BAU Has Designed A Snaking Bridge Over Yuandang Lake

Brearley Architects + Urbanists (BAU) presents a snaking bridge that incorporates spaces for play, rest, and planting and connects two areas of wetland across Shanghai’s Yuandang Lake.

The figure of the bridge resembles a ribbon and echoes water ripples, while trees and shrubs are incorporated into the bridge, giving the appearance of a floating garden connecting the two banks.
The China and Australia-based Brearley Architects + Urbanists (BAU) designed the 586-meter beam bridge for cyclists and pedestrians as a “hybrid structure“, blending architecture, infrastructure, and landscape with the existing pathways and nature on the site.

The bridge is divided into three strips demarcated by graphics. Pedestrian and bicycle lanes run on either side of a central area featuring trees, plants, and elongated seating areas that follow the bend of the bridge.

The Yuandang Pedestrian Bridge provides a variety of amenities not usually seen on a bridge. While the deck is divided into three primary bands, it varies in width to accommodate widened sections for resting and enjoying the views of the lake. It combines vegetation, sculptural play spaces, plazas, shading, and seating to entice pedestrians to explore and enjoy the bridge at their leisure.

With the ambition of supporting biodiversity, we proposed not only planting on the bridge, but also planting on new islands in the lake and planting on the lakebed. Much of this has since been completed by specialists following our plan. With all the initiatives working together to form a habitat for indigenous flora and fauna, there is now a renewed promise to restore the area to a healthy biodiverse environment.
Brearley Architects + Urbanists