The Grand Canal Gateway Bridge in Hangzhou, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is a 390-metre pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting the east and west banks of the Grand Canal as part of the 800,000 sqm Seamless City masterplan.

Formed around three sweeping structural arches, the bridge draws on Hangzhou’s historic silk embroidery, with its structure weaving and overlapping across the water. At the meeting of the UNESCO-listed Grand Canal and the Qiantang River, the bridge also creates a series of viewing points towards the river and its famous Silver Dragon tidal bore.

For the visualisation, the focus was on preserving the clarity of the bridge’s structural language while developing atmosphere, materiality, lighting and waterfront activity to create a convincing representation of the completed design.