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Switzerland’s highest arch bridge wins international award

Tamina bridge
The bridge was commissioned by the St Gallen cantonal government and took five years to build. Keystone

The Tamina Bridge in the eastern Swiss canton of St Gallen has won the 2018 Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence.

Built in June 2017, the concrete bridge towers 200 meters above a valley and connects the Swiss villages of Pfäfers and Valens. The 417-metre-long bridge took five years to build and cost CHF56 million ($57.5 million) at the time. It provides a safer winter route from Valens to Bad Ragaz compared to the old road, the Valenserstrasse, which is prone to rockslides.  

“The judges noted the efficiency of the structural system, as well as the beautiful way that the design integrates with its spectacular surroundings,” said a statement from The Institution of Structural Engineers that organises the award. 

Entries were judged on five criteria: excellence, creativity and innovation, elegance and detailing, sustainability, and value. The award was given at a ceremony in London on November 16. Recipients include the architect Volkhard Angelmaier and structural design firm Leonhardt, Andrä and Partner. 

Previous winners of the award include Apple’s “Glass Lantern” store in Istanbul and the London 2012 Olympics Velodrome.

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wide shot of Tamina bridge

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