Himlavalvet: A Bridge That Becomes a Place
Selected from a competition with 44 entries, ENTROPIC and Degree of Freedom’s winning bridge proposal makes its structural arch a public route above the river in Ängelholm.
Can a bridge become a place to visit, rather than only a route to cross? Himlavalvet brings that question to the centre of a new crossing over Rönne å in Ängelholm, Sweden.
In December 2021, ENTROPIC’s proposal with Degree of Freedom was selected as the competition winner. The two-stage competition received 44 entries, with four teams progressing to the final stage.
A single diagonal arch brings structure and public experience together. Conceived in weathering steel with timber contributing warmth to the crossing, it becomes a walkable landscape: a stepped route where people can climb, pause and look across the river and surrounding tree canopies.
At deck level, the bridge supports everyday movement. Above, the arch offers a different pace and perspective. The element that carries the structure also creates a destination, combining the practical demands of infrastructure with opportunities to meet, play and experience the landscape.
Its diagonal geometry connects city and park while keeping the river corridor visually open. Weathering steel and timber recall the historic Pyttebron, linking the proposal to a familiar local crossing without repeating its form.
During the competition’s second stage, Degree of Freedom worked with ENTROPIC to develop the architectural vision and structural logic. The collaboration kept the walkable arch central to the proposal, bringing engineering and spatial design into the same process.
We thank Ängelholms kommun and the competition organisers. Himlavalvet’s winning proposal treats the journey across a river as a shared civic experience, not simply a means of arrival.
ENTROPIC team: Geoffrey James Eberle and Magdalena Mróz.
Degree of Freedom team: Gaute Mo, Fernando Ibáñez and Diego Velayos.
With thanks to Ragna Nordström for assistance with naming the bridge, and to Sam Sor, Michał Mróz and Michał Rzaski for first-phase engineering assistance.
Visualisations: PLAY-TIME Barcelona. Read the original LinkedIn announcement.
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