Sustainable bridge innovations

ThorcaBridge is a bridge concept known for its slender construction. "The demand for slim bridges and scalable solutions has increased tremendously in recent years," notes Hyuk Brands of Haasnoot Bruggen. Reason for the family business to expand the concept with the ThorcaBridge^® Road Bridge. Again, slim and quickly placed.

Haasnoot Bruggen is a family business specializing in the design, calculation and construction of bridges since 1962. "We build bridges for home, work and living environments. A specific product with a specific purpose," Brands says firmly. "Together with colleagues, partners and clients, we use our knowledge and experience to realize bridges that fit within the client's plans and contribute to quality in form, safety and function for the environment and its users."

Introduction of new road bridge 

"ThorcaBridge^® Road bridge is an alternative to a concrete bridge, making it a scalable solution for developers and municipalities," Brands continued. "It is an extension of the ThorcaBridge^® System, of which many hundreds of bridges have already been installed. That we are also using the ThorcaBridge^® Road Traffic Bridge a good direction, was our conviction when we started working on it. That it answers a pressing demand is evidenced by the fact that since its recent introduction we have already commissioned five Road Traffic Bridges, and numerous exploratory talks are underway with clients. Not only does the slender construction speak in favor of the Road Traffic Bridge, but limiting disruption is also a high priority with clients. Where with concrete bridges disruption occurs for weeks, a ThorcaBridge can^® Road traffic bridge to be installed in one day. The new road traffic bridge will be completely prefabricated in our factory." 

CO₂-neutral production 

Since October 2017, 1,256 solar panels have been installed on the roof of Haasnoot Bruggen's factory. "With the proceeds, we can now CO₂-neutral production and provide our business with year-round power and heating," Brands outlines. "So our bridges are not only sleek and aesthetically pleasing but also a sustainable choice."

Speaking of aesthetics, in Haasnoot Bruggen' own design and engineering studio, talented creatives and clever structural engineers work daily on the latest bridge designs. "The bridges we design can be encountered anywhere; inside and outside the Netherlands. Since our establishment (1962) we have realized more than 11,000 bridges. From that base we work - in addition to traditional visualizations and artist impressions with the latest techniques in our field; from augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to lighting plans and 3D scale models."

New bamboo composite innovation

"Since the founding of our company, innovation has been central," says Brands. "For example, we were the first to produce prefabricated bridges, we introduced the composite (GRP) bridge deck plank and we were at the cradle of today's composite (GRP) bridges. Many of our innovations have since become industry standards. This year we introduced bamboo composite boards in sizes of 40 and 60 millimeters thick and 190 millimeters wide. Ideally suited for bridge construction and scaffolding. Bamboo composite boards are not entirely new to us. In fact, we previously introduced a 20 millimeter plank, however, this version is only suitable for use in terraces. The new, thicker planks are suitable for the "real thing. Incidentally, the first projects have already been successfully implemented and well received. In addition, the planks come standard with two dovetail profiles for applying anti-slip strips."

"We have since built thousands of bridges throughout the Netherlands," summarizes Brands. "We are proud every time our (innovative) bridges blend beautifully into their surroundings and, of course, the fact that our clients positively appreciate our approach time and time again."