Α. GENERAL
 

The particular challenge of designing the YANGJAEGOGAE Eco-Bridge lies in its setting within the urban environment of Seoul. Fully aligned with the Municipality's greater vision for a green Metropolis, the Bridge ,once installed, should fulfill to its maximum its premise as a safe corridor for both human and animal life, but also present  itself as a strong symbolic gesture.

B. CONCEPT

The positioning of the bridge along the Gyeongbu Expressway is of critical importance for the long-term efficiency of the project. A number of parameters need to be assessed, starting with a thorough understanding of the history of the site and its present conditions. Identifying  larger areas of potential animal habitats on a macro-scale and taking into consideration matters of noise and light pollution from the highway, that affect  the ease of animal crossing, is of paramount importance. The seamless continuity of both the animal and human paths is the ultimate goal.

The project in the end becomes a sort of restoration undertaking - the restoration of the former mountain ridge that existed before the construction works for the Gyeongbu Expressway. But contrary to an iconic recovery of a natural scenic landscape, the archetypical  expression of an Eco-bridge,  the YANGJAEGOGAE Eco-Bridge must be a structure of design innovation and technical achievement, a landmark architecture for a 21st century Metropolis where Urban and Natural Landscape blend into each other.