Under Bron (Neglected Spaces and Forgotten Details, Gamla bron, Umeå)

The investigation began through daily crossings and detailed documentation of the bridge, redrawing it element by element across seasons. What started as simple observation gradually became a borderline obsession, an effort to truly understand what was already there. The lighting poles, easy to miss at first glance, became a reflection of the bridge's own unfulfilled potential. This process of attentive looking became the methodological foundation of the project.

Cykelbron marks the western edge of the city centre, creating a visual threshold between the urban and the natural. Perpendicular to the river, with views opening towards Bölesholmarna on one side and the city on the other, it acts as both connector and divider. Most people who cross it are simply passing through. Under Bron proposes a different route, one that breaks the everyday pace and invites people to slow down, descend, and discover the space that has always been there, waiting.

The proposal anchors a series of refined arches into the existing stone and concrete foundations, introducing semi-tempered shelter, a gathering space, and river access. The program is modest and inclusive, centred on encounter, community, and public life rather than consumption. Each end of the bridge is addressed on its own terms: to the north, a stair descends into the river, making the water directly accessible; to the south, a simple platform is introduced, not to prescribe activity, but to facilitate it.

Under Bron argues that activation is a form of respect, and that inaction is itself a choice, often the most damaging one. True engagement with heritage is not preservation through distance, but participation. To look closely is itself a form of transformation.