brut deluxe uses thousands of LEDs to convert chinese bridge into a landscape light installation

architecture and design studio brut deluxe reinvigorates a 210 meter-long bridge in the ancient city of anjuzhen, china, with thousands of LED lights, a camouflage pattern along its length, and a variety of trees, bushes, and climbing plants on both its decks. one of the three projects the studio was commissioned to redesign in the outskirts of the historic center, the bridge spans over the qiongjiang river with a height of 28 meters, and is composed by two concrete decks connected by vertical pillars.

as one of china’s few remaining ancient cities located 70 km northwest of chongqing, anjuzhen is compared to a museum town: one that lacks inhabitants but is animated by tourists who visit its temples, theaters, and manors, but vanish when night comes. in an effort to prolong visitors’ trips, brut deluxe has been assigned to redesign a series of infrastructure facilities, with the first being QuanXi bridge. the project focuses on three main actions, starting with planting a variety of trees, bushes, and climbing plants, converting the simple infrastructure facility into a landscape project that connects both riversides. concrete surfaces that remain visible through the intense vegetation are painted in a camouflage pattern which follows the palette of the plants, in shades of pink and green. lastly, a dynamic lighting system with thousands of RGB-colored LED lights is displayed along the entire length of the bridge, creating a series of subtly changing atmospheres and turning the surrounding landscape into ‘a mysteriously vivid jungle, where light falls like rain drops from the ceiling.’ the different light scenes are programmed to interact with local weather conditions, and will be visible from the sightseeing spots located across town and along the newly created riverbank walk.

the bridge before the interventions

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edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom