06 May 2009

Bridges news roundup

Boris living bridge plan savaged by Grauniad
"Most of us would surely prefer to cross a beautiful, open bridge offering fresh air and inspiring views of London" sez critic

Calgary's Calatrava icon to be unveiled soon
No news here yet, really, although nearby heliport may reduce chance for structural acrobatics

Arup, Benthem Crouwel win bridge competition
Rusty new footbridge for Den Bosch

Brunel's Saltash Bridge celebrates 150 years
Although rust and algae draw criticism

Portland's I-5 bridge to be a battle between aesthetics and jobs?
Oregon governor happy to sacrifice aesthetics in drive to create employment?

Samuel Beckett sets sail
New Calatrava bridge leaves Rotterdam on way to Dublin
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2 comments:

Nielsen said...

Hi, thanks for placing a link to my ABC blog on your site!

I have been thinking about the future of my blog and what direction I should take it. I will continue to place as much ABC information on the site as I can find, along with original bridge design information but I would also like to jump into the world of bridge criticism.

I would like to post a bridge, review both its aesthetics and structural qualities (from my viewpoint) and hopefully generate some discussion.

Maybe multiple blogs (such as yours) could post the same bridge and we could "discuss" it on our blogs at the same time, thereby generating some interaction among designers?

Just a thought, you don't have to post this comment.

Thanks!
Stuart

May 7, 2009 at 1:45 PM
The Happy Pontist said...

Hi there, I hope you don't mind that I have just published your comment as it is.

Angus Low, one of the top bridge designers at Arup, mentioned this topic at his Milne Lecture last year (reprinted in The Structural Engineer magazine):

"We need to expose the fuller design story which will come from our design reports and logs, and we need peer written design reviews in our journals ... we need to encourage the critical tradition".As I see it, The Happy Pontist is virtually alone in providing serious critical voice on bridge design from an engineering perspective, although there's no shortage of unpublished (and often unpublishable!) criticism that goes on behind closed doors. So, yes, I'd welcome anyone else attempting the same thing, especially if it generates some discussion.

As for particular bridges, I'd personally prefer to stick with my own topics right now - time for this blog is fairly limited and I've got a backlog of other posts to complete and publish.

On interaction between designers ... I'd just have to say that some are very sensitive to criticism and do not react positively. So always be straightforward, constructive, and diplomatic!

May 7, 2009 at 3:37 PM

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