ABSTRACT
This paper compares the design of two pedestrian bridge submitted for a public open competition in Schaffhausen to evaluate circular design. The Circular Bridge, a Design for Disassembly (DfD) project made almost entirely of reused structural elements like Swiss Federal Railroad (SBB) rails, steel profiles recovered from SBB pylons and reused concrete slabs, contrasts with the competition-winning new steel bridge, focusing on optimizing geometry with welded steel elements made with recycling steel. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based on KBOB data reveals that the Circular Bridge achieves 40% lower grey energy emissions despite its similar structural weight. While structurally efficient, it is volumetrically less compact than the new steel bridge, highlighting the trade-offs of circular construction.
