Hangzhou Bridges

Projektdaten:

Architekt: Jadric Architektur ZT GMBH & Tongji Architectural Design and Research Institute
Art: International Competition, Winner
Status: Under Construction
Ort: Xioshan District, Hangzhou, China
Klient: Qianjian Century City Administration Committee, Xiaoshan District, Municipality of Hangzhou
Projektteam Wien: Mladen Jadric (Architektur), Klaus Semsroth (Urban Planning), Jakob Mayer, Maximilian Krankl, Simon Groihofer, Dennis Przybilka, Claudio Anderwald (Visualiserungen)
Projektteam Shanghai: Xu Kai (Architektur), Sun Tonguy (Urban Planning), Luang, Zhao, Wenzhou Li, Yuchun Wang, Xianghua Jianxi, Kang Huang, Xin Song
Consultants: Kälte Ingenieuring GmbH

Winner of THE PLAN Award 2019 in the Category Transport Future: 
BRIDGES OF HANGZHOU – BENJING ROAD BRIDGE

Hangzhou is awarded the right to host the 2022 Asian Games (XIX ASIAD). The Asian Games Village site is located along the east coast of Hangzhou Qiantang River, close to the Qianjiang Century City CBD. The masterplan covers 2.96 km², which is 3 km away from the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center (Asian Games main stadium area). The Athlete Village will accommodate all involved with the Asian Games; from performing athletes, to referees and media personnel. The future aim is to incorporate the village into Hangzhou’s Central Business District – this will be achieved by making place for businesses and trade. The forward-thinking village will accommodate 60,000 inhabitants, and will encourage a fully sustainable and environmentally friendly standard of living for society. The total land-area of planning is 3.26 km², of which 2.41 km² will be dedicated to the construction of the Asian Games Village. A controlled green belt along the Zhegang Railway will comprise 0.55 km² and the Qiantang Riverside Park area will comprise 0.3 km². The planning of this area is in close proximity to the main stadium for the Asian Games. Benjing Road Bridge was designed in the course of an architectural competition with the task of developing seven bridges in the 2022 Asian Games Athlete Village. It is one out of two winning concepts that derived from Tongji Architectural Design and Research Institute and Jadric Architektur ZT GmbH. The first purpose of every bridge is to span physical obstacles without being an obstacle in itself, blocking passage over a body of water or a valley, usually something that can be detrimental to cross otherwise. At the same time, in Chinese garde ns, bridges are built over waterways as a symbol of passage to an important place or a state of mind (a set of five bridges cross a meandering waterway in an important courtyard of the Forbidden City a.o.). The concept is deeply rooted in history and tradition of Hangzhou, whose identity is closely connected to the water. The City of Hangzhou, probably the most famous of all water towns, could therefore also be called the City of Bridges. Also in the Waterpark of the future Sport Village for ASIAD 2022, every single of the seven bridges serves a particular purpose and addresses different situations. Some of them are very exposed and visible from afar, others will be more low-key and support daily traffic of different users in a sophisticated traffic system. Benjing Road Bridge follows the typology of numerous famous covered bridges built in Europe and Asia in the past centuries. This bridge offers excellent protection for pedestrians from the weather elements. Benjing Road Bridge also accommodates other content, such as shops and small businesses along both sides. It is the continuation of a major pedestrian thoroughfare and links the complex contents on both river banks and in the streets behind them. Acting like a water pavilion, it creates a very “urban” situation. It enables pleasant and easy pedestrian traffic regardless of the weather conditions.

The first purpose of everybridgeis to span physical obstacles without being an obstacle in itself, blockingpassage over a body of water or a valley, usually something that can be detrimental to cross otherwise. At the same time, in Chinese gardens bridgesare built over waterways as a symbol of passage to an important place or a state of mind (a set of five bridges cross a meandering waterway in an important courtyard of the Forbidden Citya.o.).

Since many different designs for this structure can bebuilt for this purpose, we have decided to create for every bridge a clear “Character,” which is derived from a particular situation and a particular context.

Our concept is therefore deeply rooted in history and tradition of Hangzhou, whose identity is closely connected to the water. The City of Hangzhou, probably the most famous of all water towns, could therefore be also called the City of Bridges.The designs of the bridges are thereforevery diverse, regardless if they are traditional or contemporary.

Also in the Waterpark of the future Sport Village for ASIAD 2022, every single of the seven bridgesserve a particular purpose and address different situations. Some of them are very exposed and visible from afar, others will be more low-key and supportdaily traffic of different users in a sophisticated traffic system.

The designs of seven bridges will vary, depending on the function of the bridge, not only because ofthe nature of the terrain and soil condition where the bridges are constructed and anchored, but also because of their functional complexity as affected by their location. The seven ASIAD-bridges are built in combinations of materials: concrete, steel, fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) and stainless steel.

The Bridge Nr. 7 is a purely functional bridge, which links two points but also marks the beginning of the esthetical path of the Waterpark bridges. In addition to its limited span, it forms an elegant figure from the side. Its foundationscould become a point of interest attractingpeople to take a short brake and enjoy thewater.

The Bridge Nr.1 has a very special position and it will be an integral part of Hangzhou‘s new silhouette.  It is the entrance by water to the entire site, and must be treated in anexceptional way. The appearance of this bridge shouldbe given a great importance. We anticipate that people will regard it as a landmark for their orientation and it must be visible from the distance. It plays an important role in the traffic system of the Riverbank for both vehicles and public transportation on one hand, and pedestrians who will be crossing the water channel very frequently on the other hand. In addition to itssymbolic role like a gate, it possesses an elegant and recognizable silhouette that could be likened tothe number “8”,the Moebius band, or even the symbol for infinity (longevity).At the same time, it is visually not competing with the iconic buildings behind it.

The Bridges Nr. 4 and Nr.5 create an interesting crossing point,marking the start of the entire Waterpark.Because of the practical reasons and their proximity, we have created a unique structure marking the “The East End” point and the corner point of the river canal.Both bridges are well thought out andmatch their usage requirements as well. The areas underneath of the bridges will become a meeting point for pedestrians, attracting people to enjoy the water,take a rest, and refresh themselves in the summer.

The Bridge Nr. 6 is one of the shortest crossing pointsmarking the edge of the Waterpark and the recreational area along the railroad. Beside it short span, it has an elegant façade-like shape. The bridgeheadscould become a point of interest for pedestrians, attracting people to take a short brake and enjoy the view of thewater.