A Wildlife Sound Wave Bridge
Team name: Timbre - RMIT University
Members: Huichun Zhao & Yingyi Tian
Located in Sundown National Park, Queensland, this project proposes a wildlife crossing bridge generated from the sound waves of animals.
The site is understood as a rugged ecological landscape of gorges, rocky ridges, dry woodland, waterholes and the Severn River system. Within this environment, animal calls, bird songs and movement patterns become important but invisible forms of ecological information.
The bridge translates these invisible sound waves into a woven timber structure. Its curved profile, rhythmic timber members and continuous arch are shaped by the rise and fall of acoustic patterns found within the national park. Inspired by reciprocal frame systems and Da Vinci bridge construction, the structure is formed through interlocking timber elements that support one another through balance, compression and repetition.
Rather than acting only as a pedestrian bridge, the project becomes a shared ecological corridor. It allows visitors to move slowly through the landscape while also supporting wildlife movement across the terrain.
The bridge does not dominate Sundown National Park; instead, it responds to the site’s ecological sensitivity by creating a lightweight structure that listens to, records and spatialises the presence of non-human life. Through this approach, the bridge becomes both infrastructure and ecological narrative. It connects humans, animals, sound and landscape, transforming the act of crossing into an experience of listening.
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