The replacement structure for the Theodor Heuss Bridge constitutes a planning and construction task of exceptional complexity. The project combines the renewal of a heavily trafficked inner-city crossing of the River Rhine with high design and heritage protection requirements, demanding construction method constraints, considerable requirements for maintaining traffic connections, as well as the need to establish, already in the early planning phases, solid foundations for an economical and market-viable delivery.

As Germany"s first cable-stayed bridge and as a structure featuring a highly complex cable system that is unique in its form (continuous cables with a two-tier hinge system), the Theodor Heuss Bridge represents a construction task for which only a limited number of planning teams worldwide possess directly relevant experience.

Structural concept, design and constructability

As a pioneering modern cable-stayed bridge and as part of the Düsseldorf bridge family, the Theodor Heuss Bridge holds special technical, design and urban significance. As Germany"s first cable-stayed bridge, together with the other Rhine bridges of Düsseldorf it shapes the identity of the urban space and possesses, beyond its mere transport function, an importance for the cityscape and the architectural heritage of the state capital.

The replacement structure must therefore meet both the future functional requirements and the high design expectations associated with this location.

The principal potential for added value lies in the integrated development of:
. The structural principle and the span arrangement concept;
. The configuration of the pylons, cables or load-bearing structure;
. The deck cross-section and its future adaptability;
. The structural design of the pedestrian and cycle traffic areas;
. The choice of materials and the durability concept;
. The fabrication, erection and demolition methods;
. The aesthetic integration into the ensemble of Düsseldorf"s Rhine bridges.

A purely design-driven approach carries the risk that technically or aesthetically sophisticated solutions may only be adapted at a later stage with regard to fabrication, erection, construction time, supply capacity or costs. Conversely, an execution-oriented optimisation alone must not lead to insufficient consideration of the task of shaping the cityscape and the heritage protection requirements.

We therefore see an essential need to address the structural design, the architectural design, constructability and the construction method as a joint optimisation task from the very outset.