paper folding informs folio bridge's steel span over water path in china

"FAR Workshop's Folio Bridge in Huzhou, , draws its concept from the structural behaviour of a folded sheet of A4 . The project examines how a simple crease can reinforce a lightweight material while retaining its inherent thinness and visual delicacy. After testing multiple folding configurations, the design team focused on a single-crease strategy to achieve the required span. The form was defined by fitting three construction curves and one construction point to the crease line."

"Working closely with Zhang Zhun's Structural Research Institute, the team iteratively adjusted the curvature of these lines and the position of the construction point to optimise force distribution across the structure. Because the resulting form created a steeply sloped bridge surface, the design no longer accommodated direct pedestrian circulation along the primary structure. Instead, the curved surface was treated as a landscape-like element. A narrow elevated path was introduced, allowing users to cross the bridge as if traversing"

A folded-sheet crease strategy informs the bridge's structural concept, using a single-crease geometry to reinforce a lightweight form while preserving visual thinness. The form was defined by three construction curves and one construction point, with curvature and point position iteratively adjusted to optimise force distribution in collaboration with a structural research institute. The steeply sloped primary surface precluded direct pedestrian circulation, so a narrow elevated path was introduced and treated as a ridge-like route. The path and supports use slender, high-strength threaded steel bars as a single material. Complex curved plates were bent, positioned in a full frame, and welded into a unified structure spanning 15.825 meters.

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