DnA transforms abandoned viaduct into a 260-meter viewing platform in china

presented as part of the pavilion of china during the venice biennale, DnA‘s shimen bridge responds to the exhibition topic ‘building a future countryside’. the structure connects the shimen and shimen-yu villages located on both banks of songyin river, aiming to become a common public space uniting the two areas.

DnA has converted the abandoned, 260-meter long shimen bridge into a viewing platform for the songyi river and the wuyang dam, and can potentially be used in many different ways such as a weekend bridge market or for a holiday parade. the covered wooden structure features a pitched roof that represents the local building typology with openings that echo the structure rhythm of the existing bridge arch. in the middle of the bridge, an enlarged platform planted with tree rows resembles a floating island on the river.