After the Games is before the Games: A bridge for the 2022 Olympics

The architecture studio Penda (Chris Precht and Dayong Sun), founded in Beijing and Vienna in 2013, took its inspiration for the design of the new bridge from various sources – namely the five Olympic rings, the hills and valleys of the neighbouring countryside, and a DNA double helix. When completed, the San Shan Bridge will change in appearance depending on one's perspective. Huge steel rings intersecting at their highest and lowest points will form the bridge's main structure in reference to the Olympic rings. Viewed from the side, the resulting arches will resemble a trio of mountains, appropriate enough in view of the bridge's name (San Shan means "three peaks"). Seen from above, the rings will resemble a double helix spiral. The six rings, each over 90 metres in height, incline to each other in pairs, holding steel wire cables from which the bridge deck will be suspended, complete with a roadway set apart from pedestrian lanes by strips of bushes and trees. Thanks to its double helix structure, the bridge will utilise five times less steel than a conventional bridge design. San Shan Bridge is to be completed in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics.