hemmerling's rheinring arch provides city center for cologne

located at the rhine carée between the two major bridges, the hohenzollernbrücke and the deutzer brücke, the ‘rheinring’ by marco hemmerling represents the center, as well as the link, between the two halves of cologne, germany. the circular construction concept, developed by stefan polonyi, serves as an attractive pedestrian walkway directly accessible from the historical altstadt to the west, and from the rhine boulevard to the east.

all images courtesy of marco hemmerling

the free-floating ring above the river rhine is a light arch construction that picks up formal references from the flanking bridges, as well as the special buildings nearby like lanxess arena event center, the central station building, and museum ludwig. the geometry of the project is based on the mathematical model of a super ellipse, a flattened shape that mediates between the surrounding square and nearby round forms. above, the bridge blends smoothly into the context, and following the same formal principle, forms wider and narrower areas.

view from deutz

the cantilever arch bridge is barrier-free, inviting access with its generously rounded passages to the water’s edge and to the existing platforms. here, the new pedestrian promenade joins the existing route to form a multi-layered road network. since the support-free suspension requires no additional bridge piers, river traffic moving along the north-south axis remains unaffected.

view from rhein boulevard

with the mooring points located to the west of the rhine, traffic will now become evenly divided between both banks, giving each side equal importance as they will be oriented in opposite shipping directions. the body of water allows for a more intensive and innovative experience through the ‘rheinring’ as an urban space in the inner city where pedestrians and cyclists consistently circulate. this creates a great potential for cultural events, sports and leisure activities.

site plan

by linking the two sides of the site, the design takes up the important questions, which were proposed within the master plan for the inner city of cologne. as a solution, the ring structure of the metropolis gains a stronger identity created by the curving pedestrian bridge, which serves the needs of vehicular transportation systems and recreational programs, developing a new stage for public life.

existing route ways

proposed route ways

design model

superellipse

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