Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Amazing Bridges


 
Amazing Bridges
 
 
Pedestrian Bridge, Texas
 
 
This beautiful arched bridge in Lake Austin was a private build by Miro Rivera Architects and is used to
connect the client's main house to the smaller guest house on the other side of the water.
The idea was to make the bridge seem as natural as possible within its surroundings and to do this
they made the decking and reed-like hand rails as imperfect as possible.
 
The result is a bridge that looks extremely fragile but definitely worth the risk.
 
 
Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge, Sao Paulo,  Brazil
 
 
Opened in May of this year, the Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge is a stunning x-shaped cable-stayed bridge
that crosses the Pinheiros River in Sao Paulo .  It's design is unique in that the 2 curved decks of
the bridge cross each other through its x-shaped supporting tower,
an illuminated structure that stands 450ft tall and has attached to it 144 steel cables.
 
 
Kintaikyo, Iwakuni , Japan
 
 
The original Kintai Bridge was built in 1673 and didn't stand very long until it was damaged
due to flooding.  It was then rebuilt and survived for more than 200 years until a typhoon battered it
to death in 1950.  The bridge that stands now over the Nishiki Rivers the 3rd build and looks
magnificent, it's 5 wooden arches displaying an incredible amount of detail and craftsmanship.  
Interesting fact: no nails or bolts have been used to build the arches, only clamps and wires.
 
 
Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge , Brasilia , Brazil
 
 
The JK Bridge in Brasilia is a lesson in elegant bridge design.  
The 3 huge arches diagonally hopping over the deck of the bridge give the structure an
amazing visual fluidity and make the whole 1.2km bridge look effortlessly cool.  
Since being built the bridge has won awards for its design but is still massively
under appreciated on a wider scale.
 
 
Rolling Bridge, London , UK
 

 
 
Thomas heatherwick' s award-winning rolling bridge is an ingenious addition to the grand union
canal system in London and is unique in its design.  Unlike regular movable canal bridges,
the rolling bridge curls up on itself to form an octagon by way of hydraulics.  
It's an amazing sight and a reminder that a fresh perspective can produce great,
innovative results, even when dealing with a structure as common as a bridge.
 
Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge, Guizhou , China
 
 
Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge in Guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was built
as part of the much larger 'Guizhou-Shuibai Railway Project'.  Connecting 2 mountains
over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge's deck sits 918ft above the ground
(to compare, at its highest point the Millau viaduct's deck clears the river underneath
by 890ft).  
 
The bridge has succeeded in connecting 2 of the country's poorest areas.
 
 
Henderson Waves, Southern Ridges, Singapore
 
'Henderson Waves' is Singapore 's highest pedestrian bridge and can be found at the southern
ridges, a beautiful 9km stretch of gardens and parks which has frequently drawn
comparisons to New York 's Central Park .  
 
The bridge itself is absolutely stunning. The deck is made from thousands of Balau wood
slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a huge snaking,
undulating shell cleverly forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve.
 
 
Pont Gustave Flaubert, Rouen , France
 
 
 
This is the incredible, brand new vertical lift bridge in Rouen , France , a beast of a structure
whose 2 bridge spans weigh 1200tons each but can be hoisted 180ft vertically by
the bridge's lifting mechanism in an impressive 12 minutes.  Just the angular structures
at the top of each tower weigh in at 450tons each, helping to support the lifting system
as cruise ships sail through.
 
 
Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge , Southern Highlands Province , Papua New Guinea
 
 
Technically, this is a bridge: it's a structure which spans a gorge.  The only difference is, the bridge
can't be used by humans due to the fact that its purpose is to support 2 pipelines - 1 gas, 1 oil -
across the extremely high gap in Papua New Guinea .  
So high in fact that if this were to be officially recognized as a bridge it would rocket to
the top of the 'world's highest bridge-span' list at an impressive height of 1290ft.  
 
By comparison, the current highest bridge span belongs to the Royal Gorge Bridge
in Colorado , hanging a mere 1053ft above ground level, while Manhattan 's Chrysler Building
 measures 1047ft.
 
 

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