bridge aesthetics - practical ideas for short and medium span bridges

7/29/2019 Bridge Aesthetics - Practical Ideas for Short and Medium Span Bridges

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Bridge Aesthetics Workshop

Practical Ideas for Short and Medium Span

Bridges

Robert J Shulock, P.E.

Sr. Vice President

Riverfront Office CenterApril 29, 2010Harrisburg, Pennsylvania



Efficiency - Economy - Elegance

2010 TRB Workshop



Structural Art

“ Engineers …… often argue that aesthetics are not part of their

profession. If you want beauty, hire an architect or, more

radically, a sculptor. One major objective of education in

engineering should be to encourage students to see, accept, and

begin to use that elemental sense of aesthetics.”

Professor David Billington

“A bridge engineer must be properly educated, well versed in the

arts, material sciences, descriptive geometry and a master of

structural analysis. They should be taught principles of aesthetics.” Arvid Grant

Bridge Engineer



Etymologies

Engineering - Engineering as a field of study is attested fromÉcole Polytechnique , engineering school

founded 1794

‟ polytekhnos "skilled in many arts," from polys "many" + tekhne

"art“

‟ technology - "discourse or treatise on an art ,

the arts, or craft.“

Structure - "a fitting together” , to pile, build, assemble,“

Art - “to fit” , to fit together..(with) skill as a result of

learning or practice

Artifact - "anything made by human art,… by skill”

Beauty - “to fit in every sense”



“..separation..has grown up between art and science...in early times man’s activities were an undivided whole, in which science and art were not

separate….” children do not tend of their own accord to separate

such activities…they are gradually trained to think, feel perceive them

as separate… Thus what is natural and spontaneous to man is the

wholeness of art and science.”

David Bohm

Physicist



Modern Meanings

Art - “the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions .”

e.g. “to fit, in an aesthetic and emotional sense.”

then beauty becomes - – “to fit in every sense emotionally and aesthetically.”

“Although the application of scientific knowledge toderive a new (technology) involves skill and results inthe "creation" of something new, this represents scienceonly and is not categorized as art.” , Wikipedia



Beauty

“Beauty, then, is not simply a matter of personal opinion,dependent primarily on the eye of the beholder. It is the result of dynamic, evolving processes that consist of harmonioustotalities.”

“…beauty is not an arbitrary response that happens to “tickle” usin a pleasing way. In science , for example, one sees and feelsthe beauty of a theory only if the latter is ordered, coherent,harmonious with all parts generated naturally from simple principles, and with those parts working together to form a unified total structure.”

David Bohm



Structural Art

Professor David Billington

“ Structures … that are both technically and aesthetically well designed.



Structural Art

Efficiency = Perfection of Engineered/Structural Form -



Michelangelo’s David

Creation by what the scuptor called

ablatio – removal of what is not really

part of the sculpture

(a bridge should be) “As simple as

possible, and no more.”

Arvid

Grant



Capital Cost– Proper Materials– Proper Structure Type– Efficient Structural Form– Constructability

Life Cycle Cost– Durability– Serviceability– Sustainability

Economy

Structural Art



Structural Art

Salginotobel, Switzerland Robert Maillart



Structural Art



Structural Art

“No one has the right to build something ugly.”

Arvid Gran



Structural Art

Sunniberg Bridge, Switzerland Christian Menn



Sunniberg from Below



Sunniberg Pier



Christian Menn

Structural Art



Tsing Ma – Hong Kong

Structural

Art

Jeff Young



Sunshine Skyway, Florida

StructuralArt

Jean Muller



Rama VIII, Thailand

Structural Art

Daniel Farquar



East Huntington Bridge, West Virginia Arvid Grant

Structural Art



Inspiration, Clearwater

Clearwater Memorial Causeway, Florida



Greta Bridge, England

Structural Art



Structural Art

Jorge Schlaich

GreenvillePedestrianBridge, SC



Greenville at Night



US Route 59, Houston

US Route 59, Houston US Route 59, Houston

Structural Art



US 59 Abutment



Structural Art

Washington State



Priest Point Bridge

Arvid Grant



Priest Point Bridge



“The aesthetic value of a bridge is realized subconsciously”

Cascade Orchards

Arvid Grant



Alternative Goals/Processes/Procedures

….that impede the creation of Structural Art…

„ The Signature Bridge

„ The Sculptural Bridge

„ The Standard Bridge

„ Education of the “Street Ready” engineer ‟design as a mathematical process to meet codified standards.

„ Over Codification of design that inhibits freedom to design

thoughtfully and creatively

„ Compartmentalization of decisions and funding in Planning,

Design, Construction, Operation and Maintenance



The Signature/Sculptural Bridge




Arapaho Road Bridge, Addison Texas



Sundial Bridge, CA


Santiago Calatrava



The Signature Bridge

San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge – SAS Span

“..a dreadful bridge.” - Professor David Billington

“..a monument to idiocy” - Design team member



(Misusing Standard Designs )

The Standard Bridge



Standard Solutions

The majority of “Everyday” or “Workhorse” bridge

design is accomplished by applying standard“regional” bridge types and standard designs to

most situations.



Standard Solutions

Standard bridge types can be appropriate solutions

if the site is standard, the needs are standard andattention is given to detail.



