Kengo Kuma rebuilds a formerly destroyed bridge in an innovative yet nostalgic frame. Gently arched and enveloped by cypress balustrades, the Kusugibashi bridge boasts a gentle architecture unseen and unheard of prior to its construction.
The bridge faced destruction back in 2018 when the Western Japan Flood took the whole city of Iwakuni under its waves. Proudly housed in the Osogoe area of Shuto Town, the bridge perfectly merges the traditional approach to carpentry with technological advancements.
Designed to inspire the community, the bridge serves as a symbol of sustainability, art, and restoration. The Kengo Kuma design team decided to use reinforced concrete for the rebuilding project, enriching its skeleton with 105 cypress balustrades that add both to the stability and beauty of the bridge. Keeping the possibility of another calamity in mind, it’s been designed in a manner that reduces the chances of getting destroyed yet again.
The backbone of the Kusugibashi bridge holds true to the modern computational design while keeping with the precise artistry of carpenters which renders it an unforgettable look. Termed a civil engineering masterpiece, the bridge captures the subtle elegance of its surroundings perfectly.
The Asahi-Shuzo brewery’s presence on either side of the bridge gives the structure an even more poetic and nostalgic meaning considering the fact that it donated the wood required for the bridge’s construction.
The whole construction and design team of Kengo Kuma and Associates certainly needs to be congratulated for this artistic and sustainable feat.