Sinuous structure by NEXT architects wins Chinese bridge competition

Dutch studio NEXT architects has won a competition to design a pedestrian bridge for Changsha, China, with plans for a wavy structure based on the continuous form of a Möbius strip. NEXT Architects designed the 150-metre bridge to span the Dragon King Harbour River in Changsha's Meixi Lake district - a 6.5 million square-metre development masterplanned by Kohn Pedersen Fox and being built from scratch in the south west of the city.

The structure will comprise a sequence of undulating steel ribbons that combine to create a never-ending surface, just like a Möbius strip.

"The construction with the intersecting connections is based on the principal of the Möbius ring," said Michel Schreinemachers of NEXT Architects, who previously completed a bridge in the Netherlands with different routes for pedestrians and cyclists.

Architect John van de Water says the form is also intended to reference traditional Chinese crafts. "It refers to a Chinese knot that comes from an ancient decorative Chinese folk art," he explained.

The bridge will create three different routes across the water, including one that reaches a height of 24 metres to offer views of the harbour, the city and the surrounding mountains. Lighting fixtures will highlight the profile of the structure after dark.

(sourch: http://www.dezeen.com/)