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The Structural Engineer

Bridges are a symbol, a metaphor, an icon, a sculpture, a monument, and a way to get from A to B. They are photographed, painted, eulogised, crossed, and climbed. But with bridges meaning many things to many people, what drives their creators? What draws structural engineers of all ages and backgrounds to these ancient and iconic structures? No doubt the drive of each bridge designer is unique, but rarely are structural engineers given more opportunity to overcome complex challenges and meet the needs of a growing society through such daring, elegant, and creative solutions. Because a bridge is not called to offer shelter or habitation like a building, its structural skeleton is not hidden by architectural additions that can distort space and proportion. Bridges are defined not by what is added to the essential load-bearing structure but by the simple purity of that structure itself. Bridge design provides a unique opportunity for structural engineers to prominently exhibit their creative skill in overcoming nature to provide human transport. The design of bridges is a creative process because it requires a synergy of artistic and technical skill. In good design form must follow function, and the constraints and demands of each bridge project help to preclude possibilities and often lead naturally to the structural form selected. Nick Burdette, BS (Civ Eng), MS (Struct. Eng) Arup

The Structural Engineer
The Structural Engineer
The Structural Engineer
The Structural Engineer
The Structural Engineer
The Structural Engineer
The Structural Engineer

"There can be little doubt that in many ways the story of bridge-building is the story of civilisation. By it we can readily measure an important part of a people's progress." Franklin D. Roosevelt October 18, 1931 The allure of bridges As a class of artefact, bridges occupy an important place in human history. Apart from their obvious significance in providing physical connections across obstacles, enabling the development of communities and hence civilisation itself, the frequent depiction of bridges in folklore and formal art indicates that they have also acquired a cultural significance that transcend their merely utilitarian role. Correspondingly, through the ages, the act of bridge building has been regarded with much admiration and awe, and the men who build them - from the Brotherhood of bridge builders during the Middle Ages to the likes of Brunel, Roebling and Maillart - held in considerable esteem. The process itself may have evolved from a craft based mainly on rules of thumb, and probably no small amount of luck, to an industry grounded on scientific and mathematical principles, but the story of bridge building continues to be taken as supreme examples of man’s endeavours in the conquest of nature. Kien Hoang, MA (Cantab) Buro Happold

The Structural Engineer
The Structural Engineer