Launched as a part of Danish Dissing+Weitling's green mobility projects in China, the Xiamen Bicycle Skyway is the world's highest cycle bridge and China's first elevated cycle path. The project has received great international interest and won the Danish Design Award in the Liveable Cities category in 2019.
Bringing biking back to the people
The demand for greener and smarter cities is growing, and Copenhagen is among the front-runners in demonstrating how it can be done. The Danish architect firm Dissing+Weitling has been contributing to the city’s transformation for decades – helping to turn it into a more liveable, well-connected and cycle-friendly capital. The firm is now 'exporting' this mindset and methods internationally. Xiamen Bicycle Skyway is an example of how the Danish design DNA can be adapted into a different local context: Xiamen Bicycle Skyway is making it easier, safer, and more joyful to get around by bike. The Xiamen Bicycle Skyway is the world's longest bicycle bridge and China's first suspended bicycle path on raised platforms.
It is a safe and joyful experience for the citizens in Xiamen and an answer to the increased traffic congestion and pollution. Dissing+Weitling's solution helped solve a pragmatic transport-related problem, while at the same time making the city greener and more liveable. The Xiamen Bicycle Skyway enhances mobility, connectivity, and accessibility for the people in Xiamen by incorporating pedestrian bridges, ramps, roundabouts, bicycle parking, bicycle service pavilions and points of interest.
The project has received great international media publicity and made it to the top in the Danish Design Awards 2019. As the winner of the new category, Liveable Cities, the solution is recognized as "having a positive effect on the city environment and ecology".
The Danish Design Award Jury 2019 said: "Bringing new life to an otherwise dead part of the city and integrating different forms of traffic, the Skyway solves a very complex challenge. Skyway involves Danish architects reviving a part of Chinese daily life - cycling culture - in a new context. The design quality is impressive for a project on this scale, and the Skyway is overall a great example of how Danish design DNA can be adapted into a different local fabric."
About Dissing+Weitling
Building on nearly a century of design excellence, Dissing+Weitling grew out of famed Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen's Copenhagen-based practice. Dissing+Weitling creates mobility projects, bridges, and buildings of all scales. The company's architecture has transcended barriers for cities and environments all over the world. Several of the firm's projects such as the National Bank of Denmark, the Great Belt Link, and the Bicycle Snake in Copenhagen have gained iconic status.
Dissing+Weitling has developed a strong reputation for designing buildings and bridges with people in mind. Irrespective of the type of construction, where it is in the world, or its scale, the firm strives to make a positive difference for the people who use the infrastructure it creates. Cycling through a city should be fun, working in an office should be comfortable, and waiting for a train should not feel too boring. Dissing+Weitling believes that architecture should be a catalyst for good experiences as it moves people through space and across distance.