Program: Leisure/Culture/Landscape
Client: Songyang Public Road Administration
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. 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.
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 neighbouring villages in defining a shared cultural space that makes it possible to experience their historical link in a new way.
Part of “Rural Moves – The Songyang Story, Xu Tiantian, DnA_Design and Architecture, Beijing” exhibited at the AEDES Forum, Berlin.
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