NAN architects' bridge in china opens to traffic symbolizing the four peaks gathering

after revealing the first construction plans, AND office and NAN architects, now announce the opening of their bridge project, which spans across the qinhuai river bank in china. surrounded by four mountains, ‘nanjing qinhuai bay bridge’ mimics their shape, serving as a gateway and urban landmark for the southern new city. the structure is formed by four triangular arches that symbolize the gathering of the four peaks, and from distance gives the impression of floating on the river.all images courtesy of tian fangfang

the bridge by AND office and NAN architects spans the banks of the qinhuai river, the beijing-shanghai high-speed rail on the south, and the ring road on the north, connecting the city’s CBD and ecological parks. the functional requirements and surrounding conditions of this bridge are very complicated; the entire line involves crossing expressways, crossing rivers, and underpassing railway viaducts, and needs to meet the comprehensive traffic requirements of machinery, non-passengers, and pedestrians. limited by the many restrictions on the plane and elevation and the basic engineering requirements of the main span of 157m, objective conditions have locked the bridge type in two configurations of a tied-arch bridge and single-tower cable-stayed bridge.

the interlacing of multiple triangular arches increases the mechanical stability of the arch ring and gives it a vivid shape. the geometric relationship of the entire bridge is embedded in a stable square. the arch ring and cable shape are obtained by combining aesthetics and force-finding on this basis. the specific realization is completed by the parameterization tool, and the source point of the radiation cable is the key geometric control point. the final shape of the bridge responds well to the main body of ‘mountain’, rich and full and consistent with the internal mechanical logic, and the arch foot thrust is self-balanced and dissipated within the bridge deck.

the outline of the bridge continues the complete and dynamic urban skyline of the southern new city, adding a new climax to the urban landscape. a groundbreaking use of a double-layer pedestrian and non-motorized bridge separates pedestrians from non-motorized vehicles to ensure driving safety while allowing people on the slow-moving system to fully experience the scenery of the qinhuai river. furthermore, the bridge reconnects the urban space cut off by roads and rivers. this three-dimensional urban landscape with a total length of 1.3 kilometers not only satisfies the traffic flow but is also an open three-dimensional linear park, becoming an attractive place for citizens to take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the scenery of qinhuai.

project info:

name: nanjing qinhuai bay bridge

designer: AND office + NAN architects

principal: zhang zhun (structure), nan xu (architecture)

design team: zhou dingqi, tang huilian

construction drawing design: china railway engineering design consulting group co., ltd

location: nanjing, china

client: nanjing southern new town development and construction management committee

photography: tian fangfang

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edited by: christina petridou | designboom