The footbridge connected the buildings of the Prague university across Studentská street

Prague - Today, the buildings of the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague were connected by the first of two 25-meter footbridges, which were installed between the university buildings above Studentská street. The installation of the second footbridge is planned for March 26. The total cost of the project is 60 million crowns. Both footbridges should be fully functional during the second quarter of 2020. This was reported to ČTK by the spokesperson of VŠCHT, Michal Janovský.

The aim of installing the footbridges is to enhance the safety and comfort of students and staff when they need to move between both buildings. The connection of the university buildings by footbridges is based on the design by the ov-a studio, the winner of the tender from 2017.

The bridge structure of both footbridges consists of a beam supported on two pillars, which are attached to the facades of the buildings. The structure is glazed on the outside with thermal insulation glass. "The full ceiling of the footbridge stiffens the structure and prevents excessive overheating. The floor with a concrete layer dampens the vibration of the structure,” said Jiří Opočenský from the ov-a studio.

The idea of linking the buildings dates back to the 1930s. It was then presented by architect Antonín Engel in an urban design for the Dejvice campus. However, Engel's design, according to VŠCHT architect Petr Šichtanec, is not feasible today. "We would never obtain a building permit for the footbridges in their original form. Moreover, we did not want to go down the historicist path; after all, we live in a different millennium,” Šichtanec stated.

The total cost of the construction, carried out by the company Metrostav, is 60 million crowns. The school will draw financial resources from the ministerial grant fund. Almost 80 tons of steel were used in the construction of both footbridges. The weight of each footbridge will exceed 40 tons. The length of the footbridges is 24 meters, height is 4.6 meters, and width according to the profile ranges from three to five meters.