space travellers seeks to bridge ancient yongxin city with proposed 'legacy'

with its newly envisioned project ‘legacy,’ architecture studio space travellers proposes an updated urban strategy for yongxin, china. the work is developed in response to the ‘bridging yongxin’ competition, which calls for a design-minded replacement for the ancient wenxing floating bridge which once spanned yongxin’s heshui river. the design team seeks to introduce a connective element between the old city center and the north and south riverbanks. the ‘legacy’ bridge proposal is imagined as a web of floating piers supporting a monumental, enclosed complex through which visitors are invited to meander freely, experiencing the dichotomy of the old city and the future of the ‘forever new’ yongxin.

visualizations by giuseppe bonavita

space travellers designs its ‘legacy’ bridge to span the heshui river and to penetrate the fabric of yongxin’s old city. this strategy serves to activate the city’s main square and stand as a future landmark of the developing city. the sculptural geometry is designed as a twisting, strong, and contemporary volume that inherits its profile from a careful reinterpretation of traditional chinese architectural archetypes. both the facades and the roof are covered with vernacular tiles giving to the overall bridge appearance a sense of solidity and immortal elegance.

while space travellers’ ‘legacy’ bridge in yongxin is proposed to provide a quick connection for both pedestrians and bicycles, its interior houses a flexible cultural space dedicated to educational and museum purposes. the roof of the bridge hosts a beautiful open-air terrace, sided with a restaurant/cafeteria, and a multi-functional bookshop that is perfectly suitable for night-time events. the italy-based studio imagines not just a 150 meter leap, but a new and strong cultural entity for the city of yongxin. ‘legacy’ seeks to transcend the conventional transportation function of a bridge. it’s a generator of opportunities, a cultural life condenser that blows life into the city spirit.