coral-toned timber and mirror canopy by GRRIZ transforms footbridge above river in france

KAPIA installation spans the Sainte-Thérèse du Québec footbridge

KAPIA is a site-specific timber and mirror installation designed by GRRIZ for Annecy Paysages 2025, located on the Sainte-Thérèse du Québec footbridge along the Thiou river in Annecy, France. The project seeks to transform a simple point of passage into a place of pause, encounter, and contemplation. The design draws inspiration from the kapia of traditional Ottoman bridges in the Balkans, architectural pauses at the center of bridges, historically conceived as civic spaces for exchange and dialogue. On the existing footbridge, two fixed benches were already placed at the midpoint, discreetly suggesting a moment of rest. GRRIZ chose to enhance this latent potential by constructing an architectural canopy that defines the space, offers shelter, and amplifies one’s perceptual engagement with the landscape.

GRRIZ clads geometric timber canopy in mirrored dibond panels

The structure is entirely built from Douglas fir timber, assembled as a lightweight frame that rests delicately on the existing bridge without altering its geometry or circulation. This reversible approach was a technical challenge for GRRIZ creative studio, requiring precise detailing to anchor the intervention while respecting the existing infrastructure. The timber elements are finished in a coral-toned protective coating, chosen to establish a chromatic resonance with both the urban fabric and the natural vegetation of the site. Above, the canopy is clad in mirrored dibond panels, a reflective composite material that captures and refracts the changing qualities of sky, light, and water. These mirrored surfaces generate shifting, almost painterly reflections that evolve with weather conditions and the presence of passersby, introducing a dynamic, expressionist dimension to the work.

canopy creates chromatic and reflective dialogue with the river

KAPIA thus emerges as a functional sculpture: a suspended threshold, open to all, belonging to none. It invites pedestrians and cyclists to slow down, sit, observe, and reconnect with the river and the city. Through its minimal geometry and play of reflections, the intervention redefines the perception of a familiar passage, turning it into a shared space of attention and imagination. The project was developed by GRRIZ following the invitation of curator David Moinard, and produced by Bonlieu Scène nationale Annecy.

project info:

name: KAPIA
architect: GRRIZ | @grriz_studio

design team: Mattia Paco Rizzi, Luigi Greco, Giulia Cerrato

location: Sainte-Thérèse du Québec footbridge, Annecy, France

materials: Douglas fir timber, mirrored dibond

dimensions: 7.6 × 4 × 2.5 m

photographer: Wilfrid Bof, Mattia Paco Rizzi

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