The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who seek them
Bridges
Vizcaya Bridge – Bilbao, Spain
Sep 20th
The Vizcaya Bridge, which crosses the mouth of the Nervion River northwest of Bilbao, is the world’s first transporter bridge. Its local name, Puente Colgante, which means ‘suspension bridge’, is something of a misnomer because the structure is quite different from a true suspension bridge. More >
Plashet School Footbridge – London
Sep 13th
The 220-foot-long Plashet School Footbridge, connecting the schools’ original 1930s building with a 1960s addition to the north, hovers high above a busy road in Newham, East London. The eye-catching bridge’s core structure consists of a simple steel deck mounted on sculptural blue stilt-like steel piers.
The deck rises up the sides, doubling as the balustrade, and is covered with lightweight and light-diffusing white Teflon fabric panels stretched over a series of galvanized-steel hoops. The hoops alternate directions, creating a unique, saddle-shaped profile that architect Michael Russum says students have lined to a caterpillar or a line of vertebrae. More >
Floral Street Bridge – London
Sep 11th
This mesmerizing pedestrian crossing spans high above a narrow side street to connect the Royal Ballet School with the Royal Opera House, near Covent Garden. Its 23-square steel portals, supported by an aluminum spine beam, each shift about 4 degrees. The bridge’s level changes slightly as well, to accommodate the misalignment between the Opera and school landings.
The result is a curvaceous, sculptural form that viscerally evokes the graceful movements of dancers. “It comes alive”, architect Jim Eyre says of the bridge’s unique geometry. The alternation of clear and translucent glass between the portals gives the illusion of greater depth when the bridge is seen for street level. It also provides privacy for pupils who cross it and for the neighbours who live nearby. More >
Pont Alexandre III – Paris, France
Aug 7th
Widely regarded as Paris’s most beautiful bridge, the Pont Alexandre III perfectly represents the spirit of Paris’s 19th century rejuvenation. It connects the Hotel des Invalides with the Grand and Petit Palais – art galleries built for the 1900 World Fair and intended as much to showcase the best of French design and engineering as they were to house fine art. The bridge is within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Banks of the Seine.
The bridge was planned to provide a suitably attractive approach to the two galleries, and a large part of the bridge’s charm comes from its extremely low profile. The designers were given specific instructions that the bridge was not to obstruct the view of either the Champs-Elysees on one bank or the Invalides on the other. Consequently, its single 107-metre span is only 6 metres high. More >
Pont Neuf – Paris
Aug 5th
During the 16th century only two bridges crossed the River Seine in Paris; consequently in 1578 King Henri III ordered the construction of a third to ease traffic congestion. The designers he appointed were Baptiste Du Cerceau and Pierre des Illes, and there is some evidence that they made use of an earlier design by Guillaume Marchand.
Progress was slow and it was only in 1607 that the bridge, the first to be constructed of stone in Paris, was finished. It was opened by Henri IV, who named it Pont Neuf – New Bridge. The Pont Neuf is the longest bridge in Paris, and it is also the city’s oldest bridge still standing. More >
London Tower Bridge
Aug 2nd
The spectacle of the two bascules, or drawbridges, rising to allow ships on the River Thames to go through beneath, and then settling back together again, is one of the favourite sights of London. Each of the drawbridges weighs around 1,000 tons and takes a minute and a half for each manoeuvre. They were originally moved by steam power, but electric motors have been used since the 1970s.
The bascules, which form the roadway for vehicles, were originally kept open for two hours every day at high tide but, since the port of London’s decline, they are now raised only by special arrangement. They are suspended from two tall, steel-framed towers, which near the top are connected by a footbridge. More >
Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco
Jul 30th
The Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most beautiful suspension bridges in the world, spans the entrance to San Francisco’s bay. The bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County and is the only exit out of San Francisco to the north, being part of the famous US highway Route 101. More >
