ARCH 384: Essay Component Author: Sarah Khalid Student Number: 20141203 Due: May 09, 2006

1 Sarah Khalid

The concept of a bridge crosses both literal and figurative realms. It is a

link between a physical divide, whether it be water, rail, or valley and can also be

a symbolic gesture of connection, unity and co-operation between two factions.

Georg Simmel, a German sociologist, believed that “bridges, like no other piece

of construction, make visible our desire for making points of connection, that they

are unmatched in their ability to unify separateness.1 Bridges have been a crucial

architectural and engineering form, evolving since the onset of civilization from

the most primitive log over water to the modern-day dynamic steel works of

Santiago Calatrava.

From old to new, bridges fall into five main structural categories: beam,

arch, truss and suspension and cable-stayed. The oldest human-made bridge is

thought to be the ‘clapper bridge’, constructed out of flat granite slabs sitting atop

rivers or stone piers2 (Figure 1a). Some can be found today that date back to the

Middle Ages. This type

of bridge falls into the

‘beam’ category, where

horizontal beams are

supported at either end (Figure 1b). As time evolved, the arch bridge was

developed by the Ancient Greeks.3 Primarily made of stone, these structures use

compression to stay together by transferring load outward from the curve of the

1 Lucy Blakstad, Bridge: The Architecture of Connection (Basel: Birkhäuser, 2002) 36. 2 Blakstad, 14. 3 “Arch Bridge,” Wikipedia 27 April 2006, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 April 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_bridge>.

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arch to the abutments at either end (Figure 2a). The Romans then improved on

them by adding cement, thus beginning a building fervor that led to the

construction of many bridges and aqueducts throughout the city.4 An example

includes the Aqua Marcia in Rome (144-140 BC) (Figure 2b), and a modern,

steel example includes the Bayonne

Bridge in New Jersey (1928-1931)

(Figure 2c). The Salom Bridge is

essentially an arch bridge (Figure

2d). Truss bridges, such as the Pont

de Quebec in Quebec (1917) (Figure

3a), developed out of a more

complex version of beam bridges,

where individual truss members (commonly made from steel) are subject to

compression and tension but not bending (Figure 3b).5 Suspension bridges are

also commonly

made of steel

today. They

are preceded

by old vine and rope bridges, such the Apurimac Canyon Rope Bridge in the

Andes, built during the Inca Empire6 (Figure 4a). Suspension bridges, like the

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan (Figure 4b), work by having a girder suspended

4 “Arch Bridge,” Wikipedia 27 April 2006, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 April 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_bridge>. 5 ‘Truss,” The Basic Bridge Types Matsuo Bridge Co., Ltd., 20 April 2006 <http://www.matsuo-bridge.co.jp/english/bridges/basics/truss.shtm>. 6 Blakstad, 17.

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by cables that are stretched over towers and then anchored at the ends of the

bridge. The towers transfer the load from the girder and the cables7 (Figure 4c).

Cable-stayed bridges, like the Tatara

Bridge in Japan (Figure 5a) are

relatively new.8 Essentially, they are

girders with towers that stand above piers. These towers act in compression to

support tension cables, which support the girder (Figure 5b).

Structurally-sound connections between land forms are only part of the

role attributed to most bridges. They are essential meeting places and key links

in trade routes. They have become the heart of cities, such as the Pont Neuf in

Paris (Figure 6), which “is to Paris what the heart is to the human body. The

Bridge is the

center of

movement and

circulation…”9 Other bridges with similar effects are the Railto Bridge to Venice,

the London Bridge to London, the Erasmus to Rotterdam and the Alamillo to

7 “Suspension,” The Basic Bridge Types, Matsuo Bridge Co., Ltd., 20 April 2006 <http://www.matsuo-bridge.co.jp/english/bridges/basics/suspension.shtm>. 8 “Cable Stayed,” The Basic Bridge,Types, Matsuo Bridge Co., Ltd., 20 April 2006 <http://www.matsuo-bridge.co.jp/english/bridges/basics/cablestay.shtm> 9 Bernhard Graf, Bridges that Changed the World (Munich: Prestel, 2005) 52.

