Quivering wire crossing by bureau faceB wins Paris bridge competition
News: French practice bureau faceB has won a competition to design a bridge across the Seine in Paris with plans for a wobbling crossing of stretched steel cables.
![Water At-traction by bureau faceB Water At-traction by bureau faceB](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/10/dezeen_Water-At-traction-by-bureau-faceB_detail_2.gif)
Concrete treads would be threaded over the cables, creating a surface that will quiver under the pressure of footsteps.
![Water At-traction by bureau faceB Water At-traction by bureau faceB](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/10/dezeen_Water-At-traction-by-bureau-faceB_sec_2.gif)
"In Paris, people don't feel the water," architect Camille Mourier told Dezeen. "We wanted people to feel that they are crossing."
![Water At-traction by bureau faceB Water At-traction by bureau faceB](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/10/dezeen_Water-At-traction-by-bureau-faceB_detail_1.gif)
Each cable would be strung onto springs to prevent too much movement.
![Water At-traction by bureau faceB Water At-traction by bureau faceB](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/10/dezeen_Water-At-traction-by-bureau-faceB_plan_1.gif)
Traversing the river on either side of the Île de la Cité, the new bridge would be split into two separate halves.
![Water At-traction by bureau faceB Water At-traction by bureau faceB](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/10/dezeen_Water-At-traction-by-bureau-faceB_plan_2.gif)
On the southern side of the island, part of the bridge would be pulled down towards the water to create a stepped area where Mourier hopes people will be able to "sit down and have a sandwich".
![Water At-traction by bureau faceB Water At-traction by bureau faceB](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/10/dezeen_Water-At-traction-by-bureau-faceB_sec_1.gif)
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Only a narrow pathway would be left to run alongside these steps, which the architects compare to a perilous Himalayan footbridge.
See more stories about bridges, including one that doubles up as a musical instrument.
Here's a project description from bureau faceB:
Water "At-traction"
A pedestrian bridge to stroll along the water
It's in the heart of the city. One of its major attractions. However, you can barely feel it. Maybe on a boat, a little bit on bridges, anyway without intimacy. On the contrary La Seine has to be seen as an out of time place, telling you stories and history. A link through time and space: the water attraction.
This new bridge has to be seen as a light stroke, a thin roadway flirting with the water. Instead of using traditional technics based on compression, it uses a new design, using the potential of traction. Steel cables, strung between the banks by springs, generate a mesh on which concrete beads are threaded.
This fluent area enables new uses. The crossing can be done in two ways. Through a "perilous" one: the very narrow deck gives the feeling of an Himalayan footbridge. Through a space for strolling: the generous space near the water allows to sit, to rest quietly, having lunch, enjoying the proximity of the river and offering a unique perspective on Paris.
Project team: Camille Mourier, François Marcuz, Arnaud Malras, Germain Pluvinage