Obregia Bridge, Bucharest

presented by Metalco

In November 2023, the Obregia Bridge, nicknamed Vortex due to its geometry and light effects designed to recreate a vortex, was inaugurated by the mayor of District 4 in Bucharest.

In 2021, the Bucharest municipality commissioned Metalco to design an architectural structure to be placed above the overpass project located at the intersection of Alexandru Obregia and Metalurgiei Avenues with Turnu Măgurele Street in the Romanian capital.

The architect Massimo Tasca, creative and product director at Metalco, conceived the concept, which was later developed by the R&D department with a focus on the theme of space and light within the city.

Metalco’s architectural project was to divide the central elevated path into 64 arches. After an initial stretch where the arches maintain a constant size, they gradually increase towards the center of the bridge, reaching 15 meters in height and 22 meters in width, before symmetrically decreasing, resulting in a total length of over 300 meters.

Nearly 4 kilometres of LED lights, distributed around the structure, allow for stunning light shows, from more frenetic motion effects to special colours for occasions like national or international holidays, thanks to centralized programming. This unique form, which widens and narrows, along with the beams connecting the arches in varying progressions, transforms the entire structure into a fascinating architectural landmark.

The primary goal of the project was to create new spatial experiences, using the simple and direct language of architecture, capable of generating pleasant, diverse, and unique spaces.

During the day, natural light highlights the steel spatial structures, while in the evening, coloured lights animate and enhance the structure, transforming the spaces and making them different each night. The study, supply, and programming of the LED lights were carried out by LineaLight, based on Metalco’s architectural design. Street lighting was provided by Eclatec, and the metal structures were manufactured by Manni Sipre S.p.A.

“The Obregia bridge project addresses the theme of space and light within the city. Our key concepts for this project were: language, rhythm, spatiality, light, and color.” (Massimo Tasca)

See it in 3D in Google Street View.