office KGDVS plans ‘tondo’, a tilted circular footbridge coated with mirrors in brussels

office KGDVS has designed tondo, an elevated footbridge that connects the house of representatives’ offices with its recent extensions, the new forum building, on the other side of the leuvensestraat in the center of brussels. designed as a spatial element rather than a technical solution, the bridge takes the form of a tilted ring, coated with mirrored panels that conceal its interior while reflecting the surroundings. the belgian office, which won the competition for the country’s federal government in 2017, recently installed the project’s steel roof structure on the site, with construction expected to be completed by the end of this year.

all images courtesy of office KGDVS

office KGDVS has named the footbridge after the tradition of the tondo, a circular renaissance painting that lends its shape to the project. tucked between the two facades in the center of brussels, the bridge provides a generous walk around an enclosed outer space, which also functions as an ‘escape’ and meeting space. its tilted disc form allows the height difference between both buildings to be bridged by means of a single, accessible slope of 4%, while its mirrored exterior reflects the façades of both the forum building and the parliament.

‘structurally, the bridge can be described as a stiff disc, the roof, on which the floor hangs with a minimal presence of structure: a near ephemeral pavilion between the buildings,’ notes office KGDVS. ‘viewed from above, however, the sculptural beam game of the structure is visible: an ‘eye’ on the world.’

the steel structure of the footbridge has been completed and transferred to the site

project info:

name: tondo

architect: office kersten geers david van severen

collaborator: bollinger + grohmann (stability studies)

location: brussels, belgium

status: under construction