Dezeen Magazine

Portuguese architects want to relocate

Porto's Maria Pia Bridge
23 October 2013 | 35 comments

News: two Portuguese architects want to transform Porto's iconic Maria Pia Bridge, built in 1877
by Gustave Eiffel, into a monument by moving the disused structure from its present location
on the River Douro to the city centre.

Designed by the French engineer of Eiffel Tower fame, the wrought-iron railway bridge has been
out of use since 1991. However, as one of Porto's most recognisable structures, Pedro Bandeira
and Pedro Nuno Ramalho believe it could help the city establish its international identity.
"The relocated D. Maria Pia Bridge would bring a new monumentality to the city," reads the
architects' proposal. "The bridge would be a monument of the deindustrialisation, where the
materiality of the nineteenth century gives place to the contemporary immateriality."

Bandeira and Ramalho entered the proposal in a competition seeking ideas to revitalise the
Aurifcia area in central Porto. Although it didn't win, the architects insist it could still become a
catalyst for urban regeneration.
"By relocating [the bridge] to the centre of the city on a higher position, [it] would regain
visibility but mostly another meaning, since it is released of the need of being useful," they
said.

According to the plans, the bridge's latticed girder structure could be easily dismantled. It could
then be re-erected over a period of five months, with a budget of less than 10 million (8.5
million).
Local journalist Ana Laureano Alves believes the project addresses some of the most important
issues facing contemporary architecture.
"Although it may seem extreme in a first moment, I believe that it is an intelligent proposal,"
she told Dezeen. "On one hand it is a call for attention of the failure of the urban regeneration
policies and, on the other, it is a provocation to the contemporary approach on monuments and
history."

Concept for dismantling the bridge

The bridge currently spans the River Douro in the south-east of the city. With a height of 60
metres and a 353-metre span, it was once the longest single-arch span in the world.
Here's a project description from the architects:
Relocation of the D. Maria Pia Bridge
Two architects, Pedro Bandeira and Pedro Nuno Ramalho proposed the relocation of the Eiffel's
D. Maria Pia Bridge to the city centre, exposing its actual uselessness (not in use since 1991)
and drastically changing the skyline of Oporto.
This proposal was a response for a call of ideas for the urban regeneration of the block Aurifcia
in the city of Oporto, Portugal, promoted by the Portuguese Council of Architects. As it seems
obvious, it did not win. If at a first glance it looks like as an ironic proposal of nonsense humour,
it has also a deeper meaning. This strong gesture would establish a particular identity of the
city, unique, bizarre and appealing. It may seem absurd, but in some way it just reflects the
absurd that the city already is: the decadent urban landscape that invites the tourists to
photograph the building in ruins, abandoned warehouses and factories; a scenario that no
urban regeneration policy was able to reverse.

Proposed site plan

Since 1991 the D. Maria Pia Bridge is not at use. With the two new bridges over the Douro River
the Infante Bridge and the S. Joo Bridge - it lost its scale and dignity; it is hidden and
forgotten. By relocating it to the centre of the city on a higher position, the bridge would regain
visibility but mostly another meaning, since it is released of the need of being useful. The
proposal rescues the beautiful expression "work-of-art" used in some languages by the
engineers to refer to the construction of bridges. The originality of the solution would
contribute, in a first moment, for increasing tourism and consequently the development of other
services. Aside from that, it is more significant the boost of the city's identity, nourishing the
self-esteem of its inhabitants, the fundamental actors on the revitalisation of the city.
Astonishingly, the project would be easily executed, both in the constructive and in economical
terms. The lattice girder structure of the bridge is light and easily disassembled. It would
require around five months for the entire process of construction and a budget of less than 10
million of euros, eight times less than the costs of Koolhaas' Casa da Msica, located in the
vicinity. As the Eiffel Tower, the relocated D. Maria Pia Bridge would have a significative impact,
contributing for promoting the image of the city worldwide.

Proposed site section

The relocated D. Maria Pia Bridge would bring a new monumentality to the city. New,
considering it is far from the classical sense of the expression, as of institutionalisation of
History. It is a transgressive monumentality that aims for its permanent actualisation meaning,
reflecting the present conscious of its fragility. The Bridge would be a monument of the
deindustrialisation, where the materiality of the 19th century gives place to the contemporary
immateriality, where there is no space for a bridge that connects just two places. The bridge
died, but it died standing, like a tree.

35 comments Comments
sickofbulls%&* 10 months ago
Yawn. Academic jokers.

