The organizing committee of the sixth “Zijin Award” of Architectural Design and Environmental Art Contests hosted by Jiangsu provincial government has unveiled the list of awardees. The design team of Bluestar Lehigh Engineering Corp formed by Cheng Hao, Wang Yingjie, Dong Zhengbang, Ge Qiang and Wang Yuanlin had its project of redesigning for deserted railway bridge standing out among competing projects in the professional completion group and won the second prize of outstanding projects.
Under the theme of “Livable Home and Better Life,” the contests asked for projects that are inspired by life and improve the existing life space for livable purposes in quest of upgrading livable cities and satisfying the public’s demands for a better life. The contest was made up by Architectural Design and Environmental Art Contests, Cultural Creation Design Competition and Public Communication Design Competition. Among them, the Architectural Design and Environmental Art Contests received 1,475 projects from home and abroad.
The design team of Bluestar Lehigh Engineering Corp paid close attention to the upgrading of Lianyungang City, especially redesign and renovation of negative space in downtown areas. All members of the design team are migrants. As new residents, they are more sensitive to changes in the city. The design was inspired by an encounter in the winter of 2017. The leading designer Cheng Hao was impressed by the dilapidated railway bridge. After that, he looked up related documents and learned about the historical connection of the Lanzhou-Lianyungang Railway and Lianyungang City. “China is promoting ecological civilization and green development. Such a reality-oriented design should deal with the relationships among man, architecture and environment. As a product in urban development, deserted railway bridge somehow reflects the evolution of architecture. We hope the renovation of the railway bridge will keep the memories about the city in a changing society.”
After field trips and reviews on documents, the design team employed intervention method and built one wall and nine boxes in parallel based on the bridge shape, partitioning the bridge into pace for exhibition, passage and living. The exhibition space is a site for neighboring residents to reflect on the past old days. And the living space created by the nine boxes provides a place for their social life. The design keeps the original style of the railway bridge and brings new life to it, winning the recognition of the judge panel.