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a Museum celebrating the traditional traditions of the Huizhou Bridge
The Huizhou Vernacular Historic Bridges Micro-Museum, designed by LUO Studiois located next to Shisanba Bridge in Mazha City, Huizhou, China. Set in a bamboo grove, the project is part of the “Nankunshan–Luofushan Rim Pioneer Zone (Huizhou) Architectural Art Project,” a regional initiative that introduces architectural interventions and cultural stations along a 218-kilometer scenic tourist route. the micro-museum is dedicated to documenting and interpreting the traditional historical bridges located in the Huizhou area. The project combines report areas with visitor amenities such as tea and coffee service areas, toilets and seating, allowing the building to function as both a cultural facility and a small public facility along the scenic route.
The project arose out of field research and archival research on traditional bridge manufacturing in Huizhou. Research has identified two main types of bridges: baqiao, commonly referred to as “goose-breasted bridge”, and gaoqiao, locally known as “bench bridge”. Baqiao bridges, including the nearby Shisanba bridge, usually occur in areas where the difference between the river level and the embankment is relatively small. Their upstream piers are shaped like conical shafts with slightly raised edges, creating a distinctive structural profile. Stone slabs span between the piers, forming a bridge deck assembled using interlocking construction methods. Gaoqiao bridges appear in locations where the river banks rise higher above the water and the span is narrower. In these structures, the long and slender stone columns project outwards and downwards, resembling the legs of a bench. Mortise and tenon joints connect the vertical posts to the horizontal beams, demonstrating a sophisticated tradition of stonework that also appears in the local houses and village architecture. The field survey also revealed additional public architectural details, including gourd-shaped, semicircular, and triangular openings, commonly carved into the walls of local Hakka compounds. These elements later informed aspects of the museum’s architectural language.
LUO studio reinterprets bridge typologies through architecture
During the research phase, the number of historic bridges identified throughout Huizhou exceeded initial expectations. Once central to daily mobility and agricultural life, many of these bridges have become less visible in modern infrastructure systems. The micro-museum was designed by the LUO studio design team as a small architectural structure dedicated to recording and presenting this traditional infrastructure. Adjacent to the Shisanba Bridge, the building serves as both a gallery and a viewing point for the historic structure nearby. Artist Liu Qingyuan, an engraver based in Guangdong, contributed a series of works documenting the bridges surveyed during the research process. Presented under the theme Bridges of the Countryside, these artworks form the main exhibition within the museum, placing architecture as a framework for presenting the narrative of local bridge traditions.
The design incorporates two architectural interpretations derived from local bridge typologies. The building volume refers to the structural logic of the baqiao system. A spindle-shaped concrete volume represents the bridge’s pier, while a timber-framed walkway running through the structure evokes the bridge’s deck. At the end of this passage, a sitting area overlooks Shisanba Bridge and the surrounding river scenery. The concrete volume contains two levels. The ground floor hosts toilets, sinks, the entrance and part of the exhibition space. An internal staircase leads to the upper level, which houses the main gallery and a café area with access to an outdoor viewing corridor. The elevated walkway interprets the construction principles of the gaoqiao bridge type. Built of cast-in-place reinforced concrete, its structural system echoes the stone and tendon relationships seen in traditional stone bridges. Slender trapezoidal pillars support the walkway, which stretches through the bamboo grove and frames views of the historic bridge.
A bridge-like walkway crosses the bamboo grove
The elevated walkway forms a linear path through the bamboo landscape, recalling the spatial rhythm of the baqiao and gaoqiao bridges. Wooden planks are placed along the walkway with widened gaps, which refer to the distance between the stone slabs in traditional bridge decks. These openings allow light and shadow to filter through while maintaining visual continuity with the surroundings. The geometric openings in the concrete walls reinterpret the gourd, semicircular and triangular openings seen in local architecture. A pumpkin-shaped stone block recovered from an abandoned house during a field survey is on display in the ground floor gallery as part of the exhibition. As part of the project, several construction elements were reused. The steel molds used to cast the concrete structure of the hallway were repurposed as outdoor drainage channels that lead water away from the sinks. Surplus concrete beams were placed along the waterfront as a long seating element facing the river.
The design approach prioritizes minimal intervention within the bamboo grove surrounding the site. The elevated walkway passes gently through the vegetation preserving the existing trees and natural soil conditions. This strategy preserves the character of the landscape while allowing visitors to move through the grove and observe the nearby bridge. The project aligns with the larger curatorial theme of “The Pleasures of Dongpo,” which refers to the writings of the Song Dynasty scholar Su Dongpo. A poetic image related to the theme, bamboo seen through a window during light rain, informed the work’s emphasis on landscape views and subtle spatial context.
Huizhou Vernacular Historic Bridges Micro-Museum by LUO studio proposes a small architectural intervention that combines research, exhibition and public infrastructure. By documenting traditional bridge construction and presenting it through spatial experience, the project draws attention to a network of traditional structures that continue to shape the landscape of the region. Through observation platforms, exhibitions and architectural reinterpretations of traditional bridge forms, the project encourages visitors to rediscover these historic crossings and the craftsmanship embedded in them.
