The Role of Urban Bridges | Atelier-Sizhou

Atelier-Sizhou orchestrates a design journey through the landscape of Chengdu with their design for a bridge in the dense city, reimagining the relationship between contextual landscape design and public experience.The Jury winner in the Transportation Infrastructure category of the 2024 12th Architizer A+Awards, The Dong‘an Lake Sports Park Bridge’s design for the Chengdu FISU World University Games offers a unique opportunity to scrutinize the efficiency of constructing infrastructure of this scale.The park – located in the core “Eastward” area of Chengdu – hosts one stadium with a capacity of 40,000 people, three gyms, a multi-purpose gymnasium, and a multi-ball game gymnasium. It is also set to be the venue for the opening ceremony of the 31st Chengdu FISU World University Games.With the design proposal of the bridge, traffic efficiency will improve while connecting the stadiums and gyms via terraces. After the games, the bridge aims to become a beacon for the public sphere, increasing accessibility, enriching the landscape and providing additional space for miscellaneous operations.Experientially, the bridge aims to craft a visual treat of varied elevations while walking. The central spiral surrounds the children’s playground, creating a sense of enclosure. In the middle, platforms at different heights offer a spectrum of viewpoints, with multiple entry and exit points for all the open spaces, allowing the bridge to curate various spatial and visual experiences while engaging with the surrounding public space.Aesthetically, the bridge sits delicately on the context, yet stands out in striking orange to contrast against its verdant setting and highlight its dynamic form and circulation pattern. The main structure of the bridge is a 1000mm thick steel box girder, with a hexagonal v-shaped column spanning 20m to 30m. Two 3mm thick steel plates come together, with a white sheet reflects the orange colour of the main body and the green colour of the surroundings, making the volume appear lighter. Lighting between the two sheets provides the bridge with rich nightly illumination.Through this unconventional landscape bridge design, Atelier-Sizhou creates connections for urban public life while creating a strong architectural identity.

Fact File for Reference Project:
Typology: Urban and Landscape Design
Name: Dong‘an Lake Sports Park Bridge for the Chengdu FISU World University Games
Design Firm: Atelier-Sizhou (四周建筑)
Principal Designers: Xianshu Jin and Jia Liu
Location: Chengdu, China
Photography Credits: Arch-Exist