Shin-Toyo Bridge

Shintoyobashi

Received the 2007-2008 Japan Society of Civil Engineers Tanaka Prize (Work Division)
Received the 2007-2008 Good Design Award “Architecture and Environmental Design Division”
Japan Society of Civil Engineers Design Prize 2009 Grand Prize winner

Proposal of innovative design harmonized with historical, graceful Sumida River

Shin-Toyo Bridge, which connects Adachi-ku and Kita-ku, Tokyo, opened in March 2007.The bridge is 105 m long and the 32nd bridge among the bridges of Sumida River.We were in charge of “detailed design,” “management of the landscape committee,” and “bridge construction supervision.”


Since the Edo period, Sumida River has been popular with local people and various bridges have been built crossing the river.The river is known widely as one of Tokyo’s sights with attractions such as water buses in operation. Among these bridges, the group of bridges that includes Eitai Bridge and Kiyosu Bridge, which were built by the Imperial Capital Reconstruction Department at the time of recovery from the Great Kanto earthquake, was designated as an important cultural property and is still a symbol of the Sumida River. The “Sumida River Crossing Bridges Landscape Committee” (Chairperson: Professor Osamu Shinohara National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies), consisting of academics, residents’ representatives, and The Urban Renaissance Agency, etc., examined the design of Shin-Toyo bridge, aiming to learn from such ancient bridges and create a new bridge that would remain for future generations harmonized with the modern urban landscape. In addition, explanations were given to local residents and exchanges of opinions held as the design progressed.


Photo 1 Photo 2
Proposal 1: Steel single span truss bridge Proposal 2: Steel simple Nielsen Lohse bridge
Proposal 1: Steel single span truss bridge Proposal 2: Steel simple Nielsen Lohse bridge
Photo 3 Photo 4
Proposal 3: Steel single span cable-stayed bridge Proposal 4: Steel arch stiffened simple box girder bridge
Proposal 3: Steel single span cable-stayed bridge Proposal 4: Steel arch stiffened simple box girder bridge

 

The design concept of Shin-Toyo Bridge is a “bridge as a tool in the everyday urban life,” “a bridge that gives people’s warmth and message from the era,” and “a bridge that incorporates the cutting-edge technology of the times and new ideas.” When selecting the bridge type, after developing proposals based on alignment, bridge length, river conditions, ground condition and other various design conditions, a comparison was made in terms of structure, workability, economy and landscape. From this, we conducted a comparative study from the viewpoint of harmony with the surrounding group of middle-to-high-rise apartment buildings under construction, using the model of the past designs as shown in photos 1 to 3. However, since a sufficient form was not found in the past designs, a new bridge design with a structure that stiffens the girders with an arch and to be a sophisticated shape as shown in Photo 4 was devised, based on the concept described above.

For the arch curve which is the visual feature of the bridge, we adopted a delicate line obtained by a lot of handwritten sketches. In addition, by carefully examining the details of the design, we were able to create a unique and innovative bridge that is harmonized with the surrounding environment.

 

357_Masahito_Hatta 358_Masahito_Hatta
Night view of Shin-Toyo Bridge. <Photos provided by S. Hatta>

 

Location Adachi-ku, Tokyo – Kita-ku
Ordering institution Urban Renaissance Agency Tokyo Metropolitan Branch Office
Committee administration URLinkage Co., LTD