Design Educates Awards 2022

Due to the geographical proximity to water, Gulao Town of Jiangmen is home to the agricultural tradition that makes use of water system to fish and farm around small mounds. As the water system and fish ponds occupy a large area in the villages and divide many plots, it is particularly common for bridges to connect the areas segmented by water. With the development of urbanization and city clustering in the Greater Bay Area, a large number of young and middle-aged villagers leave their hometown, abandon relatively harder and more traditional farming lifestyle, and choose to work in cities. Therefore, water villages, where people make a living by fishing and farming, have gradually been occupied by urban high-rise buildings over time. Gulao Water Town is the first rural revitalization project in Jiangmen, developed by OCT Group that focuses on urban development and operation. It aims to organically coexist with the traditional water village through active interference in the rural development, maintain the basic geographical fabrics of existing water town, and to link natural education, children-themed play area and the distinctive fishing and farming culture of water town in an organic manner. These operations needs several bridges in necessary areas, convenient for people’s movement. This timber bridge was built in this context. To be distinct from urbanized structures and reshape traditional water town culture, the bridge was fully formed by ecological wooden materials, and followed the construction techniques of Oriental traditional wooden bridges, called “great work made of common materials”, with wooden materials featuring small section interconnected. To ensure the smooth passage of fishing boats under the timber bridge, the bridge body is arched. Traditional bridges such as the Rainbow Bridge in the famous Chinese ancient painting Along the River during the Qingming Festival are also constructed in an arch shape. Another characteristic of traditional bridges is the roof covering on the top, which can not only ensure structural stability, but also protect the arched wood below from the blazing sun and rain. With contemporary technology and approaches, the timber bridge pays tribute to Oriental traditional bridge structures, reshaping the spatial context of water town and traditional farming lifestyle.