Replacement construction of Sägmühlsteg in Ebermannstadt​

As part of a competition organised by the town of Ebermannstadt for the future use of the barn quarter, the Miebach engineering office contributed the resource-saving design for a replacement of the Sägmühlsteg to the urban planning design by Lohrer.Hochrein. The design follows modern principles of protected timber bridge construction – with water-bearing decking and a compact main girder in block-bonded construction, the supporting structure serves as a continuous girder with a Gerber joint. The structure largely takes over the existing foundations and is placed on steel bearings with corrosion-resistant hinge pins. On the sawmill side, a new abutment is being built in reinforced concrete and harmoniously integrated into the landscape design with natural stone elements. These optimisations enable a particularly favourable freeboard in the event of flooding, so that the lower edge of the timber is above the water level even at HQ1000.

The choice of material takes into account the criteria of durability, ease of maintenance and reusability. The planned bridge decking made of natural stone slabs, either from local Limes dolomite or Tittlinger, not only provides reliable protection for the supporting structure, but also offers increased slip resistance thanks to its flamed surface and experiences virtually no wear and tear during its utilisation cycle. Vertical filler bars in the dark steel railing and a handrail made of durable Accoya wood provide a durable and particularly bird-friendly solution. The sustainable structural concept of the sawmill footbridge is based on glulam for the wooden beams, which are optimally protected from the weather by structural wood preservation. The natural stone covering, combined with transverse drainage channels made of stainless steel sheet, creates a permanent roof over the supporting structure. This measure leads to the classification as a ‘protected structure’ in accordance with EN 1995-2. The lateral projection of the covering effectively prevents driving rain up to an angle of incidence of 45°, which enables a maintenance-free classification of the structure. In terms of cost-effectiveness, the bridge is based on an efficient load-bearing system in order to minimise mass and therefore CO2 emissions. The timber construction takes into account the most efficient possible block bonding with identical individual beams and a minimum amount of joints, so that bonding is possible in a single operation.