Text description provided by the architects. The bridge over the Songyin River links the two villages of Shimen and Shimenyu. The existing stone masonry bridge with its characteristic arches comes from the 1950s and is today closed to vehicles. With the renovation and upgrading of the bridge, Xu Tiantian designed a social location that unites the two previously connected villages from a cultural perspective.

Axonometric

What has consequently been created is a roofed-over bridge space that calls to mind the historic Wind and Rain Bridge. The cultural-historically relevant dam system, which has regulated the waters of the Songyin River for 1500 years as part of a larger system, is situated in the river.

Courtesy of DnA

The architect designed a simple wooden structural element, which defines the new space with its additive sequence. In the middle, a square planted with trees invites spending time. The visual connection to the river, but, even more, the cultural elevation of the bridge, assists the two neighboring villages in defining a shared cultural space that makes it possible to experience their historical link in a new way.

© Dan Han

• Architects

  DnA

• Location

  Songyang, Lishui, Zhejiang, China

• Category

  Refurbishment

• Lead Architect

  Tiantian Xu

• Client

  Songyang Public Road Administration

• Area

  460.0 m2

• Project Year

  2017

• Photographs

  Ziling Wang, Dan Han