The Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi, Georgia

August 12, 2010 Category: Bridges, Urban Design

The Bridge of Peace is located in Tbilisi, Georgia, Straddling the Mtkvari river in Tbilisi, Georgia, is an arresting new pedestrian bridge, courtesy of Italian architect Michel De Lucchi and French lighting director Philippe Martinaud. The structure is composed of glass and iron connecting Old Tbilisi with the new district, and boasts a 150m canopy roof of steel and glass. Officially opened on 6th May this year, the bridge was ordered by the city hall of Tbilisi in an effort to create a contemporary design feature to put the capital on the architectural map.

The bridge provides a unique view of the Metekhi Church and Narikala Fortress to one side, and Baratashvili Bridge and President Residence to the other. More than a simple river crossing, The Bridge of Peace possesses an interactive light display system. 30,000 LEDs and 240 sensors installed within the structure convey specific messages, scrolled across the two parapets of the bridge every hour. The universal messages are relayed in Morse code and signify the human elements according to the Mendeleiev table. Martinaud explains: “I so wanted to symbolise Man by what establishes him organically, physiologically: the chemical elements of the human body. This message celebrates life and peace between people.” The result is such that the shimmering structure takes on an almost biological form – a marine creature undulating across the river.

The Bridge of Peace Design Exterior 1