Sky Bridge- the Green Rail Line in Beigang

Sky Bridge-Green Rail Line in Beigang

During the Japanese colonization period, sugar industry had driven the building of Beigang Taiwan Sugar Railway and Beigang Fuxing Bridge. Chia-Pei Railway became the popular route because of the economic development of Xingang and Beigang, also the flourishing of Beigang Chao-Tian Temple and Xingang Feng-Tian Temple. Unfortunately, Chia-Pei Railway was finally suspended as the sugar industry was declined.

We try to induce a new life to this cultural, memorable and unique old railway, our principle of design is “the conversation between new old, low and kind development”. We design a tourism and leisure linear green belt and water belt area, which can link to the community of Beigang, providing an outdoor space for residents closer to the natural environment and waters. Besides, after the suspended of sugar railway, the mound became meaningless, just like an earthwork which separate the urban to front and back side. Therefore, we attempt to reverse the blemish side of railway by using an open attitude, which will increase the sense of identity and the sustainable value, driving more cultural and creative business behavior along two roadsides.

Meanwhile, Wenhua Road is the only way of the Live Arts Club in Matsu Birthday Procession Festival every year, therefore the section crossing Wenhua Road is designed 1m higher than the lowest limited height 4.6m of other normal bridges, this bridge will become an important connection between culture and citizen. The unique topography provide a different altitude and angle of view, we use galvanized hollow grid as the paved pedestrian trails, and we lift up 30cm above the protecting slope in order to keep a closely and respectful distance between people and woods. A wide range of materials is applied to this design responding the variety of expression of the existing townhouses.

Sky Bridge is made of RC structure with massive and rugged exposed concrete, which is a sharp contrast with the freedom experience of people. We transform “walking on the bridge” to “walking inside the bridge” by changing the structure system from RC deep beam structure to wall structure. People can view the old Fuxing Bridge ruins throughout the frame on wall with different sensory experience from open to compression, then to focus. Beigang River is surrounded by rich humanity, hydrology, geography resources, Sky Bridge is an intermediary earth sculpture, it is not just connecting two directions, but mostly for staying, gazing all the past memorable history of Beigang.