The Moses Bridge

At Halsteren, in the Netherlands, the Moses Bridge is an architectural feat by RO&AD Architecten (Ad Kil, Ro Koster, Martin van Overveld), completed in 2010 on a budget of €250,000. As part of the restoration of Fort de Roovere, the largest fort on the seventeenth-century West Brabant Water Line, access had to be created without spoiling the historic moat. The solution: a “sunken” bridge that literally parts the water, flush with the ground and the water level, practically invisible on approach. The side sheet piles are in Accoya wood, whose durability is guaranteed in contact with soil and fresh water, while the deck and the steps are in hardwood. The bridge has won many awards: Design of the Year 2012 from the London Design Museum, ArchDaily Building of the Year 2011, Nederlandse Bouwprijs 2013, Sakko Cultuurprijs 2011 and BNA Gebouw van het Jaar 2012.