Zaha Hadid Architects, a gold WAN award winner in the urban landscape and commercial categories last year, was commissioned to build the bridge following a 2019 design competition. The firm used structural analysis software on the digital model of the bridge – taking into account the weight of the materials, the superimposed dead load and the live traffic load. It also considered environmental factors such as wind and temperature. This went on to inform the bridge’s structure and foundations which have been designed to exceed the standards required for once-in-200-year weather events.
Image credit: Arch-Exist
A dramatic new landmark within Chengdu’s transport infrastructure, the bridge is designed for use by cars, bikes and pedestrians and is the first of many bridges on Chengdu’s West Line Road. With a central span of 185 metres and secondary spans of 55 metres on either side, it features two primary steel arches that rise from both sides of the road deck and provide stability against lateral wind forces.
The steel bridge elegantly extends 295 metres across the Jiangxi River, a tributary to the Tuojiang River in the southwestern province of Sichuan.