The Dong‘an Lake Sports Park Bridge for the Chengdu FISU World University Games was the Jury winner in the Transportation Infrastructure category of the 2024 12th Architizer A+Awards. The founders of Atelier-Sizhou, Xianshu Jin and Jia Liu, take us on a design journey to Chengdu as they rethink the role of bridges in dense cities and reimagine the relationship between design and the user experience.

Dong‘an Lake Sports Park is located in Dong’an New Town, Longquanyi, in the core “Eastward” area of Chengdu, where the venue for the opening ceremony of the 31st Chengdu FISU World University Games is located. The park contains one stadium and three gyms — a main stadium with a capacity of 40,000 people, an Aquatics Centre, a Multi-Purpose Gymnasium, and a Multi-Ball Game Gymnasium.

Connect “One Stadium Three Gyms” with open spaces

During the FISU Games, the bridge will improve traffic efficiency, and stadiums and gyms will be connected via the terrace. After the FISU Games, the bridge will focus on interactions with the public space and the playground, increasing accessibility, enriching the landscape, and providing additional space for operations after the games.

Space form

The bridge extends out from the terrace of the stadium and gyms, forming a visual experience of different elevations during walking. The bridge spirals down to the centre of the site and surrounds the children's playground, forming a space with a sense of enclosure. In the middle section, different height platforms are designed to create good viewpoints, and the entrance and exit lead to open spaces. The bridge forms various spatial and visual experiences while interacting with the public space.

Main structure

The main structure of the bridge is a 1000mm thick steel box girder, with a hexagonal v-shaped column spanning 20m to 30m. The orange color of the main structure contrasts with the environment, while highlighting the movement trend.

Corridor skin

The bridge skin comprises two 3mm thick steel plates tied together. A white sheet reflects the orange color of the main body and the green color of its surroundings, making the volume appear lighter. Lighting is placed between two sheets, providing the bridge with a rich layer of nightly illumination.