From the past to the future across a bridge in the company of striking reflections and light effects designed by leading lighting company Linea Light Group

At 639 metres long and almost 55 metres wide at its broadest point, the bridge has 8 lanes with a main span reaching a height of 280 metres. Near Lianshi Lake, the Xinshougang Bridge represents the last stretch of a 600-year-old road that connects the urban and suburban areas of Beijing, with the aim of speeding up transit to the city centre. Built by China Railway Baoji Bridge Group under the China Railway Group Limited (also known as CREC), the bridge goes on to cross Shougang Industrial Park, once the hub of China’s steel industry and now the new site of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Inaugurated at the end of September 2019, the bridge represents an authentic jewel from an engineering point of view, having been created by designers hailing from China and from other parts of the world. Not for nothing, in July 2020 it was granted the prestigious Award of Merit in the Bridge/Tunnel category. For its creation, the design team created new models, implementing the application technology of curved steel sheeting, the digital design of the entire process and digital manufacturing technology. The result is a new rigid-structure composite system with tie rods, consisting of two asymmetrically-inclined steel towers that symbolise gates connecting the city with nature, along with separate steel beams in varying profiles.

Curated by the Beijing Municipal Engineering Design Research Institute in collaboration with the Frontera Lighting Design studio in Beijing, the lighting project saw the utilisation of a selection of Linea Light Group professional solutions which, thanks to modern lines and minimal design, perfectly integrate into the structure and are able to ensure high performance. On both sides of the spans, the Prolamp RGBW projector with DMX control creates plays of light and evocative multicolour scenographies. The narrow spot optics allow for a precise and well-defined light beam.

To illuminate the pedestrian passageway beneath the bridge, the Beret recessed ground spotlights were chosen, also being ideal for highlighting details. The added bonuses? They are small in size, robust and utilise AquaStop® technology. Then, installed to shine light on the entire lower part of the bridge and all along its extent is the Paseo transparent polycarbonate bar, customised with a colour temperature of 4500K and supplied both recessed into the ground and with elliptical optics that direct the light beam along the entire length without light dispersion. Finally, the Paseo bars are also found along the handrails of the lateral stairways. Recessed within, they perfectly integrate into the structure, ensuring only the beam of light is visible.

Credits:

Lighting Project: Bejing Municipal Engineering Design Research Institute in collaboration with Frontera Lighting Design

Products: Prolamp, Paseo in a custom version, Beret