges it is relatively bright, because the bridges have a clear height of at least 5.20m and are not closed at the sides, but on average there is only a pier with a diameter of one meter every 8 meters. In addition, as many light holes as statically possible are planned in the bridge deck.

In most cases, the light holes are equipped with walkable glass at the top of the bridge surface and thus allow sunlight to stream under the bridge like light windows in a dome. In addition, light bulbs are installed in between the upper and lower walkable glass, so that these walkable light holes on the bridge surface also shine appealingly in the evening not only downwards but also upwards for individuals strolling on the bridges, like path lighting.

Wherever it is possible to do without accessible glass, the holes are designed as air holes, which only have a railing all around as a fall protection on a small surrounding wall, so that not only people but also small animals cannot fall from the bridge through the hole onto the road below.

Frankfurt's bridges connect the city centre with more remote parts of the city

The ring around the city centre has three arms leading into the city: from Platz der Republik to Taunusanlage, from Adickesallee to Eschersheimer Tor and from Nibelungenplatz via Konstablerwache down to Schönen Aussicht. At the ends of the bridges there are usually houses grouped around a square, as the "Bridge end marketplace".

The principle of the "bridge end market place": to keep the outer arms from becoming lonely even during dusk or at night

In addition to affordable housing, the bridges offer an inner-city infrastructure even on their remote outer arms, with shopping facilities of all kinds, cultural and social offerings, educational institutions and much more. As a result, the bridges bring a bit of city life to more remote parts of the city, albeit comparatively quietly and in a green, idyllic ambience. Thus, many settlement areas that were previously cut off from Frankfurt life or could only reach it by car or with sporadic bus connections are suddenly within walking distance of an urban lifeline - and conversely, leisure and sports facilities in the remote areas of Frankfurt suddenly become conveniently accessible for people from the city center or other parts of town. This is particularly important for the parts of the city that lie at the ends of the bridge arms: There you will find marketplace-like groupings of buildings.

Hotel des Princes Strassburg Stiftung Altes Neuland Frankfurt

On marketplaces at the end of the bridge arms, the ground floors of the buildings house all kinds of shops, services and offers for daily needs. These are all open 24/7: small supermarkets, doctor offices, snack bars, pharmacies, drugstores, specialty bakeries and much more. This is because life in our society is shifting more and more into the night or early morning hours: whether young people or pensioners and (since the start of the home-office era) even ordinary workers - more and more people are active in the evening or at night and then have nowhere to turn when they need to run everyday errands or feel lonely. You can always find life and warmth at the end-of-bridge marketplaces - but no entertainment, concerts or parties: the marketplaces are lively, but with a relatively quiet atmosphere.

Around the bridge end market places there are always also the maintenance and parking tracks of the bridge vehicles

Only about a third of the bridge vehicles are needed at night; the rest are maintained, cleaned and, if necessary, refuelled in three shifts. This alone means that someone is always awake and working at the ends of the bridges.

At the market places you can find a doctor, a possibility to shop or a restaurant, a bar or a bistro where you can meet other night owls. In addition, there is another building element at all remote accesses to the bridges: the operator kiosk. The operator kiosks belong to the bridge foundation, are distributed at regular intervals across all bridge arms and serve to provide information to bridge residents and visitors as well as to organize bridge management tasks.

Google Earth / Stiftung Altes Neuland Frankfurt

Frankfurt bridges provide safe routes for women and children during dusk or at night

At the ends of the bridges, well-lit footbridges lead to the residential areas: Especially for women or children, it is unpleasant after dark to wait at lonely bus stops or to use the U-Bahn or S-Bahn. With the autonomous traffic of the Frankfurt Bridges, on the other hand, they can travel unmolested and with appropriate social control to other parts of the city, starting from busy bridge-end marketplaces, which they can reach via well-lit stairways and footbridges. Or they use these footbridges to at least get safely to the nearest public transport station of the city without having to walk along lonely country roads.

Staircases and lifts also need to be bright and attractive in order to be perceived by residents as an asset to the street scene

The Frankfurt Bridges have stairs and elevators on both sides about every 200 to 300 meters: If the surrounding area is densely populated, it tends to be every 100 to 200 meters; if it is sparsely populated, it tends to be only every 400 to 500 meters.

