coral-toned timber and mirror canopy by GRRIZ transforms footbridge above river in france

"KAPIA is a site-specific and installation designed by GRRIZ for Annecy Paysages 2025, located on the Sainte-Thérèse du Québec footbridge along the Thiou river in Annecy, . The project seeks to transform a simple point of passage into a place of pause, encounter, and contemplation. The design draws inspiration from the kapia of traditional Ottoman bridges in the Balkans, architectural pauses at the center of bridges, historically conceived as civic spaces for exchange and dialogue."

"The timber elements are finished in a coral-toned protective coating, chosen to establish a chromatic resonance with both the urban fabric and the natural vegetation of the site. Above, the canopy is clad in mirrored dibond panels, a reflective composite material that captures and refracts the changing qualities of sky, light, and water. These mirrored surfaces generate shifting, almost painterly reflections that evolve with weather conditions and the presence of passersby, introducing a dynamic, expressionist dimension to the work."

KAPIA occupies the Sainte-Thérèse du Québec footbridge over the Thiou river in Annecy, converting a passage into a place for pause, encounter, and contemplation. The design references the kapia of traditional Ottoman bridges in the Balkans, amplifying a midpoint civic pause already suggested by two fixed benches. A lightweight Douglas fir timber frame rests on the existing bridge without altering geometry or circulation, making the intervention fully reversible. Timber elements receive a coral-toned protective coating to resonate with urban and natural surroundings. A mirrored dibond canopy captures and refracts sky, light, water, and passersby, producing shifting, painterly reflections that heighten perceptual engagement with the landscape.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine