The Grand Canal Gateway Bridge in Hangzhou is now complete. Opening for public use later this year, the footbridge will unite the 800,000 sqm Seamless City masterplan being built on the east and west banks of the canal.
Rethinking The Future Awards 2026
First Award | Transportation (Built)
Project Name: Grand Canal Gateway Bridge
Category: Transportation (Built)
Studio Name: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design Team:
Client: Hangzhou CBD Development Group, ltd.
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Principal: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Directors: Paola Cattarin, Paolo Matteuzzi
ZHA Project Architect: Maria Loreto Flores
ZHA Concept Project Architect: Saman DangostarArea: 7,800m²
Year: 2025
Location: Hangzhou, China
Photography Credits: Xue Liang
Render Credits: n/a
Other Credits: n/a
The centrepiece of the city’s new 14.7-hectare public park & river promenade, the bridge & masterplan by ZHA reconnects the city with its historic Grand Canal & Qiantang River waterfronts, integrating homes, workplaces & community amenities with places for recreation & tourism.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Grand Canal is China’s most ancient & longest man-made waterway—dating from the 5th century BC—flowing south from Beijing to connect with the Yellow & Yangtze Rivers before joining the Qiantang River at its southern gateway in Hangzhou.
The Qiantang River is renowned for its ‘Silver Dragon’, the world’s largest tidal bore, generated by tides from Hangzhou Bay surging upstream, creating waves up to 9m high travelling at 40 km/h. The bridge’s walkways & plaza mark the gateway to the Grand Canal and provide vantage points to safely experience the ‘Silver Dragon’s force of nature.
With the city of Hangzhou’s heritage in silk embroidery, the bridge’s design reinterprets traditional stitching techniques—its structure weaves & binds to support a bridge for pedestrians & cyclists.
The 390-metre-long bridge is a steel, tied three-arch system lighter than concrete alternatives. Its geometry minimises lateral forces within the foundations by preventing powerful wind forces that blow inland from the river transferring to the sensitive historic site at the confluence of the Grand Canal and Qiantang River.
Prefabricated modular construction minimised waste & build time, eliminating disruption to traffic on the Grand Canal, currently used by 100,000 barges each year to transport 260 million tons of cargo sustainably within China.
