The oldest city in the Netherlands, Nijmegen has long been at the mercy of the Waal River, which frequently inundates the low-lying area. Dykes have historically been used to hold the water at bay – however, the architects behind a pedestrian bridge have taken a different approach.

Instead of fighting against the rising tide, the 220 metre-long Zalige Bridge celebrates natural flooding events by becoming partially submerged. When this happens, pedestrians can use stepping stones – utilised as benches at low tide – to get across the river. The bridge is inaccessible for a few days a year.

As counter-intuitive as this may seem, the designers, NEXT Architects, say the bridge exemplifies the Dutch approach to living with water: not by restraining it, but by embracing it and giving it space.

“As a crest above the river, the bridge emphasises the dynamic character of water by letting people see and experience the changing river landscape,” the architects say.  

Although the bridge was opened in March 2016, it was only just was given the opportunity to prove itself in January 2018, when water levels in the park rose to 12 m NAP+, the highest point in 15 years.

“This time however, the high water became an attraction. While the water was rising, the bridge was reachable only through stepping stones, becoming the ultimate place to experience the high water. Eventually, also the stepping stones submerged, making the bridge inaccessible,” NEXT Architects say.

The bridge was created as part of Room for the River Waal, a nation-wide project initiated by the ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment to prevent flooding, and forms part of an urban river park. 

Zalige bridge by NEXT architects from nextarchitects on Vimeo.