Tondo Bridge by OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen

Tondo Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge designed by OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, located in the historic heart of Brussels, Belgium. Completed in 2020, the project connects two buildings of the Belgian Federal Parliament, transforming a purely functional requirement into a refined architectural and spatial experience.

Rather than approaching the bridge as a conventional piece of infrastructure, the architects conceived it as an autonomous architectural object: a spatial intervention that mediates between buildings, users, and the surrounding city. Named after the “Tondo,” a circular format rooted in Renaissance painting, the bridge takes the form of a perfect ring, suspended between the two parliamentary structures. This geometric clarity gives the project a strong symbolic presence while reinforcing its role as a civic element within the urban fabric.

Architecture as Spatial Experience

Inside the bridge, movement is deliberately slowed and expanded. The circulation follows a generous circular path, creating an enclosed yet luminous interior space that functions not only as a passage but also as an informal meeting area. This continuous walk transforms what could have been a narrow corridor into a shared spatial experience, encouraging interaction and pause.

The circular detour also serves a practical purpose. A 90-centimeter height difference between the two connected buildings is resolved through a single wheelchair-accessible ramp with a gentle 4% slope, ensuring full accessibility without mechanical intervention. This seamless integration of universal design principles reinforces the bridge’s civic responsibility and inclusive intent.

Urban Presence and Material Expression

From the exterior, Tondo Bridge presents itself as a closed and enigmatic volume, echoing historical precedents such as the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. Its façade is clad in mirrored panels, reflecting the 18th-century Parliament building as well as its contemporary extension across the street. This reflective surface allows the bridge to visually dissolve into its context, simultaneously asserting and concealing its presence.

At closer range, carefully placed glazed openings reveal subtle glimpses of the interior circulation, offering a restrained dialogue between inside and outside. These moments of transparency hint at movement within, without compromising the bridge’s monolithic character.

Structural Concept and Engineering

Structurally, the bridge functions as a stiff disc, with the floor suspended from the roof, minimizing the visible structural components. Developed in collaboration with Bollinger+Grohmann, the engineering strategy supports the architects’ intention of achieving a light, almost ephemeral presence. The result is a pavilion-like structure hovering between buildings: precise, minimal, and quietly monumental.

A Contemporary Civic Connector

With a modest footprint of 110 square meters, Tondo Bridge demonstrates how infrastructure architecture can transcend utility to become a meaningful spatial and symbolic gesture. By combining geometric purity, accessibility, reflective materiality, and structural clarity, OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen deliver a project that operates at the intersection of architecture, art, and urban continuity.

All photographs are works of Bas Princen