In the the northern Norwegian village of Birtavarre, the Sabetjohk Pedestrian Bridge spans 147 feet across the 500-foot-deep Gorsa Gorge—northern Europe’s deepest canyon. In less than a year and for just under $1 million, Oslo-based Ghilardi+Hellsten Arkitekter designed and constructed the lightweight sandblasted aluminum structure, which offers breathtaking views of the waterfall below. Fabricated in Austria, shipped by truck to Norway, and assembled in a nearby lot, the public design-build commission nearly met a dramatic end during installation. The helicopter airlifting the bridge to its site suddenly dropped in altitude, sending the 8,400-pound cargo crashing to the ground, but the crew was able to repair and mount it the next day. The treacherous terrain made anchoring a suspension bridge—the initial design idea—impossible, so the architects chose to construct an equilateral triangle frame along a beam anchored at two foundation points, using the recognizable geometric shape to “enhance the contrast between the landscape and the man-made.” The bridge completes a steep, rocky hiking path around the grounds of an old copper mine and includes a bungee-jumping deck for the most daring visitors.

Design and Construction Team