Maosi Bridge

Situation

For years, children in a Chinese community were divided by the River Po – a tributary of the Yellow River. They had to cross the river on a precarious single-log bridge on their journey to  school.

Objective

To build a cheap and simple bridge for the villagers that could be easily erected and maintained.

Result

Students and professionals designed a solution – the 80 metre Wu Zhi Qiao (bridge of sustainability). The structure, which cost just $300,000 to build, was designed to use mainly natural local materials, to be maintained by the villagers and copied for other bridges.

Conclusion

A complex problem was solved in a simple cost and design effective way.