NEXT Architects' Möbius Strip Pedestrian Bridge Wins Meixi Lake District Competition

NEXT Architects just won first place in a design competition with plans for a sinuous pedestrian bridge in Changsha, China that is modeled after the Möbius strip and Chinese knots. The bridge is designed for a site in the city’s Meixi Lake District, and it provides multiple pathways across the Dragon King Harbor River. The bridge connects the river park with the rest of the site’s ecological programs, and it’s a critical project in the development of the district

Meixi Lake District is a master planned city designed by Kohn Pederson Fox that will be built around a lake and a series of canals. NEXT Architects is working on a component of that plan, which will provide a route across one of the radial rivers. The Meixi Lake Bridge will connect the public space of the river park with recreational, ecological and tourist programs.

The pedestrian bridge is inspired by the Möbius strip – a never-ending form whose end connects to its beginning. “The construction with the intersecting connections is based on the principal of the Möbius ring,” states Michel Schreinemachers. “On the other hand it refers to a Chinese knot that comes from an ancient decorative Chinese folk art,” adds John van de Water. The bridge spans 150 meters and reaches a total height of 24 meters. At night, integrated lights will add to the lighting scheme along that river. Pedestrians will enjoy views of Meixi Lake, the river, Changsha and the surrounding mountains. Construction is expected to start in 2014.

http://inhabitat.com/next-architects-mobius-strip-pedestrian-bridge-wins-meixi-lake-district-competition/