mimesis architecture studio fills harbour bridge with bamboo nets in wuxi, china

lying along the bank of taihu lake in dingshu town, china, the wuxi harbour bridge by mimesis architecture studio is nearly a 100 meters long — conjoining jiangsu, zhejiang and anhui provinces. dingshu is an ancient town located to the south of the yangtze river, possessing a history of over five-thousand years with profound cultural heritage. it is filled with time-honored purple clay in superior quality and is famous for its well-developed pottery industry. aside from that, an exquisite processing technology of bamboo is preserved. the two ends respectively connect the taihu greenway for cycling and strolling, and the recreational area in lanshan, fudong, standing as a significant landscape node in the taihu basin.

aerial view from the southeast

based on the existing bridge structure, the deck and fencing have been designed by projecting the intertwining images of mountain, river, fog and wind fabricating the site. moreover, mimesis architecture studio has employed bamboo as formwork in concreting the handrails of the deck so as to imprint the unique texture of the plant’s tubes. the undulant steel structure sprouting from both sides of the bridge, shaped like clasping arms, encloses the space for passengers and vehicles to pass through. bamboo nets are installed within to ensure low maintenance cost, as well as lightweight and transparent visual effects. these nets are produced with carbonized bamboo, preserving the original form and texture — meanwhile, guaranteeing better outdoor ‘weatherability’ and structural stability. 

integration of existing structure with designed deck and fencing

in the end, pedestrians can step onto the bridge alongside the bank of the misty and ripply lake, hearing gurgling water across the net, enjoying shifting scenes along with every walking step. with on-site cooperation between bamboo craftsmen who master the traditional processing technology and the steel construction team, the fence parts are successfully processed and installed on site.

perspective view from the southeast end

view from the motor way in the center of the bridge

the pedestrian lane 

delicate contrast between light and shadow

details of bamboo nets installed within the steel structure

aerial view from the east side

wuxi bridge blending into the landscape

western elevation

axonometric drawing of the structure system 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom

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