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Footbridge design by Somaya Valli,
A rugged-looking structure that forms a new footbridge was designed by Counterspace founder Somaya Valli in Vilvoorde, Belgium.
Sumayya Vally has won a competition to design the new Asiat-Darse pedestrian bridge in Vilvoorde.
By presenting a poem in the form of “smaller boats” inspired by the story of Congolese agronomist and expatriate Paul Panda Farnana.
The bridge was conceived as a sculptural structure evoking the “dreadnought canoe fleets so often seen moored alongside” along the Congo River.
“The studio was commended for its research-led approach, which led to the discovery of Farnana and his work,” a press release read.
And highlight a vital, otherwise overlooked part of the city’s history.”
Farnana used his position to advocate for black rights and participated in the first Pan-African Congress in 1919, at the initiative of W.E.B. Du Bois.
This inspired him to found the first Congolese association in Belgium: the Congolese Union,
It is an association and studio explained “Assistance and moral development of Congolese sex”.
Counterspace’s design was intended to explore the story and legacy of Paul Banda Farnana and, according to Valli,
He is one of the most important, but least known, figures in the city.
which embodies the region’s complex relationships with past and future generations’ immigrant bodies and communities.”
“Vilford is a city famous for its diversity,” Valle explained.
She continued, “I trained as a horticulturist at the Vilford School of Horticulture, not far from the site.
This project will revive Varnana’s legacy by bringing to life the concept of species explored in his research, along with water engineering from the Congo.”
Design inspired by the water architecture of the Congo
For the project, Vally is inspired by “the engineering of water in the Congo as one of the starting points to honor this history.”
It also looked at the “hidden flotillas of canoes so often seen moored side by side”,
and as a collective, according to the architect,
“All together they form a common platform on which trade and assembly can take place.”
Vally’s imagination was triggered by these images to be able to form the basis for the proposed Asiat-Darse Bridge,
It is itself a gathering place for travelers, whether they are travelers or visitors.
Hence, the design of the bridge consists of a series of boats tied together to cross the canal.
On the other hand, Vally looked to plants and species to honor Farnana’s horticultural work
and each form of “boat” intended to act as an “isolated seed bed”.
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