Since approx. 15 kilometres of the total 60 km long route run through sparsely populated areas, this results in a total number of about 500 lifts and 500 stairs (excluding small alternative stairs, see below).

Since neither pedestrian nor bicycle paths may be impaired, all staircases and elevators must be individually planned and executed, anyway - which means that not only large companies, but also medium-sized businesses can be involved in the construction.

For the elevators, the rule is that wherever possible, double elevators with separate operating rooms are built along the bridges, so that whenever one of the two elevators is defective, the other continues to provide barrier-free access to the bridges.

Whether in old building style or ultra-modern: An aesthetically beautiful design of the 500 staircases is required at every point of the bridges, especially when residential or office buildings are in the vicinity

In addition, there are a further 300 narrower alternative staircases along the bridges, which can be converted into main staircases at a later date if necessary – in some places they might even be relased for people sitting there in the future, as they are sitting in movies on the fire escapes in the Soho Iron District in New York

These small stairs are located behind the bridge-roadways, and access to them is only gained by unlocking the corresponding gates in the railings by breaking the alarm box window and pressing the emergency button. As soon as the Frankfurt Bridges are established, though, and the narrow stairs no longer have to fulfill a function, at one point or another the stairs can be used as a link between the bridge level and the street at ground level by releasing them for people to rest on, take a lunch break or settle down for a chat.

Whether artisan or modern: All elevator cabins are easy to clean and have a fresh air gaps at the top

The biggest problem with public elevators is the smell: Since elevators are often misused as toilets for underhanded reasons, they often smell very bad.

The lifts along the Frankfurt Bridges are therefore all tiled to a height of one metre and have a floor that is also tiled, with a drainage channel running all the way round so that the interior can be sprayed out with a hose at any time by the bridge company's cleaning staff. The waste water is discharged into the nearest street sewer.

The hose is embedded in a locked cabinet in the shaft wall next to the lift and can only be retrieved by the cleaning staff. Biodegradable cleaning agent can be added to the water via a mixer tap.

A circumferential ventilation gap of approx. 15cm height at the upper edge of the cabin ensures that the air in the lift is always fresh and the cleaning water dries quickly.

Central cornerstone of the overall concept: Inclusion! Barrier-free access for people with walking disabilities to the bridges is core - investments must be made above all in double elevators with separate operating rooms

For all 500 stairways to the bridges, not only one elevator, but two elevators must always be planned. The second elevator in each case must have its own separate operating room so that even if one elevator is defective, the other will still function. This is also in line with the requirements of the Frankfurt Disabled Persons Working Group (FBAG).

The buildings on the bridges will be equipped with elevators, ramps and wheelchair-accessible lifting platforms, matching their architectural style

Central cornerstone of the overall concept: Inclusion! Information boards at all access points to the bridges have tactile site plans with relief writing, which also gives visually impaired and blind people a comprehensive overview of the respective bridge area

The site plans should be tactilely designed, i.e. all surfaces should be raised and also differently strutted, and they should have relief lettering. Colored like normal lay plans and with relief writing baisering on black lettering, the boards are designed to be appealing and meaningful for all people, with and without visual impairment.

BBotanischer Garten Frankfurt - Blinden App

The bridge app for blind people should be scannable at the site plan boards with QR codes and explain the complete offer of the respective bridge area

Furthermore, guidance systems for people with visual impairments or blind people are planned throughout the bridges: The floor structure and color on the bridges’ paths helps them to find their way – and theses floor guidance systems can be integrated into the flooring in a separable yet discreet and visually appealing manner

The floor guidance systems on the Frankfurt Bridges are suitable for visually impaired and blind people in terms of both structure and contrasting colors: It is important that they stand out from their surroundings structurally for blind people, and in terms of color that can be easily perceived by people with impaired vision. Since the bridges also have to be drained, drainage channel covers can also be used as guidance systems. However, the covers must be professionally designed by experts to fullfill their purpose.

The paths on the bridges are planned without steps or platforms - only the stairways have conventional nub systems to warn of changes

Nub warning systems are often made of plastic and are glued on the ground, which reduces their durability. Since the Frankfurt Bridges are planned to be modern and sustainable down to the smallest detail, glued coverings made of plastic, which can secrete adhesives and microplastics and have a short service life, are not an option. Rather, the plan is to use stone. For example, if the floor tiles are made of artificial stone similar to Jura stone, it is unproblematic to produce these so-called "nub stones".

