A looping bridge by three Bosnian product design students has been completed outside the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo (+ slideshow).

Adnan Alagić, Bojan Kanlić and Amila Hrustić won the competition for the design of the bridge five years ago while studying at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Called Festina Lente, which in Latin means "make haste, slowly", the looping bridge spans 38 metres over the Miljacka river and loops-the-loop in the middle to create a shelter with two seats.

"The basic idea of the bridge is the union of the secular and spiritual," explain the designers, noting that the academy was formerly a church. "The loop on the bridge is a symbolic gate," they add.

The steel bridge is paved with aluminium plates and fitted with benches made of smooth round logs. At night the bridge is lit by LEDs.

We recently featured a temporary bridge held up by enormous helium-filled balloons and a bridge with an arched level for pedestrians and a zig-zagging level for cyclists.

We've also previously featured a looping motorway imagined by Dutch architects NL and an elevated pathway that looks like a rollercoaster.

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Here's some more information from the designers:

Festina Lente (lat. hurry slowly), lightweight, agile, adaptable casual contact among all objects and human beings.

The basic idea of the bridge is the union of the secular and spiritual and to establish a balance between left and right side. Crossing the bridge is a unique experience because of its specific layout and the views that we encounter when going through the gate (the closed part of the bridge), preparing us to enter into another dimension and awake spirituality. Technological solutions and the modern design of the bridge become the brand of Sarajevo.

The tender for the construction of a pedestrian bridge was announced in 2007, and five years later the bridge was built. The bridge construction is steel with aluminium trim and a glass fence. The bridge spans 38 metres. The bridge creates a true "genius loci" appropriate to the area in front of the temple as the Academy of Fine Arts. The former church, today the Academy of Fine Arts, was built in the time of the Viennese secession.

Its form is unique, simple and attractive at the same time and because of the unexpectedness triggers a series of associations, establishing a new vision. The loop on the bridge is a symbolic gate – in our traditions, entrances in the cities have always been marked by gates. Line appears on most Secession facilities, among which is the Academy of Fine Arts.

Around the bridge we have different styles of facilities and two benches which are completely different, one covered with grass and another built from stone, which we decided on for visual contrast. On the bridge are two benches in covered sections, so it's a place of meeting and interacting. White LED lights light the bridge.

Authors: Adnan Alagić, Bojan Kanlić and Amila Hrustić