QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO BRIDGE AESTHETICS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Many important qualities must be considered for the proper aesthetic design of bridges to develop harmony with their environment. Methodologies for segmental bridge design that create bridges that preserve the existing landscapes and complement, and even enhance, their settings are examined. Bridges considered have received 123 design awards in the past 21 years, including 3 Presidential Awards through the National Endowment for the Arts. Proper scale and proportions of various bridge members to create balanced and slender appearances are quantified, including proper span-to-depth and pier width-to-height ratios for graceful structures. The design methodology for aesthetics includes a quantitative and qualitative sorting of natural site features to determine appropriate shapes for the superstructure and substructure. Criteria for selecting and evaluating the visual effects of shape, shadows, vistas, color, textures, and the use of native materials are addressed. Quantification of the cost of aesthetic decisions and determination of aesthetic value are addressed for different elements of these bridges. Case studies are used to quantify aesthetic features for such bridges as the Natchez Trace Parkway Arches [first precast concrete arches with 177-m (582-ft) main arch span], Tennessee; Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Florida; Linn Cove Viaduct, North Carolina; Hanging Lake Viaduct, Colorado; and Wabasha Street Bridge, Minnesota.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/1696-02
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=QUANTITATIVE+APPROACH+TO+BRIDGE+AESTHETICS+FOR+THE+21ST+CENTURY&author=E.+Figg&publication_year=2000
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309071224
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1696, Fifth International Bridge Engineering Conference, April 3-5, 2000, Tampa, Florida, Volume 1. The revised name of this series is Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Figg Jr, E C
• Conference:
  • Fifth International Bridge Engineering Conference
  • Location: Tampa, Florida
  • Date: 2000-4-3 to 2000-4-5
• Publication Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 10-16
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1696
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aesthetics; Awards; Bridges; Case studies; Color; Costs; Design; Environment; Proportion; Shape; Texture; Valuation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Finance; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00789677
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309071224
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 2 2000 12:00AM