The Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, a cable-stayed span constructed in conjunction with Boston’s Big Dig highway relocation project, is an excellent example of how a distinctive design can become a symbol of a city. It is now virtually mandatory for people engaged in television interviews originating from Boston to be shown with that bridge as backdrop.
Among the most dramatic of newer cable-stayed bridges is the Millau Viaduct, which carries vehicle traffic high over France’s wide and deep Tarn Valley. The bridge’s roadway is so high off the ground that it appears on occasion to float above the clouds that form beneath it, but the bridge earns equal distinction for the gently arcing curve of its deck and its overall striking appearance. I have lost count of how many correspondents have sent me still and moving images they took while driving over this bridge, but I never tire of admiring their pictures.
Not all striking bridge designs are towering, long-span highway bridges. Many pedestrian bridges of exceptional aesthetic value have been designed and built in recent years. Among the most widely known is the London Millennium Bridge, the design of which was the collaborative effort of the Arup engineering firm, Foster and Partners architects, and the sculptor Anthony Caro. It resulted in a striking low-slung suspension bridge, which to many people is hardly recognizable as one. Unfortunately, the bridge became somewhat of an embarrassment when its walkway swayed so much that it had to be closed within three days of its opening. The problem was fixed by retrofitting the bridge with stiffening struts and dampers, and it has become one of the most popular new tourist attractions on the River Thames.
Among the most highly anticipated of new bridges is the replacement for the east span of the San Francisco -- Oakland Bay Bridge, which was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Rather than spend $1 billion to retrofit the old structure, the California Department of Transportation argued, the money could be better spent on a new and distinctive span. The centerpiece of the new bridge, whose final cost will likely exceed $6 billion, is an unusual structure -- a self-anchored suspension bridge, one over whose single tower cables are draped and then connected to the ends of the roadway. Expected to be completed next year, the structure is sure to bring bridge enthusiasts and their cameras to San Francisco Bay.
I expect I may be the recipient of some photos of the new Bay Bridge, and I will welcome them. Different people have different opportunities to see different structures from different perspectives under different environmental conditions. Unlike the fine art masterpieces hanging in a museum under controlled temperature, humidity, and lighting, bridges must be works for all seasons. And the best of them truly are.
Mydesign, thanks for that info. I'm glad to know that India has such a strong program of historical monument preservation, since there are so many periods of its history with beautiful architecture. I learned about those buildings, as well as the amazing civic planning of those ancient cities, many years ago and was impressed by the intelligence and beauty of the designs and of the engineering in such a distant past.
One of the most stunning bridges in the world is the George Washington Bridge, spanning the Hudson between Fort Lee NJ and the upper section of Manhattan, with it's unique exposed tower superstructure, peeking over the trees as you drive south at the end of the Palisades Parkway, or welcoming you home with it's spectacular lighting as an old friend after a long day driving on I-80.
But, what is not well known is that the distinctive design of the GWB was, in fact, an accident: While the massive double-decked bridge was being built, they ran out of money for the exterior stone cladding. So, the question arose, "can we do without it?" and the structural Engineers went back to work, recalculating the loads, and the answer was a resounding YES!
And that is how one of America's most iconic bridges came to be, as fate would have it~
One of the most stunning bridges in the world is the George Washington Bridge, spanning the Hudson between Fort Lee NJ and the upper section of Manhattan, with it's unique exposed tower superstructure, peeking over the trees as you drive south at the end of the Palisades Parkway, or welcoming you home with it's spectacular lighting as an old friend after a long day driving on I-80.
But, what is not well known is that the distinctive design of the GWB was, in fact, an accident: While the massive double-decked bridge was being built, they ran out of money for the exterior stone cladding. So, the question arose, "can we do without it?" and the structural Engineers went back to work, recalculating the loads, and the answer was a resounding YES!
And that is how one of America's most iconic bridges came to be, as fate would have it~
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
The legacy endpoint devices that control our critical infrastructure (utility systems, water treatment plants, military networks, industrial control systems, etc.) are some of the most vulnerable devices on the Internet.
In a switched-capacitor filter, capacitors and switches take the place of resistors and accurately reproduce the characteristics of continuous-time Bessel, Butterworth, and elliptical filters.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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