Carpinteira pedestrian bridge

The city of Covilhã has beautiful ancient streets that will lead you to amazing places! But you will also find surprising spots like design ward-winning pedestrian bridge designed by prestigious Portuguese architect Carrilho da Graça. Travel + Leisure magazine considered this bridge one of the most interesting design spots in the world!

In the 21st century there is the need for a new look over the city, by recovering the architectural industrial heritage of the city and connecting Goldra and Carpinteira river streams through pedestrian bridges.

The extraordinary work of the architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça and the engineers António Adão da Fonseca and Carlos Quinaz – Carpinteira Pedestrian Bridge – was born out of this vision. This work was awarded in the 7th Iberian-American Biennale for Architecture and Urbanism as one of the best architectural works of Latin America, Portugal and Spain. It was also awarded by AIT Global Awards (2011) and it was considered a “World’s Coolest Design Destination” by American magazine Travel&Leisure. Carpinteira Bridge was also nominated for Mies van der Rohe Awards.

The Lisbon-based minimalist architect João Luis Carrilho da Graça’s walkway zigzags high above the Carpinteira river valley. It is one of Portugal’s most impressive pedestrian bridges.

The sinuous and segmented design of the bridge winds above the valley, along a distance of about 220 m. The central bay takes the perpendicular to the line of the valley. The tensioned geometry of its layout interferes with visual orientation and with the perception of dominating heights of “Serra da Estrela”, on one side, and the vastness of Cova da Beira, on the lower side.

You might also like