Typically, only a few of the world’s great bridges get much attention. They are most notably, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate, and the Tower Bridge in London. We can plainly see that these bridges have given character or identity to their respective cities.Hypnotic Bridges
Bridges not only connect people but become a significant landmark and iconic element in the entire skyline of a city. They are made based on the concept of reducing the distance between two places while overcoming all the obstacles of caverns, valleys, water bodies, or any other physical barrier. The first bridges were made by nature, probably by a stray log that arbitrarily fell across a stream. The Chinese had successfully constructed a suspension bridge as early as 206 BC. Later they built bridges using timber and then stone. The ancient Romans were great bridge builders too. They used pozzolana cement made of ingredients like water, lime, sand, and volcanic rock. The Iron Bridge in Coalbrookdale, England was built in the 8th century. Materials with high tensile strength like steel were explored during the Industrial Revolution. This material helped to build bigger bridges with longer spans.
The future of bridges is already upon us. Suspension and arched bridges are becoming things of the past. Architects from the NEXT Design Group have designed a futuristic, sinuous, and hypnotic bridge in Changsha, China. This unique footbridge is inspired by the Mobius strip. The design has three different lanes swirling over in a continuous curvaceous manner at different heights and offers pedestrians a variety of different routes across the Dragon King Harbour River. This bridge has been designed based on two concepts: interesting connections of a Mobius ring and a Chinese knot. (A part of ancient Chinese folk art, the knot symbolizes luck and prosperity.) The bridge connects multiple levels, the river banks, the road, and a park, all at different heights. It literally and metaphorically knots all of these routes together. The designers have described this bridge as much more than just a connection of two points. Its length is 285 meters and its height of 22 meters. The lighting of the bridge contributes to the whole lighting along the river. The “Lucky Knot Bridge,” as it is called, offers spectacular views of the river and the surrounding mountain range. This bridge, with its distinctive appearance, aims to develop an identity for the city of Changsha in China.
Here are a few bridges that convey the hypnotic effect. Check them out on the web, they do not disappoint.
- Calatrava’s Walking Bridge, Athens Greece
- Robert N. Stewart Bridge, Columbus, Indiana
- Jerusalem Chords Bridge, Israel
- Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge , Rio De Janiero, Brazil
- Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Dallas Texas
- Millau Viaduct, France
- Python Bride, Netherlands
- Rainbow Bridge, Long Beach Convention Center, California
- Seri Wawasan Bridge, Putrajaya, Malaysia
- Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Abu Dhabi
- Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Australia
As demonstrated by the architectural trend of constructing hypnotic bridges, you can see how shapes and forms that express the concept of futuristic architecture are used. These concepts are more spectacular and differ from the old square/oval type of design. Architects are gravitating toward leaner and more fluid design, curved shapes and natural twists, as well as colorful and bright representations for bridge design. The future of architecture is something that most people would never have expected but we are delighted and fascinated by what is yet to come. The future is here and we are ready for it!