Yuandang Bridge | BAU | Brearley Architects & Urbanists

The Yuandang Pedestrian Bridge celebrates the coming together of Jiangsu Province and Shanghai. The 586m bridge is a hybrid structure incorporating landscape, infrastructure, and architecture. It is located in a key location where the two jurisdictions meet. The figure of the bridge resembles a ribbon and echoes water ripples on the Yuandang Lake below. Trees and shrubs are incorporated in the bridge, giving the appearance of a floating garden connecting the two banks. The six-meter-wide bridge deck is divided into three bands: cycling path, vegetation band and walking path. The winding bridge has three widened sections for resting and enjoying the lake view. Taking inspiration from local sculptural traditions, the bridge’s pavilion explores contemporary mathematics modeling to create a porous wall that is both sculpture and playground. The bridge is a dynamic ensemble, integrating ecology, transportation, landscape, and culture.

Project Data

Project Status: Completed 2020­­

Location: Qingpu, Shanghai, Suzhou Jiangsu, China

Year: 2020

Construction Cost: CNY 86,000,000 

Typology: Urban design, public landscape

Program: Pedestrian bridge, pavilion, bicycle path

Project Leader: Huang Fang

Team: Berry Pan Linlu , Zhu Qizhen , Yan Xiaoxi , Guo Liexia, Shi Zhengting, Sheng Bailu, Zhao Zheng

Invested by: China Three Gorges Corporation

Client: Construction Bureau of Fen Lake High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Jiangsu Province, Shanghai Qingpu District Water Conservancy Management Institute

General coordinator：Yangtze River Delta Ecological Integration Development Demonstration Zone Executive Committee

Engineering: Shanghai Investigation, Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd

Contractor: CCCC Shanghai Dredging Co., Ltd.

Photographer: Zhu Runzi

Video: Dera (Construction footage provided by CCCC Shanghai Dredging Co., Ltd.)