Yuanbo Village is nestled under the shadow of Line Mountain, located in the northern part of Yuanbo Garden in Nanjing. The terrain slopes from south to north, creating a picturesque landscape. Within this area, the guest rooms of VOCO Homestay Hotel, a melon field shed in the northwest corner, and a pedestrian bridge to the village’s north have been thoughtfully designed.
The Qixiang River flows along the northern foothills of Line Mountain, offering views of Baohua Mountain and Zhongshan Mountain on either side of the valley, presenting stunning scenery. The pedestrian bridge connects the village to the northern treasure trove, facilitating easy access for visitors. Spanning the river from north to south, this bridge functions as the main walkway into the village.
Behind the village, the mines of Xian Shan, Lian Shan, and Yang Shan unfold in sight. Our goal was to create a pedestrian bridge that not only addresses transportation needs but also serves as a resting spot and a northern landmark for the village, evoking a sense of “coming home” whenever one looks upon it.
Historically, covered bridges were designed as “slow” bridges, where their roofed structures provided spaces for viewing, resting, and sometimes market activities. Covered bridges are found worldwide, including in southern China, Europe, and North America. Most rely on the lower structural elements to support the upper pavilion, such as Taishun’s wooden pole arch bridge, Venice’s Ponte di Rialto stone arch bridge, Lucerne’s Chapel Bridge supported by continuous piers, and Madison County’s truss-covered bridge, which combines structure and space.
At Yuanbo Village, we explored a structural form for the covered bridge that suits the environmental context and human experience.
The Qixiang River bank slopes naturally. Due to significant water level changes between wet and dry seasons, the river’s width ranges from 18 to 30 meters. This allows for a structural span of 37.8 meters. The bridge deck must be elevated above the highest water level to ensure safe passage for boats.
Traditional arch bridges would require a minimum arch height of 3 meters, making ramps difficult and impairing accessibility. Using a single-span box girder with a thickness of nearly 2 meters would negatively affect the pedestrian experience and reduce the intimacy of water views during dry seasons. Slender arches or truss structures, with their tall, industrial appearance, would clash with the village’s aesthetic.
After dismissing these common options, inspiration came from traditional double-pitched roofs found in local residences.
Previously, folded plates were used as roof structures to achieve large spatial spans while maintaining visual connections with traditional Jiangnan dwellings. This time, we enhanced the folded plate structure’s role, using it not only as a roof but as the primary structural element suspending the pedestrian deck below.
The folded plate structure is a two-fold, double-sloped design, consisting of four inclined steel trusses. The spatial truss comprises two triangular sections formed by 500mm-diameter upper and lower chord steel pipes, diagonal web members, and a horizontal support rod at the bottom. The center arches gently, creating a composite truss folded plate arch, while the sides rise with truss plates forming eaves that provide flange strength and shelter from sun and rain below.
The entire folded arch is clad with titanium zinc plates on top and wooden strips underneath. Its cross-section, resembling two simple sloped roofs, is compact and harmonizes with the village’s roof styles. Despite its modest height of 1.6 meters, the hidden folded arch spans 37.8 meters and carries enough strength to suspend the pedestrian deck below.
The bridge deck, inspired by small village houses, measures 8 meters wide and 36 meters long and is divided into nine 8m x 4.2m platforms, resembling nine connected pavilions. These platforms rise and fall asymmetrically, bridging the elevation difference between the south’s higher and north’s lower embankments.
Each adjacent platform has a height difference of only 300mm. Suspension rods, 50mm in diameter, hang from the bottom of the folded plate truss arch at overlapping sections. This stacking enhances platform stability and provides six suspension points per platform spaced every 4 meters. The deck’s structural thickness is a slim 190mm, minimizing the gap between the bridge surface and water below.
Accessible ramps connect the platforms, while bamboo curtains hang between suspension rods, creating nine translucent cabins under the bridge. The central walkway is lined with tables and chairs for rest, sightseeing, and market activities, amplifying the traditional “slow” character of covered bridges.
At the platform edges, railings are slightly offset and deflected to avoid collisions between high and low handrails and to guide visitors’ movement and sightlines across the scenic surroundings.
The vertical loads from the suspended platforms transfer through the folded plate truss arch, converting into internal arch forces transmitted to both ends. The bridge’s supports are fortified by U-shaped concrete shear walls, similar in size to lightweight bridge piers. These cast-in-place concrete walls, featuring coarse gravel aggregate and door and window openings, convey a robust, simple aesthetic.
The double-folded roof extends from the corridor bridge’s supports, suspended above the bridge heads. This not only balances the main arch’s forces with its own weight but also creates two “half houses” at the bridge ends alongside the concrete walls. Passing through a small doorway in these half houses, visitors can ascend to the covered bridge beyond.
Sitting on the bridge, shaded by wooden eaves and filtered by bamboo curtains, visitors can enjoy expansive views of the mountains, forests, and fields along the Qixiang River. Using the metaphor of the half house at the bridgehead as a gateway, combined with the leisurely atmosphere of the suspended bridge deck, this design merges form and technology to evoke feelings of homecoming and scenic enjoyment.
Project Drawings
△ Model Diagram
△ Hand-drawn Sketch
△ General Layout Plan
Schematic Diagram of the Small Pavilion Structure in the Field
△ Corridor Bridge Structure Schematic
△ Inn Axonometric Diagram
△ Covered Bridge Plan
△ Corridor Bridge Sectional Perspective
△ Corridor Bridge Sectional Drawing
△ Corridor Bridge Sectional Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
Project Information
Architect: Shanshui Xiu Architectural Firm
Area: 400 m²
Project Year: 2022
Photographer: Liang Shan, Ruijing Architectural Space Photography
Design Team: Zhu Xiaofeng, Zhou Yan, Li Qitong
Structural Consultant: Zhang Zhun / He Zuo Structural Architecture Research Institute
Collaborative Design Unit: Lin Tongyan International Engineering Consulting (China) Co., Ltd
General Contractor: China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau Cultural Tourism Expo Investment Development Co., Ltd
Decoration Unit: Jiangsu Dihao Decoration Co., Ltd
Owner: Jiangsu Yuanbo Garden Construction and Development Co., Ltd
Location: Nanjing
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