Stockholm’s new 833 m-long Årsta Bridge, which runs parallel to the existing railway bridge built in 1929, was inaugurated during a festive ceremony by King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden in August, 2005.
The elegant new structure sweeps across Årstaviken Bay, its rhythmic contours interacting with the existing bridge 45 m away. The organic waveform of the new Årsta Bridge is beautifully integrated into the surround landscape, in part because of the traditional “Falun-Red” color that matches the color of Swedish country homes that has been used since the 16th century. Thus, the structure, designed by the leading architect Lord Norman Foster, Foster + Partners, is not only a bridge between landscape and architecture, but also between traditional and contemporary design.

For the red-brown coloring of the concrete, 350 t of iron oxide pigments were used, a special mixture based on Bayferrox® 640.

More than 500 trains can now cross the two Årsta bridges day after day without any bottlenecks developing, transporting some 50 million passengers a year.

Instead of painting the concrete, those responsible for the project decided to use colored concrete since it offers advantages in terms of maintenance and durability.

The pigments from LANXESS are weather stable, become firmly integrated in the cement matrix and are environmentally safe.

These attributes add to the environmental friendliness of the Årsta Bridge project.

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