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Seville, Spain. Bridges are further seen as milestones of the Industrial

Revolution. The Iron Bridge in Coalbrookdale (Figure 7), built from 1776-1779 in

the midst of the European Industrial Revolution is the world’s first cast-iron

bridge.10 Other notable technological innovations

for their time include the Clifton Suspension

Bridge in Bristol (1831 – 64), the Brooklyn Bridge

(1869 – 83) and George Washington Bridge (1927

– 31) in New York, and the Golden Gate Bridge in

San Francisco (1933 – 37). The Scottish architect Rowand Anderson once said

The designing of machinery has now reached such a high standard of excellence in function, form and expression that…. these things are entitled to rank as works of art as much as a painting, sculpture of building.11

Aside from being seen as works of art, bridges have also been included in works

of art. They appear in Middle Eastern fairytales such as The King with Forty One

Sons12, have been used in paintings, and appear central to films such as the

“Bridge over the River Kwai” by David Lean. For individuals, bridges provide

personal moments such as intimate rendezvous, first kisses, photographs,

proposals, and even suicide. The architectural archetype of the bridge is one of

both technological and symbolic significance. This is explored by the “Crossing

the Divide” competition hosted by the Steel Structures Education Foundation,

where the challenge of designing a single span pedestrian bridge is met by the

Salom Bridge.

10 Graf, 62. 11 Blakstad, 86. 12 Graf, 14.

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The idea behind the Salom Bridge is the harmony of yin and yang; the

resolution of conflict, expressed through architecture. Structurally, the Salom

Bridge is a compression arch suspended-deck bridge. The cables of the bridge

suspend the deck, which is supported by a deck truss to resist torsion forces.

These cables act in tension, which transfer load to the arch that acts in

compression. The arch then transfers load to the abutments at either end, which

are firmly entrenched in the earth13. This is illustrated in Figure 8. The precedent

of the compression arch suspended-deck bridge is the arch bridge. The

transcendence of such a building type through time is testament to its

effectiveness.

Structural inspiration for

the Salom Bridge comes from

La Barqueta Bridge in Seville,

Spain by Juan José Arenas de

Pablo and Marcos J. Pantaleón,

which was built to provide

vehicular access to Expo’ 92

and today serves as the entrance to theme and technology parks.14 Figure 9

compares the two. The main structural difference is that La Barqueta has a single

line of tension cables running down the centre of the arch to the centre of the

13 Michael Morrissey, “The Arch Bridge,” How Bridges Work, HowStuffWorks, Inc., 19 April 2006 <http://science.howstuffworks.com/bridge5.htm>. 14 “Barqueta bridge,” Monuments, sevilla5.com, 15 April 2006 <http://www.sevilla5.com/monuments/barqueta.html>.

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platform, while the Salom Bridge has an open walkway without divisions. This

promotes the idea

of living without

barriers such as

discrimination.

The wishbone

configuration at

either end (Figure

10) represents

two factions coming together as one; people as one humanity, living under god –

an idea appropriate for the predominant Muslim population of Palestine and the

predominant Jewish population of Israel.

The curved members within the

wishbone, and the curved form of the

railings, are representative of a circle, a

widely recognized symbol of unity and

equality. The triangular forms created by

the cables give a sense of walking under a

massive, single tent sheltering all pedestrians. The circular and triangular forms

used are literal representations of the crescent moon of the Islamic faith and the

Star of David of the Jewish faith. The symmetry is intentional, in order to give a

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sense of equality and stability on both sides of the bridge. While the structural

configuration of both La Barqueta and Salom are similar, their purposes differ.

Symbolic precedents for the Salom Bridge are also arch bridges, which

vary in material and construction methods (Figure 11). There is the Peace Bridge

(Figure 11a), made of steel

trusses built between Canada and

the United States in 1927. It

commemorates 100 years of

peace between the two nations

and connects Buffalo, New York

and the town of Fort Erie in

Ontario.15 Another example is the

Alexander III Bridge (1896 – 1900)

in Paris (Figure 11b), made of

shallow steel arches to “connect

nations and ages…”16 It was built to commemorate friendship between France

and Russia, and serves as a tribute to Alexander III.17 An even earlier example is

the “Stari Most” or “Old Bridge” (Figure 11c) in Mostar, Herzegovina, made of

hand-cut stone that fit precisely together. It was erected at the height of the

Ottoman Empire in 1566 by Mimar Harjuddin and considered it a great aesthetic

15 “Peace Bridge,” Wikipedia 19 April 2006, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 April 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Bridge>. 16 Graf, 82. 17 Graf, 82.