Blindenleitsteine Foerderschule - Firma Kann - kann.de

Crossings on the bridges will be designed for people with walking disabilities as well as for visually impaired or blind people

While people with walking disabilities would prefer not to have a curb, blind or visually impaired people need the curb to signal the beginning of the roadway. At bridge traffic crossings, visually impaired people are warned by nub systems, and for people with walking disabilities, either ramps lead down or out of the side of the roadway, or outdoor lifting platforms are installed.

Handrails on the bridges are also planned in an exemplary manner

All ascents and descents on the bridges and also on the bridges have handrails on both sides, which are designed continuously, so that no interruptions force to let go.

Handrails should merge into the horizontal surface at the upper and lower ends by about 30 cm

This ensures that people can hold on before entering and after leaving the facility, and makes the handrails easier to grasp for people with impaired vision using a long cane.

Handrails must be easily recognizable - by lighting at night or during the day by contrasting with the background in color

Handrails should also be provided with tactile information for better orientation. The indications should be placed at the beginning and end of flights of stairs, placed on the side of the handrail facing away from the stairs.

There is an operator kiosk about every 600 meters on the Frankfurt bridges: around 100 kiosks in total

The operator kiosks are small organisational units of the bridge company. They are manned around the clock and perform numerous tasks: Many amenities on the bridges as well as the bridge traffic can only be used with a bridge card or bridge code. These can either be purchased online or at the operator kiosks.

The staff in the kiosks also serve as contacts for bridge residents and visitors with questions about bridge events: There is a rich program in the music pavilions, the concert, opera and theater houses on the bridges or in the hobby pop-ups and on the Manufaktory Mews. The operator kiosks are in contact with each other and are always up to date on everything.

Cleaning crews and gardening crews regularly make their rounds on the bridges. They can stop at the operator kiosks: These unlock equipment rooms for them and carry out checks on the work completed. The kiosk employees are also the contact persons for the cleaning and maintenance crews of the vehicles.

© by alle Bilder Stiftung Altes Neuland Frankfurt GNU

The operator kiosks also have their own business activities

Depending on their size and location on the Frankfurt Bridges, operator kiosks also offer a range of drinks or food: Some kiosks in more remote areas, for example, have a basic assortment of food for people in the vicinity of the bridges; other kiosks, on the other hand, have a special offer supplied by the Gourmet Line on the Frankfurt Bridges, for example oriental breads or vegan sandwiches; still others have an organic juice bar or are so large that they can function as a small café at the same time.

The operator kiosks are manned 24/7, which is why some also have a room to rest for the people who work there, either at the back of the kiosk or sometimes in the converted attic: this way there are always bridge company contacts everywhere and at any time on the bridges, even in the middle of the night. When you are on the Frankfurt Bridges, you are never left alone and can always find help.

In addition, the operator kiosks also have other diverse functions

In central places with permanent operation, the kiosks are often also equipped with free public toilets. The two twin kiosks at Baseler Platz, for example, share the functions: One kiosk has women's toilets on the ground floor, the other has men's toilets, and both have a disabled toilet.

In one kiosk you can get sweet food and baked goods on the first floor, in the other one salty food and snacks.

All kiosks are manned by a permanent staff of mini-jobbers, whereby pensioners and students are preferably hired for the night shifts; but also, for example, young parents and other groups who would like to work a few hours a week find here an optimal opportunity to integrate themselves into a network of colleagues and to pursue a varied job that offers contact and communication with other people and a flexible possibility to earn extra money.

People living next to the Frankfurt Bridges as well as people living on the bridges are preferably hired for those mini-jobs, thus creating a community of people who identify themselves with „their“ bridges.

Conclusion: Each section of the bridges is an enrichment and enhancement for the city of Frankfurt

The Frankfurt Bridges are designed well lit and of high artistic quality. Where they run, an atmosphere of safety and liveliness is created. Where it was previously grey or even remote and lonely, there is now a green appealing "lifeline".

City districts are connected with each other, people are interwoven with each other. New things are being created, but integrated into the existing city.

The concept can be transferred to any major city in the world and leads to a positive, integrative atmosphere in the middle of existing buildings.

Affordable housing

Special quarters

Bridge Diversity

Resident compensation

Architecture

Green on the bridges

Nature conservation and biodiversity

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