{"id":253407,"date":"2025-11-01T00:16:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T00:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/253407\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T00:16:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T00:16:10","slug":"zaha-hadid-architects-draws-from-silk-embroidery-with-serpentine-footbridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/253407\/","title":{"rendered":"zaha hadid architects draws from silk embroidery with serpentine footbridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

hangzhou sees a new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Construction has concluded on the Grand Canal Gateway Bridge<\/a> in Hangzhou<\/a>, a new pedestrian and cyclist crossing by Zaha Hadid Architects<\/a>. When it opens later this year, the bridge will unite the east and west banks of the Grand Canal, anchoring the 800,000-square-meter Seamless City masterplan and serving as the centerpiece of River Middle Park, an expansive 14.7-hectare public landscape along the water.<\/p>\n

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The Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the world\u2019s oldest and longest man-made waterway, linking Beijing to Hangzhou and connecting the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers to the Qiantang. The new bridge re-establishes this ancient infrastructure as a civic spine, framing views of the river\u2019s edge and offering residents and visitors a new way to traverse the canal\u2019s breadth. It also integrates public spaces, housing, and workplaces along the banks, transforming the historic waterway into a daily passage once again.<\/p>\n

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images \u00a9 Xue Liang<\/p>\n

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zaha hadid architects bridges the silver dragon<\/p>\n

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Zaha Hadid Architects\u2019 new bridge spans Hangzhou\u2019s Qiantang River is known for its \u2018Silver Dragon\u2019 waterway which flows from Hangzhou Bay with waves reaching nine meters in height. The Grand Canal Gateway Bridge provides secure vantage points to witness this natural event. Its elevated walkways and open plaza gently contour around the landscape, accommodating both the dynamic flow of people and the immense forces of nature below.<\/p>\n

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The architects<\/a> draws inspiration from Hangzhou\u2019s heritage of silk embroidery, reinterpreting the act of stitching as a spatial system. Steel arches intertwine to form a continuous loop of movement and support. The bridge\u2019s geometry weaves together pathways and structure, creating a surface that is both structural and tactile.<\/p>\n

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the Grand Canal Gateway Bridge links the east and west banks of Hangzhou\u2019s historic canal<\/p>\n

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the serpentine structure<\/p>\n

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The 390-meter-long bridge uses a tied three-arch steel system, carefully calibrated to the site\u2019s soft ground at the confluence of the canal and river. The form reduces bending moments and lateral forces, ensuring both stability and efficiency. Prefabricated modular elements were assembled on-site to streamline construction and limit disruption to the 100,000 barges that still travel the Grand Canal each year. The resulting structure is lighter than a concrete equivalent while maintaining exceptional strength and durability.<\/p>\n

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Every aspect of the project reflects an emphasis on precision and sustainability. Digital modeling minimized material use, while locally sourced finishes supported regional craftsmanship. Integrated LED lighting \u2014 powered by rechargeable batteries fed by renewable energy \u2014 illuminates the bridge at night, tracing its contours in quiet reflection against the river. The bridge\u2019s sculpted concrete pier halves the required span and grounds the structure within the island dividing the canal\u2019s two waterways, reinforcing both equilibrium and visual clarity.<\/p>\n

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Zaha Hadid Architects designed the bridge as the centerpiece of River Middle Park<\/p>\n

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the bridge restores pedestrian connection across the UNESCO World Heritage Grand Canal<\/p>\n

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its elevated walkways frame views of Hangzhou\u2019s powerful Silver Dragon tidal bore<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"hangzhou sees a new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists\u00a0 \u00a0 Construction has concluded on the Grand Canal Gateway…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253408,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[17697,76,354,355,5953,49,48,356,75,23422],"class_list":{"0":"post-253407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-architecture-in-china","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-bridge-architecture-and-design","13":"tag-ca","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-design","16":"tag-entertainment","17":"tag-zaha-hadid"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}