Chris MacDonald sickofbulls%&* 10 months ago

Agreed. Academic at best. Another pointless "what if we did this."
amsam Chris MacDonald 10 months ago
Obviously it won't happen but if you think "what if we did this" questions
are "pointless" you're missing out on A LOT.
Chris MacDonald amsam 10 months ago
Not at all. Most people don't let nonsense thoughts see the
light of day, they have a little something called intuition, or
as I like to call it "a bulls*** filter".
porto Chris MacDonald 10 months ago
Right... You sound like those "down to earth"
realistic politicians or even better, civil
constructor.
Chris MacDonald porto 10 months ago
Beats having your head stuck in the
clouds, coming up with concepts that will
never ever be realised.
amsam Chris MacDonald 9 months
ago
Boring concepts get realized all the
time - doesn't make me wish I'd
been the one who realized them.
Amazing concepts that happen can
grow out of outrageous concepts
that can't.
Roberto 10 months ago
The famous bridge's name is Dom Luis I no Maria Pia!
Tripeiro Roberto 10 months ago
You're so wrong. There are two bridges in Porto made by Tefilo Seyrig a known Eiffel
associate. None of them is truly recognised as being from Eiffel.
One is D. Maria Pia (and not just Maria Pia) which is abandoned and used to serve the
railroad. The other is D. Luiz I near Porto's downtown with two platforms (the upper
one for the subway and the bottom one for car traffic).
porto Tripeiro 10 months ago
It's amazing to see the confidence that some people have in incorrect
assumptions!
omnicrom 10 months ago
Having been to Porto and seen this bridge for myself, I have to say this is stupid beyond belief. It's a
wonderful structure, along with the city's many other bridges and deserves far better than this.
What? omnicrom 10 months ago
This is the best way possible to honor a bridge. This is a beautiful idea and Portugal
should make this happen.
Arnold What? 10 months ago
Sure. In fact I have a better idea; let's dismantle it and put it in the British
Museum.
athens Arnold 10 months ago
They don't have anymore space because of the Greek ruins
that they stole.

Lus Pinto 10 months ago

Hope this goes nowhere. And note to poster, the river's name is "Douro" not "Duoro".

Dezeen Magazine Mod Lus Pinto 10 months ago

Hi Lus,
Thank you for pointing this out. We have corrected the story.
Kind regards,
Ross/Dezeen
carsten Lus Pinto 10 months ago
Well, they are already bankrupt. They might sell the scrap steel and have no bridge
left at all.
Tripeiro carsten 10 months ago
I apologise but I need to make a correction since what you say isn't true.
We're not bankrupt. We have a corrupted government destroying our
economy and serving the EU while stealing its people.
Airborne Tripeiro 9 months ago
This project is perhaps a little outlandish, but the idea that
Portuguese architects have to turn to existing buildings and
materials is not far fetched. We are past the era that the EU
is subsidising cultural projects in Portugal and it's economy
isn't very promising.
stutelf 10 months ago
Bit late for April Fools' - and it seemed pretty operational when I got a tram across it about 8 years
ago.
Paulo stutelf 10 months ago
Dear Stutelf, you must be confusing this bridge with the Don Luis bridge. Thats the
one you crossed with the tram.
Cary stutelf 10 months ago
This is impossible since the crossover of trains on the bridge D. Maria ended over 20
years ago. This bridge, that is now a National Monument, is closed.
You must be confusing it with the Bridge D. Luis in which the metro tram runs on the
top level. The metal structure of D. Lus Bridge is kind of similar to the D. Maria.
stutelf Cary 10 months ago
Yes, I stand corrected. Memory of the day is quite hazy, especially since I
crossed the bridge to spend the day going on guided tours of all the port
distilleries on the other side of the river :) Still a daft idea though, unless
they rent it out to Red bull for Flugtag.
Tiago 10 months ago
Clap clap clap.

Rodion 10 months ago

Well, I had a good laugh! I hope the Portuguese taxpayers did to.
Joao 10 months ago
Curious editorial choice... How about publishing the projects that actually won the competition, and
leave the academic speculation for other media?
Fab 10 months ago
It resembles the Garabit viaduct:
http://cliophoto.clionautes.or...
Marek Brejcha 10 months ago
Great idea! Go ahead!

Rui Prazeres 10 months ago

Why are we not funding this?
PeterB 10 months ago
Since pylons aren't the nicest things to live alongside, this could be all too imposing to have over
your dwelling. I would guess that it would provide a good lightning conductor to a large part of the
city!
stuart gardyne 10 months ago
Well I love it. As the architect's say: "released from the need of being useful" it becomes "unique,
bizarre and absurd." I'd love to promenade along it, with a smile on my face and contemplate how
the best things in life transcend the obvious, the ordinary and the mundane.
Dan 10 months ago
Why not turn it into a pedestrian bridge on the original site?
carlos 10 months ago
I'm portuguese! What a horrible architect! It's a bridge not a sculpture. Eiffel Tower is a tower not a
bridge!
philippe carlos 10 months ago
You've got yourself a brilliant counter-proposal there. Got some spare time and
Photoshop?
Andrew Thompson 10 months ago
This idea is excellent. It's a shame it didn't get serious consideration. Go on Porto, make it happen!
Great work Pedro Bandeira and Pedro Nuno Ramalho.