Title:
Aesthetics in the Design of Precast Prestressed Bridges
Author(s):
Manuel Burn Maestro, David FernindezOrdez Hernndez, and Cndidio Ovejero Snchez
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
17
Issue:
8
Appears on pages(s):
39-44
Keywords:
bridge abutments; bridge decks; bridge piers; bridges (structures); esthetics; lintels; precast concrete; prestressed concrete; Design
DOI:
Date:
8/1/1995
Abstract:
Evaluating the aesthetics of a bridge through the study of its proportions is one way of reflecting over its aesthetic values. Aesthetic evaluation is an individual and subjective act, affecting each of us individually. It is not our intention to try to give formulas to design beautiful bridges in a mathematical way, but to expose some formal considerations concerning the bridge and its deck, piers, and abutments. Our aim is to establish an index of certain aspects so that formal as well as structural and functional matters can be considered when designing a bridge. We must pay as much attention to the aspects of form as to those of structural resistance and function in the design. A bridge responds to the laws of mechanics as it is above all a structure. The form of the bridge will have to be the most logical one, that one which in the simplest, clearest, and most economical way responds to its intended function, to the building materials, and to the construction methods.