“Floating between sea and sky”: Architect Dietmar Feichtinger has created a special promenade on Corsica.
The Austrian architect Dietmar Feichtinger (59), who lives in Paris, became famous for building bridges. His latest bridge project is also causing a sensation: Feichtinger, together with local partner offices, has built a promenade five meters above sea level under the 14th-century citadel of Bastia. “Aldilonda” is the name of the breathtaking jetty, which in Corsican means something like “over the sea”. “Floating between sea and sky, Aldilonda will be a spectacular event,” advertises the architecture office.
The exposure to the sea turns the walk into an experience, they say: “The area covered with a transparent grating allows the sea to be experienced. The balcony is exposed to the surf, with high waves the water penetrates the stainless steel grate on the rock and thus reduces the massive force of the water. ”Up to now, the rocky coast under the fortress wall was only partially accessible. The building, which opened in December, will hopefully soon also delight tourist streams.
The bridges to success
The award-winning architect does not describe himself as a “bridge specialist”, but has already built well over ten bridges in Europe. These include elegant and slim footbridges such as the three-country bridge over the Rhine (one of the world's longest arched bridges at 238 meters) and the Passerelle de la Paix (2014) in Lyon, which connects the Caluire-et-Cuire district with the Cité Internationale de Lyon.
The new access structure planned by Feichtinger to Mont Saint-Michel also caused a stir. The mountain and its bay have had UNESCO World Heritage status since 1979. The “footbridge”, as Dietmar Feichtinger calls the bridge with a total length of 1841 meters, has been open to pedestrians and shuttle traffic since 2014. The native of Styria is currently working on a research project to reform the structure of the Paris metropolitan area.
