Cable Stayed Footbridge in Taigu

This project for a footbridge in the city of Taigu in Shanxi Province, is linked to a major urban planning and reorganization of the city’s public spaces, conducted by the workshop from 2008 to 2011. Taigu is one of the major cities on the silk road and as a national financial centre, the fortified city and its architecture still reveal the richness of a golden age.

The footbridge connects the medieval city with the new town, forming the northern gate of the historical part of the city. Its structure is formed from two major independent elements; a steel deck consisting of an arch-shaped box beam resting on sliding supports on the ancient city side, and a leaning arch which counterbalances the lateral forces and represents the city gate.

To gain net height under the bridge, the central beam crosses the deck lengthwise and becomes a bench at the same time. This central beam with its variable section, acts as a spine from which the transverse beams originate. Each transverse beam then links at its ends to a moulded piece which anchors the cable stays.

The particularity of this project lies in its emblematic power and its landscape integration, where form and function meet.