Xinshougang Bridge in Beijing

Chang’An Avenue is one of main roads of Beijing, crossing the capital from east to west.

Nicolas Godelet and Bernard Viry, supported by the research institute BMEDI, collaborated together to win the design competition for Xinshougang bridge. This bridge will connect Beijing to the new city currently being developed to the west, thus representing the future west gate of Beijing.

This project is an unprecedented piece of art totalling 1350m in length, with a 600m deck supported at four points and shrouded by two asymmetrical arches symbolizing two gates. From a particular angle the structure reveals the Chinese character ‘ren’, resembling a walking man, like a giant walking towards his own future. The white colour of the structure was chosen for its contemporary clarity.

The complex geometry and the considerable weight of this 45 ton bridge (seven times heavier than the Eiffel tower) required the use of calculation and CAD methods more normally used in the aeronautics industry.

The bridge was completed and opened to traffic in September 2019. It is a major reference for our workshop in terms of aesthetic work, landscape integration, structural complexity and budget. It demonstrates our capacity to deal with major projects and above all, our capacity to collaborate on complex platforms of participants.