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a hybrid infrastructure:
BAU679 Yuandang Bridge

Qingpu, Shanghai, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Discipline

Landscape Architecture

Typology

Urban design, Public landscape

City

Qingpu, Shanghai, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Date

2020-2021

Status

Completed 2021

Client

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

Shanghai Investigation, Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd

Program

Pedestrian bridge, pavilion, bicycle path

Forging a connection between Jiangsu Province and Shanghai, the Yuandang Pedestrian Bridge blurs the lines between structure and sculpture, with an ensemble that incorporates ecology, transportation, culture and landscape. Combining elements typically not seen in a pedestrian bridge, the design embraces hybrid conditions where nature and infrastructure come together to create surprising and unexpected experiences for its pedestrians, creating moments of respite, discovery and engagement.

The nature of the surrounding context is aided with the development of the programmatic requirements for the bridge. The districts on both sides of the Yuandang Lake feature extensive networks of wetland parks along waterways and the lake and have pedestrian path nets and bicycle greenway nets. With these commonalities on both sides of the lake, the client’s and BAU’s ambition was to represent the shared culture of the two provinces in one bridge.

One interpretation of a shared local cultural tradition is the porous sculptural pavilion that references the collecting and displaying of the Lake Tai (Taihu) rock. Found at the foothills of Dongting Mountain near Lake Tai in Suzhou, the hard limestone rocks have a large-scale porosity formed from water erosion. The rock is valued for a variety of its formal qualities including surface texture, play of light, shade and wind through its holes, which are some of the qualities that the pavilion seeks to evoke. Being a public project, it was important that this sculptural element was more than visual – it is an element that children can climb and play within. The geometry of this element is based on a minimal surface mathematical model.

Beyond symbolically referencing cultural elements, we placed high importance on ecological components of the design and how the bridge could become a connector between Jiangsu Province and Shanghai in more ways than one. The bridge’s winding path and a six-metre wide deck features three bands: cycling path, walking path and a space for local vegetation that creates an appearance of a floating garden connecting the riverbanks.

The serpentine plan of both of the park’s networks is adopted for the bridge, making it a smooth formal extension. It also provides the benefit of varying progressive views, a Chinese classical garden principle.

The Yuandang Pedestrian Bridge provides a variety of amenities not usually seen in a bridge. While the deck is divided into three primary bands, it varies in width to accommodate widened sections for resting and enjoying the views of the lake. It combines vegetation, sculptural play spaces, plazas, shading and seating to entice pedestrians to explore and enjoy the bridge at their leisure.

With the ambition of supporting biodiversity, we proposed not only planting upon the bridge, but also planting on new islands in the lake and planting on the lakebed. Much of the this has since been completed by specialists following our plan. With all the initiatives working together to form a habitat for indigenous flora and fauna, there is now a renewed promise to restore the area to a healthy biodiverse environment.