"Sinuous structural system" supports Hangzhou footbridge by Zaha Hadid Architects
UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled the Grand Canal Gateway Bridge, a curving footbridge in Hangzhou that weaves around a trio of arches.
Set to open to the public later this year, the tied-arch bridge is designed as the centrepiece of the Seamless City masterplan, which contains a park, housing and civic and commercial districts, also designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
Drawing upon Hangzhou's history in silk embroidery, Zaha Hadid Architects created three white arches that stretch over and under the Grand Canal Gateway Bridge.
The steel bridge spans across China's Grand Canal – the world's oldest and longest man-made waterway – where it meets the Qiantang River, which is known in Hangzhou for its "Silver Dragon" bore – a type of tidal phenomenon.
"Drawing on the city of Hangzhou's long-established heritage as a centre of excellence for China's renowned silk embroidery, the bridge's design reinterprets traditional stitching techniques," said Zaha Hadid Architects.
"Its sinuous structural system weaves, overlaps and binds to support a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists that connects the new residential, civic and commercial districts of Hangzhou's Seamless City masterplan."
Two curved paths form the bridge's walkway, bending towards each other over a central concrete island that divides the canal's north and south waterways.
At the centre point, the walkways curve perpendicularly and extend in opposite directions into two piers, designed to provide multiple points to view the surroundings and the Qiantang River's tall waves.
"Balancing ecological sensitivity with civic ambition, the bridge's walkways and plaza provide multiple vantage points, allowing visitors to safely experience the raw power and spectacle of the Silver Dragon's force of nature," said Zaha Hadid Architects.
The Grand Canal Gateway Bridge was constructed from prefabricated modular elements, designed to shorten the build time and minimise disruption to barge traffic on the canal.
Other bridges designed by Zaha Hadid Architects include a vehicle and pedestrian bridge in Chengdu with two symmetrical steel arches, and the Danjiang Bridge in Taiwan, which is set to become the world's longest single-tower, cable-stayed bridge when it opens next year.
The photography is by Xue Liang.
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