Architecture

"Econtainer" bridge to rehabilitate 25-million ton waste mountain

"Econtainer" bridge to rehabilitate 25-million ton waste mountain
Yoav Messer Architects' competition-winning "Ecotainer Bridge" design (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
Yoav Messer Architects' competition-winning "Ecotainer Bridge" design (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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Yoav Messer Architects' competition-winning "Ecotainer Bridge" design (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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Yoav Messer Architects' competition-winning "Ecotainer Bridge" design (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
When complete, the bridge will connect Lod road from east Tel Aviv directly to Hiriya mountain at the park's center. (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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When complete, the bridge will connect Lod road from east Tel Aviv directly to Hiriya mountain at the park's center. (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
The bridge is currently undergoing detail design ahead of construction (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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The bridge is currently undergoing detail design ahead of construction (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
It appears pedestrians will be able to walk about through and on top of the containers (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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It appears pedestrians will be able to walk about through and on top of the containers (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
The "Econtainer" bridge in plan and elevation (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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The "Econtainer" bridge in plan and elevation (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
Yoav Messer Architects claims the shipping industry discards 800,000 containers per year (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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Yoav Messer Architects claims the shipping industry discards 800,000 containers per year (Image: Yoav Messer Architects)
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Yoav Messer Architects' competition-winning "Econtainer Bridge" will become what could well be the first bridge to be made from disused shipping containers. The bridge will cross the Ayalon River granting entry to the planned Ariel Sharon Park which will transform 2,000 acres of the Hiriya waste dump into a nature reserve to the southeast of Tel Aviv.

The designers of the 160-m bridge intend the reuse of shipping containers to mirror the reuse of the land itself. After developing into a 25 million-ton mountain of waste, Hiriya was closed in 1998. In 2004, a scheme was hatched to rehabilitate the land, and prevent collapse into the Ayalon river.

A Yoav Messer spokesperson informed Gizmag that when complete, the bridge will connect Lod road from east Tel Aviv directly to Hiriya mountain at the park's center. The bridge will carry bicycle and foot traffic, and though closed to cars, will see some form of public shuttle vehicle ferry people from car parking into Ariel Sharon Park itself.

Clearly the most notable feature of the bridge is the use of shipping containers, which the project images show being joined two-abreast and end to end with little or no horizontal reinforcement. The conceptual design does depict three vertical legs, each comprised of four uprights arranged in an inverted pyramid. The bridge is currently undergoing detail design ahead of construction, and it will be interesting to see how the scheme adapts to see off the problems posed by the real world.

The designers have address ventilation, as it seems many of the containers will have sides removed to open up the inside of the bridge. Yoav Messer Architects intends that solar PV will provide the electricity required to illuminate the bridge. The concept design suggests that the bridge will include a number of observation points jutting out from the main body. It appears pedestrians will be able to walk about through and on top of the containers.

The company claims that, thanks to the use of shipping containers, 70 percent of the construction work can be carried out at the factory.

Source: Yoav Messer Architects

View gallery - 6 images
4 comments
4 comments
BigGoofyGuy
I think it is a very creative use of shipping containers and appropiate since the island is 'recycled' into a preserve. I think it is cool that it is solar powered (for the lights) and has observation points. It would be neat to see how it looks (compared to what it is conceived to be) when it is done.
VoiceofReason
Interesting. Another way to do it would be for them to invest in a plasma converter to eat the waste. There was one that was $250 million but it eats 2000 tons of garbage a day. Anything but nuclear waste is converted into a volcanic glass material or gases that can be used for internal combustion engines. That would stop the garbage from continuing to dumped.
StWils
It would be better to integrate several emerging technologies to sequentially use algae to ferment liquid fuels, i.e. biodiesel, alcohols, methane, etc, then bio-extract materials like phosphorus for fertilizer, and finally run the leftovers through a plasma jet to reduce remaining organics, i.e. dioxins, BisA,B,C,etc, furanes, etc. Continuing R & D attempts are being made to sort out metals from the plasma jet stream to further clean and recover metals like mercury & cadmium from the remaining waste stream.
Slowburn
given that they have already built the biogas system let it run out before digging up the landfill for the useful and/dangerous material contained.