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Architects: TJAD Original Design Studio
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Yong Zhang, TJAD Original Design Studio
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Lead Architects: Ming Zhang, Zi Zhang, Bo Chen
Text description provided by the architects. The Silk Bridge is located on the south bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou's Binjiang District. It is a part of the 12-kilometer waterfront public space renovation project in Binjiang District of Hangzhou, undertaken by the Original Design Studio of TJAD. Due to the Xiaoshan Shiplock, pedestrians and motor vehicles mixed in the narrow passage. It was a breakpoint in the waterfront space. The design of the silk bridge achieves the continuity of the sports track. The route originally needed to bypass the ship lock has now become a passage with a frontline view of the Qiantang River. Hence, the largest urban breakpoint in the waterfront public space of Binjiang District has been connected. It provides convenient transportation for citizens and serves as a platform for walking and sightseeing, enhancing the viewing and diversity of the landscape along the way.
On the south bank of the Qiantang River, due to the protection regulations of the river embankment, it is difficult to find a point that allows for leaning out. By taking advantage of the breakpoint connection, the silk bridge must have more functions and experiences. At both ends of the bridge, the enlarged staircase plaza expands the public attributes of the "bridge" and becomes a gathering place for urban activities.
The two walkways on the bridge are divided on both sides - the side near the ship lock responds to history, and the other side facing the Qiantang River responds to the future. Two paths converge in the middle of the bridge. The upturned structure forms an activity space, immersing people in the bridge truss. Citizens can view the flowing rivers and the endless stream of ships through the grille on the ground.
In this project, the architectural designer works closely with the structural engineering team so that the structural height and member dimensions can gradually change with the structural stress - the starting end of the bridge truss is 3.5 meters high and 12 meters wide, and gradually rises 8 meters high and 6 meters wide in the middle, forming a gentle and elegant curve. The span of the Silk Bridge reaches 180 meters, which is only 10 meters less than the maximum span of the main bridge of the Fuxing Bridge. The rigging is a high vanadium-sealed cable with a diameter of 140mm, and the Silk Bridge is also the application project with the largest diameter and longest cable length in China.
During the construction of the Silk Bridge, it was necessary to ensure that ships could pass through the waterway, which led to the complexity of the construction. The entire bridge is divided into three sections - the middle section is temporarily supported and slid to the installation position in the water, and the other two sections are directly assembled on the riverbank using an external unbonded prestressed construction method. The bridge construction method has been rated as an excellent provincial construction method, which is the only one in Binjiang District.
