paper folding informs folio bridge's steel span over water path in china

Folio Bridge explores structural potential through paper crease

FAR Workshop’s Folio Bridge in Huzhou, China, draws its concept from the structural behaviour of a folded sheet of A4 paper. The project examines how a simple crease can reinforce a lightweight material while retaining its inherent thinness and visual delicacy. After testing multiple folding configurations, the design team focused on a single-crease strategy to achieve the required span. The bridge form was defined by fitting three construction curves and one construction point to the crease line. Working closely with Zhang Zhun’s Structural Research Institute, the team iteratively adjusted the curvature of these lines and the position of the construction point to optimise force distribution across the structure.

Because the resulting form created a steeply sloped bridge surface, the design no longer accommodated direct pedestrian circulation along the primary structure. Instead, the curved surface was treated as a landscape-like element. A narrow elevated path was introduced, allowing users to cross the bridge as if traversing a mountain ridge, contrasting the bridge’s substantial presence with its paper-inspired thinness.

all images by ©Biosphere unless stated otherwise

FAR Workshop’s elevated steel path curves like a mountain ridge

To minimise the visual impact of this secondary circulation element, FAR Workshop’s design team constructed the path from slender, high-strength threaded steel bars, used consistently for the support, treads, and handrail. This single-material approach maintains the clarity of the overall form. The bridge spans 15.825 meters. Given the complexity of its curved geometry, the construction team produced a full positioning frame based on sectional drawings. The bridge was fabricated from multiple steel plates, each with a distinct curvature, manually bent and adjusted using a press machine. These components were then spatially positioned within the frame and welded into a single continuous structure, followed by installation of the steel-bar pathway.

The project explores the spatial experience generated by an extreme structural gesture, folding a thin ‘sheet’ into a substantial architectural volume and introducing a narrow path across it. The contrast between mass and lightness defines the bridge’s visual identity and shapes the way users perceive and inhabit the structure.

Folio Bridge takes its concept from the fold of an A4 sheet

the design studies how a single crease can create structural strength

a thin, paper-like form becomes a load-bearing span

the main structure is treated as a landscape element rather than a walkway

a narrow elevated path follows the curve like a mountain ridge

a single-material strategy preserves visual clarity

the walkway contrasts with the thin, folded form beneath it

threaded steel bars form the support, steps, and handrail of the path

mass and lightness are juxtaposed through form and material

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image by ©Far Workshop

image by ©Far Workshop

project info:

name: Folio Bridge
architect: Far Workshop
location: Huzhou, China

lead architects: Mangyuan Wang
design team: Mangyuan Wang, Yang Yang, Rui Li
structure designer: Zhun Zhang, Chongchong Zhang, Xiaojie Hu
project planning: urbaneer
design manager: ConCom

photographer: Biosphere

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom