Traversina Footbridge, Viamala, Switzerland

Forming part of a scheme to make the spectacular scenery of this area more accessible, the bridge was designed to be flown in by helicopter. This restricted the maximum transport weight to 4.3 tonnes. The load-bearing system comprises two elements: a lightweight parabolic beam structure, trussed on the underside and with a timber compression chord; and the balustrade beams, consisting of sandwich sheets, which resist torsion. The two elements were connected by H-shaped balustrade frames, the legs of which extend vertically downwards. A laminated larch bracing member was fixed above the compression chord. The paving was in tongued-and-grooved boarding. The bridge was destroyed by an avalanche in March 1999.