P

P

Poulsbo Bridge, Washington

Standard SolutionPS Girder

Standard Solution



Standard SolutionPT Concrete Box

I – 205 Oregon

S d d S l



Standard SolutionSteel Girder

I-78 New Jersey



Standard Solutions

HOWEVER IF -

„ if attention is not given to detail

„ or the project’s needs and/or the site are not standard„ or aesthetics are derived from decoration

………the result may be a sub-optimal solution.



Standard Solutions …

no attention to detail



…no attention to detail



…no attention to detail

Standard Solution



The Square ‟Peg-in-Round-Hole



The Square ‟Peg-in-Round Hole



•

Posers



Prestressed girder bridge with faux truss railing was more cost effective

than steel truss.



“Abutment details overshadow the superstructure type.”



Green over Grey



The Decorated Standard Brid e



The Decorated Bridge



Imitation, Hacienda Bridge


The Decorated (Historical) Standard Bridge



The Decorated (Historical) Standard Bridge



Imitation, NJ Decoration




Imitation, Youghiogheny Reservoir





What can be done?

‟ Attention to detail, better standard designs

‟ True “Signature “ Design,

e.g. One Bridge, One Designer

‟ Total Cost Budgeting

‟ Conceptual Engineering

‟ Design Competitions

‟ Proper education and training



Standard Solution – PS Concrete Girder

Better Standard Details ‟attention to detail

Standard Solution Haunched Stl Girder



Standard Solution – Haunched Stl Girder

Better Standard Details –attention to detail



Standard Solution – PT Concrete Box

Better Standard Details –attention to detail

Standard Solution –PS C Gi d



PS Concrete Girder

Better Standard Details–

attention to detail

St d d S l ti A h



Standard Solutions – Arch

Amsterdam

Standard Solution – Flat Slab



SICILY



One Bridge, One Designer

(There should be) “one designer who owns the bridge

throughout planning, design and construction.”

Arvid Grant



-and enjoy the other fruits of efficiency and elegance

Follow the Money



Design

$2.5m $40m $25m

+5% -5% -10%

+$0.13m -$2.0m -$2.5m

Net

-$4.38m

Small increase in design costs –

Potential large capital and life-cycle dividends

Follow the Money

-and enjoy the other fruits of efficiency and

elegance

O&M Construction



Conceptual Engineering

“Every bridge deserves a design.”

Arvid Grant

ECONOMY EFFICIENCY ELEGANCE



“ AGA….has produced many small (everyday) bridge programs. Each of these has received at least equal care in their development as our large projects. …..our small (everyday) bridges are technically and esthetically correct, durable, and the least costly structures for thegiven location.”

Arvid Grant

ECONOMY –EFFICIENCY - ELEGANCE




p g g

Examine all plausible options, and some not so plausible atappropriate levels of refinement.

Consider various materials, size and form of major members,

constructibility, cost, life service, and appearance.

Take most promising ideas to greater levels of refinement.

Solutions will emerge that fit the requirements of the site and are

roughly equivalent as to structural efficiency and economics.

Work these solutions to best appeal to the aesthetic sensibilitiesof the designer and/or the public.

at 30% Preliminary Design



Standard Regional Solution –

Simple Span Twin PS Beams

Context Sensitive Design – w/ Full Public Involvement





Single Precast Segmental Box

Economical Efficient

Elegant

Structural Efficiency



Structural Efficiency

20% Less Vertical Weight

Less Dynamic Mass

High Seismic Zone

E



Economy

Cost ComparisonItem Cost

30 % Design $280,000,000

Concept Design $257,000,000

Final Design-Engineer’sEstimate

$256,000,000

Low Bid $237,000,000

Total Savings ($43,000,000)

$43 MILLION SAVED



Elegance





280th St Overcrossing

Standard Solution : 3 spliced girders=230 ft

I-15, Utah





280th St O'xing, WA

235 ft PT Concrete Box





Port of Columbus International Airport

Original Concept Studies



3 Span Steel Plate Girder strongly stated as the “Optimum”

solution

Concrete was not considered:

“ The type of concrete section necessary for such loadings isbeyond current capabilities of the industry. The US constructionindustry is too immature.”

Owner Allows for Conceptual Engineering Phase

Original Concept Studies





Bid within (-)2% of other Steel and Concrete Alternates

•Lowest Life cycle costs of any alternative

•Maximum Flexibility for Roadway & LRT

•Highest Stiffness/Rigidity/Durability



Gateway to Port of Columbus Airport

The Big I Interchange




„ Bold use of Color & Texture

„ Repetitive Bridge elements

„ Simple and Fluid Lines




g g

„ Economical Bridges

„ Within Available Funding

„ Within Fast-Track Timeline




Everyday Bridges that have become a touristattraction “…..celebrating Albuquerque as thecrossroads of the Southwest.”

Design Competition



Design Competition

„ Can be Internal or External Competition

„ During the 19th century design competitions were the common means of project delivery.

The greatest works of engineering were built under the lowest cost options.

„ Competition has lead to great advances in bridge engineering.

„ The current lack of competition may have slowed progress in the art of bridge design.

„ “Although there is little tradition in the United States for design competitions … such a

tradition is firmly rooted elsewhere, with results that are both politically and aesthetically

spectacular. “The Tower and the Bridge”



Woodrow Wilson Bridge,

Virginia



Naval Academy Bridge, Maryland

bridge aesthetics - practical ideas for short and medium span bridges

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