Continuing our review of 2020, we spotlight 10 of the most interesting bridges unveiled this year, including Renzo Piano's Genoa bridge, a curved cycling bridge in Copenhagen and the world's longest glass-bottomed bridge.

Glass-bottomed bridge, China, by Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University

This 526-metres-long bridge across the Lianjiang River in Guangdong Province, which was completed this year, was officially recognised as the longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world by Guinness World Records.

Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University designed the suspension bridge, made from 4.5 centimetre-thick tempered laminated glass, to be completely clear so that tourists can see the river 201 metres below.

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Køge Nord Station, Denmark, by Cobe and Dissing+Weitling

Cobe and Dissing+Weitling teamed up to design this footbridge at a railway station for a new high-speed line from Copenhagen. The concrete bridge runs above the busiest motorway in Denmark and connects two major train lines.

Its simple shape, reminiscent of the "futuristic" design of the 1960s, was created to make the footbridge distinctive yet able to blend into the landscape, where it will be seen by over 100,000 motorists and passengers every day.

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Canavagh Bridge, Ireland, by O'Donnell + Tuomey

Irish architecture studio O'Donnell + Tuomey constructed this bridge, which was built over the River Lee to improve connections to University College Cork, from timber and concrete.

Two concrete abutments are connected by a deck made of long-span beams of laminated timber, which are supported by two steel beams.

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Technion Entrance Gate, Israel, by Schwartz Besnosoff Architects 

Technion Israel Institute of Technology's entrance gate was designed as a bridge that connects the campus with a city promenade.

"We decided to offer a new interpretation to the idea of a 'gate' – not a barrier or a separator but as a bridge," studio Schwartz Besnosoff Architects explained.

It designed the bridge, which is elevated above an existing road, using parametric software, and added an informal square where students can meet friends.

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Providence River Pedestrian Bridge, US, by Inform Studio and Buro Happold

The Providence River Pedestrian Bridge links two parks in Providence, Rhode Island, and incorporates five existing jetties. Its steel superstructure was clad in rot-resistant modular panels of Wana wood, a material that also references Providence's maritime past as it was used in boat building.

The bridge was designed by Inform Studio and Buro Happold and includes a lower level, stepped to be closer to the water, which features plantings and inviting, wide steps to sit on.

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San Giorgio Bridge, Italy, by Renzo Piano

Italian architect Renzo Piano unveiled the San Giorgio Bridge in his hometown of Genoa, Italy, earlier this year. It replaces the Morandi bridge, which collapsed in a storm in 2018, killing 43 people.

Described by Piano's studio as an "urban bridge", the San Giorgio Bridge is supported by 18 slender, reinforced concrete piers, each of which has an elliptical section to help the light to "slip" on its surface.

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Wuchazi Bridge, China, by Wünschmann Kaufer Architects and Buschmeyer + Cai 

The meandering, figure of eight-shaped Wuchazi Bridge features a continual walkable path that was designed to make it recreational as well as functional.

Designed by Berlin-based architects Tom Wünschmann, Achim Kaufer, Wei Cai and Philipp Buschmeyer with Chinese design institutes SADI and JDTM, the bridge crosses a river in Chengdu to connect an exhibition centre and park with residential areas.

"Our aim was to develop a bridge that is more than a monofunctional infrastructural element," Kaufer told Dezeen.

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Lille Langebro cycling bridge, Denmark, by WilkinsonEyre and Urban Agency

London architecture studio WilkinsonEyre worked with Copenhagen's Urban Agency to create Lille Langebro, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across Copenhagen's inner harbour.

The steel bridge, which can open for boats, was designed as a tranquil way of crossing the water that gradually draws attention to the surrounding Christianshavn neighbourhood.

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Chiswick Park Footbridge, UK, by Useful Studio

Useful Studio used weathering steel for this pedestrian footbridge that connects a tube station with a business park in Chiswick, London.

The bridge contains three arches that increase in height from west to east and was designed to be "zero-maintenance", as its location above train lines means it cannot easily be reached for repair work.

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Pedestrian bridge, France, by Dietmar Feichtinger Architects

Designed by Dietmar Feichtinger Architects, this wood-and-steel pedestrian bridge in Angers, France, was made from Douglas fir, French oak and cross-laminated timber (CLT).

It curves over the railway by Angers Saint-Laud station, connecting the station with a hotel and a park across the 70-metres wide channel of tracks. Unevenly spaced timber porticoes puncture the bridge.

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