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and engineering feat. Ivan Lovrenovic, a prominent Croatian scholar, described it

as

the very nature and spirit of the whole of Bosnia: the essence of the ride is encounter and coming together. This is what the Old Bridge in Mostar was – one of a few places of universal beauty and universal sanctity.18

Much like Israel and the West Bank today, the city is devastated by war, with

Muslims expelled to the east and the Croatians on the west of the Neretva river.

The bridge was demolished by Croatian shells in November 1993, an event that

left the residents in such despair that it was rebuilt and re-opened on July 23,

2004. There is hope of going back to a time where

Mostar was a place where nobody asked what religion you were: a place where Muslims, Jews and Christians all lived together. Apparently, over 40% of marriages were of mixed religions.19 The goals of the new Mostar bridge are similar to that of the Salom Bridge:

the reconciliation of two factions through engineering and architecture. The form

– a bridge – is appropriate for such an attempt, since the iconography of a bridge

is rooted in physical and symbolic connections. Technologically, the bridge

typology has evolved greatly throughout history, yet, despite the complex

configurations being investigated today, the essential ideas remain the same and

can be traced down through many precedents over time. The Salom Bridge Is

essentially an arch bridge, a type that can be traced back to the ancient Greeks.

Symbolically, the idea of creating a physical symbol of peace between two

opposing sides has existed for hundreds of years. The Salom Bridge is simply

18 Blakstad, 14. 19 Blakstad, 156.

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another work pushing this idea though the typology of a bridge. Despite being

only a single form in a single landscape, the technological precedents and

idealistic notions the Salom Bridge represents allow it to resonate and be

understood beyond the realm of time and geography.

Bibliography “Arch Bridge,” Wikipedia 27 April 2006, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 April 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_bridge>. “Barqueta bridge,” Monuments sevilla5.com, 15 April 2005

<http://www.sevilla5.com/monuments/barqueta.html>. Blackstad, Lucy. Bridge: The Architecture of Connection. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2002. Graf, Bernhard. Bridges that Changed the World. Munich: Prestel, 2005.

“La Barqueta Bridge,” Structurae 16 Feb. 2004, Nicolas Janberg ICS, 18 April 2006 …………<http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0000095>. Morrissey, Michael, “How Bridges Work,” HowStuffWorks, Inc., 19 April 2006

<http://science.howstuffworks.com/bridge.htm>.

“Peace Bridge,” Wikipedia 19 April 2006, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 April 2006

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Bridge>. “The Basic Bridge Types,” Matsuo Bridge Co., Ltd., 20 April 2006

<http://www.matsuo-bridge.co.jp/english/bridges/index.shtm>.

Image Credits Figure 1a: http://www.richkni.co.uk/dartmoor/hunt.htm Figure 1b: http://science.howstuffworks.com/bridge2.htm Figure 2a: http://science.howstuffworks.com/bridge5.htm Figure 2b: http://www.anistor.co.hol.gr/english/enback/v034.htm Figure 2c: http://www.brantacan.co.uk/BayonneBr.jpg Figure 2d: Sarah Khalid Figure 3a: http://pages.infinit.net/diofra/l001.htm Figure 3b: http://www.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/machines/pratruss.gif Figure 4a: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_bridge Figure 4b: http://www.hyogobcc.org/akashi_bridge.htm Figure 4c: http://science.howstuffworks.com/bridge7.htm Figure 5a: http://www.kawadaken.co.jp/jigyo/seko_jisseki.html Figure 5b: http://science.howstuffworks.com/bridge8.htm Figure 6: Sarah Khalid Figure 7: http://oasis.halfmoon.jp/extphoto/gb3.html Figure 8: Sarah Khalid Figure 9 top left: http://www.exploreseville.com/photoalbum/expo/pages/IMG_5265.htm Figure 9 bottom left: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/eng/gallery/photo-bridges.htm Figure 9 top right: Sarah Khalid Figure 9 bottom right: Sarah Khalid Figure 10: Sarah Khalid Figure 11a: http://buffaloreport.com/2005/051008.jackson.intelligentdesign.html Figure 11b: Sarah Khalid Figure 11c: http://www.pbase.com/alangrant/image/37824759 Figure 11d: Sarah Khalid