VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

The forces of globalization and the worldwide trends of heritage and consumerism must cohabitate with the universal appreciation of sustainability. Thus, there are many questions considering design principles and a fine balance of the true value of prefabrication and of genuine craftsmanship. These questions are not new, we can already detect them in the 19th century, as well as observe subsequent potent answers in architectural designs. The railroad bridges in Zagreb, designed by architects Denzler and Kauzlarić in 1929, present a potent answer. The goal of this paper is to analyze the elements of the bridges’ designs and ascertain the architectural decisions that resulted in the creation of the remarkable Zagreb’s downtown area landmarks that are still in use today. The bridges impose memorable frames of the downtown’s intense traffic and co-create a place of cultural identity with their surroundings. Their elemental structural solution is tuned by the deliberate architectural lines, so all the accumulated forces in the structure are led to only four base points. Therefore, the bridges, as the rational and esthetically attractive structures, superimpose prefabricated solutions and despite their purpose as infrastructure objects present the Zagreb’s valuable built heritage. They testify to Zagreb’s transformation into a modern city in the first part of the 20th century, as well as to the productive collaboration between architects and engineers. The bridges’ designs demonstrate how the synergy of engineering projects and architectural designs can generate valuable solutions, sustainable heritage forms. They contain the lessons that we can learn from.