Willow bridge, Hunnan Axis, Shenyang

In the south part of Shenyang nearby the airport a new city extension, Hunnan is designed. The grid of the urban settlement is broken by two main parks which cross each other. On the crossing the new municipality hall is being constructed. The building divides the main park into two main parts. North where hills and forest dominate and south where water is the main ingredient. In the south the park ends with an orthogonal artificial lake. The shore of the lake is sculptured by a number of irregularly dispersed islands. On the islands places are designed for different activities. The only way to enter the islands is by pedestrian bridges. Each island is overgrown by one sort of tree – weeping willows planted in a grid. The poetry of willow leaves rustling in the wind and reflecting in water served as an inspiration for the bridge design. Because of that the bridge is delicate and seems to be ephemeral. The main attention was put on the balustrade design. It is made of thin steel pipes of different length coated in copper, brass and platinum color. The various length and color blend of the pipes help to reflect the mystic atmosphere of traditional Chinese gardens.

design: 2011

location: Shenyang, China

client: Niek Roozen bv

in collaboration with: Bureau Niek Roozen bv