The bridge in the Sipoonkorpi National Park in Finland is a highly corrosion-resistant and maintenance-free structure that minimizes operating costs and reduces environmental impact.
The facility, built in 2019 between two rocky slopes, consists of three steel blocks with a total length of 126 m and its highest point at 20 m. The structures, made of Ruukki-SSAB Weathering 355 steel, weigh 231 tons and the thickness of the steel reaches 35 mm.
The brown steel structures and wooden walkway of the bridge naturally blend into the environment and, together with the lighting, create a warm atmosphere.
The balustrades of the bridge have decorative cutouts with natural motifs depicting the surrounding flora and fauna, which enhances the feeling of unity with nature.
The bridge meets the important criteria set out by the local community: safety, beauty, long service life, high quality and low construction and maintenance costs. The construction cost was around €2.1 million.
The Cor-Ten steel structures were manufactured and installed by Normek, a leading Finnish steel structure manufacturer.
Thanks to its aesthetic properties, the weather-resistant steel blends harmoniously into the environment. The color of Cor-Ten steel will change from bronze to dark brown over time. The oxide film formed on the surface of the elements not only gives the object its original color, but also serves as corrosion protection: the more wet-dry cycles, the more resistant to moisture the bridge structures become.
The steel elements do not need to be painted for corrosion protection or aesthetic reasons, which makes it impossible to emit harmful volatile organic compounds from paintwork.
The estimated service life of the facility without additional maintenance costs is more than 100 years. After decommissioning, the bridge can be fully recycled to reuse the steel.
In 2020, WSP Group, the company that designed the facility, received the award for the best steel structure of the year from the Finnish Steel Construction Association. And in 2021, the facility was recognized as the 2021 Bridge of the Year by the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers RIL. Also in 2021, the bridge received the European Steel Design Award in the Steel Structure Design category, organized by the European Convention on Steel Structures.
