Design firm LUO studio has recently completed a new pedestrian bridge in Jiangmen City, China, that’s been built using pine wood, concrete, aluminum plate, and glass.
The bridge, which spans across a small tidal waterway and is located within an eco-cultural tourism resort, has an arched design that accommodates the passage of boats underneath and provides a stronger structure.
One of many small bridges in the Gulou Waterfront Resort, LUO studio adopted natural wood materials to construct the arched bridge, which created a space more than 4m higher than the normal water level allowing the small fishing vessels and tour boats to pass underneath.
LUO studio utilized 3 large curved beams as main structural components, which are arranged in a parallel manner with 9 foot (2.8m) spacing between them.
With full consideration of manufacturing and transportation costs, each main beam was divided into three sections at appropriate positions, connected and assembled by steel-strengthened bolts on the site, to form the complete wooden beam.
The design of the bridge inherited the construction wisdom of ancient covered bridges and includes a relatively “closed” corridor space to accentuate the transition from the “practical” commercial street area to the relatively “dreamy” children’s recreation area, allowing visitors to experience a sort of ceremonial moving process.
The exterior of the corridor space is covered by layers of metal plates, which effectively protect it from rain and create a sense of cohesion for the space, while the top of the roof allows light to pass through.
You can see more details of the bridge by watching the following video…