920 meter-long bridge designed by zaha hadid begins construction in taiwan

in 2015, after an international competition, zaha hadid architects was chosen to construct the ‘danjiang bridge’ — an entirely new crossing that will span the tamsui river in taiwan. working alongside bridge specialists leonhardt, andrä und partner, hadid’s design is located at the mouth of one of taiwan’s largest rivers, and will serve as a key part of the region’s upgraded infrastructure. now, as of march 2019, the project is under construction.

the entirely new crossing that will span the tamsui river in taiwan
image © visual arch (also main image)| all images courtesy of zaha hadid architects

the zaha hadid-designed project will not only increase connectivity between the city’s neighborhoods but will also reduce through-traffic on local roads by linking two of the region’s main highways. the crossing will also alleviate traffic at the congested guandu bridge upriver, and enhance accessibility with the rapidly expanding taipei harbor, the region’s busiest shipping port.

hadid’s design is located at the mouth of one of taiwan’s largest rivers
image © visual arch 

the link will allow for the extension of the danhai light rail transportation (DHLRT) system over the tamsui river in order to connect the town of bali with taipei’s public rail network. flanked by the urban centers of tamsui to the east and bali to the west, the estuary is rapidly growing in popularity with both residents and tourists as a recreational area. each day people gather to watch the sun setting over the taiwan strait.

the bridge will increase connectivity between the city’s neighborhoods
image © visual arch 

the cable-stayed design minimizes its visual impact on the natural surroundings by using a single concrete mast to support the 920 meter-long road, rail and pedestrian deck. it is believed that the crossing will form the world’s longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge.

through-traffic on local roads will also be reduced
image © MIR

engineered to be as slender as possible, the mast is positioned so as not to obstruct the waterway, or obscure views of the impressive sunset. the single-mast system also ensures that the riverbed suffers a minimum of disturbance. with a construction schedule of 68 months and budget of NT$12.49billion (US$405.2 million), the danjiang bridge is scheduled to open in 2024.

the link will also allow for the extension of danhai light rail transportation system
image © MIR

a single concrete mast is used to support the 920 meter-long road
image © MIR

structural section of the planned crossing
image © visual arch 

animation detailing the construction of danjiang bridge by zaha hadid architects
video by MIR and morean

the mast is carefully positioned so as not to obstruct the waterway
image © MIR

the crossing will form the world’s longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge
image © MIR

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project info:

project: danjiang bridge
location: taipei, taiwan
date: 2015/2024
client: directorate general of highways, M.O.T.C.
status: under construction
length: 920m (total), 450m (longest span)

architect: zaha hadid architects (ZHA)
design: zaha hadid, patrik schumacher
ZHA project directors (competition): charles walker, manuela gatto
ZHA project architect (competition): shao-wei huang
ZHA design associate (competition): paulo flores
ZHA lead designer (competition): saman saffarian
ZHA project team (competition): evgeniya yatsyuk, paul bart, sam sharpe, silviya barzakova, julian lin, ramon weber
ZHA project director (delivery): cristiano ceccato
ZHA project architect (delivery): shao-wei huang
ZHA project team (delivery): carlos michel-medina, chien-shuo pai, julian lin, elena scripelliti
ZHA project BIM support (delivery): paul ehret
height of supporting mast: 200m
structure: reinforced concrete supporting mast with steel cables supporting steel road/rail/cycle/pedestrian deck
spans: 450m (to the west of the supporting mast), 175m (to the east of the supporting mast)

lead structural engineering consultancy and JV partner: leonhardt, andrä und partner (leonhardt, andrä und partner, beratende ingenieure VBI AG , germany)
local engineering consultants and JV partner: sinotech engineering consultants (sinotech engineering consultants, ltd, taiwan, R.O.C.)
lighting designer: chroma33 architectural lighting design (taiwan, R.O.C.)
animation: mir and morean (construction sequence)
renders: mir and visual arch