The Easel Bridge, designed by XBTW Office and led by Landscape Architect Boxia Wang, is located in Yucun, Moganshan, Zhejiang Province. Spanning Fuxi Creek, the 10-meter-long pedestrian bridge was developed from the office’s selected proposal for the Moganshan Town · Fuxi River Seven Bridges Conceptual Design International Competition.

The original competition involved seven bridges along Fuxi Creek. XBTW Office chose to develop three of them using the same basic strategy: four inclined planes within a beam bridge structure. Although only one bridge was ultimately completed, the built Easel Bridge still reflects the larger design intention of the series. It demonstrates how a simple system can generate different public-space possibilities across multiple sites.

According to lead designer Boxia Wang, the main idea behind the Easel Bridge was to find a balance between quietness and activity. In a natural setting like Moganshan, the bridge needed to remain calm, restrained, and integrated into its surroundings. At the same time, Yucun has become an active tourist destination, so the project also needed to function as more than a simple crossing. It was designed as a small public space with a light, site-specific program.

The design begins with the section. XBTW Office organizes the bridge through four inclined planes, each shaping a different relationship between the body and the landscape. One side functions as an easel-like surface, allowing visitors to observe and sketch the surrounding mountains, creek, and townscape. The opposite side forms a continuous backrest, inviting people to lean, rest, and observe both the scenery and the artworks being created by others. Through this arrangement, the bridge becomes both circulation infrastructure and public furniture.

To give the inclined planes greater freedom, the project adopts a beam structure as its primary system, allowing the planes to respond to spatial and programmatic needs rather than carrying the main structural role. Beyond the beam structure, the bridge body is composed of 2-meter modules. Each module is slightly rotated by 2 to 3 degrees, creating subtle shifts in direction, posture, and perception as people move across the bridge.

Materially, the Easel Bridge is designed to sit lightly along Fuxi Creek. Corrugated metal panels and round metal tubes form the main body, while translucent frosted corrugated panels define the easel side. Teak backrests on the opposite side add warmth and tactility to the metallic structure.

At a modest scale, the Easel Bridge transforms everyday infrastructure into an open-air studio and a shared public space. It reflects Boxia and XBTW Office’s ongoing interest in light interventions, landscape-oriented architecture, and the rethinking of everyday infrastructure as a place for public life.