In 2021, the municipality Oude IJsselstreek organized a competition for the circular design and construction of a new cycling-bridge over the river “Oude IJssel”. The winning team created an innovative design which saw 90% of the new bridge’s steel re-used from the existing structure – circularity in its truest form.

The replacement of an existing old cycle bridge provided the opportunity for a circular design in which the majority of the old bridge material was reused in the new one. Alternatives were judged both on architectural merit and the degree to which circular principles could be adopted to minimise waste and achieve a very low carbon footprint for the project. The new bridge makes extensive use of the original steel, supplemented by materials from a factory which was being demolished nearby, in an exemplar project for circularity principles.