Archinect - News

Two Projects Share First Place at 2012 Cleveland Design Competition - Transforming the Bridge

2012-11-12T19:34:00-05:00

The Cleveland Design Competition recently announced the winners of its 2012 edition, Transforming the Bridge. The brief called for design ideas that would transform the abandoned lower deck of Cleveland's Detroit-Superior Bridge into a dynamic public space, performance venue, and pedestrian experience high above the Cuyahoga River.

How The Sound Of Rain Helps Engineers Diagnose Unsafe Bridges

2012-10-25T12:11:00-04:00

In the same way that structural deficiencies can be detected with something solid, two engineers from Brigham Young University--Brian Mazzeo and Spencer Guthrie--are listening in for the tell-tale acoustics by splashing bridges with water. They're looking for something called "delamination."

HNTB, Maltzan, AC Martin win 6th Street bridge competition

2012-10-19T17:33:00-04:00

The winning design, easily the most ambitious of three finalists announced last month, calls for a repeating series of concrete arches that both refer to and exaggerate the Butler design as the bridge stretches from downtown Los Angeles on the west to Boyle Heights on the east, spanning the L.A. River and the 101 Freeway on its way.

Cuomo Seeks Artist’s Touch in Replacing Tappan Zee Bridge

2012-09-27T13:31:00-04:00

In a telephone interview, Mr. Meier said he was “open minded” about the aesthetic of the new crossing, and said that he hoped the final product would be “something people think of in a positive manner.” “When you think of the great bridges in New York City, you think of the Brooklyn Bridge, right?” he said. “From any point of view, it’s a beautiful bridge, and one would hope that what happens here is of that quality.”

Architect Richard Meier, Jeff Koons, and the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas P. Campbell are some of the six experts whom New York State Governor Cuomo has named to review the design elements of the three bids the state received for the Tappan Zee bridge project.

Winners of the SC2012 Links: Bridging Rivers Competition

2012-09-18T14:46:00-04:00

Spanish architectural magazine future arquitecturas recently announced the winners of its SC2012 Links: Bridging Rivers competition which called for innovative ideas of how to build a habitable bridge in two different sites: Chongqing (China) and Seville (Spain). Eligible for the international competition were architecture students or young architects under 35 years old.

China Bridge Collapse Raises Infrastructure Concerns

2012-08-24T17:35:00-04:00

One of the longest bridges in northern China collapsed on Friday, just nine months after it opened, setting off a storm of criticism from Chinese Internet users and underscoring questions about the quality of construction in the country’s rapid expansion of its infrastructure.

Just one month ago: Beijing Infrastructure Not Fit for Torrential Rains

Infinity Loop Bridge by 10 DESIGN + Buro Happold

2012-06-04T20:06:00-04:00

In the international Zhuhai Shizimen Bridge Competition, the entry 'Infinity Loop Bridge' by 10 DESIGN and Buro Happold has won the first prize. This feature bridge in Zhuhai, China is the gateway entry to south China’s new planned commercial hub and also marks the connection of the Shizimen Canal to the Pearl River Delta.

Happy 75th Birthday, Golden Gate Bridge

2012-05-24T13:58:00-04:00

For its 75th birthday on Sunday, the bridge's management is planning a celebration that includes music, art shows, lectures, a new book and a new visitor center. But one thing won't happen: Nobody gets to cross the bridge on foot on the big day.

PBS also published a very nice photo essay on the bridge's history: Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary.

Golden Gate Bridge sounds inspire musical works

2012-05-21T13:21:00-04:00

Musicians look at the bridge differently. Mickey Hart, the former Grateful Dead drummer, sees the Golden Gate Bridge as a "giant wind harp." He plans to be at Crissy Field on Sunday evening, the bridge's 75th birthday, to perform an original composition. The bridge will be the star. "The most famous bridge in America," Hart said, "is actually a musical instrument."

Ultra Futuristic Pedestrian Bridge in Spain Points the Way With LEDs

2012-04-04T10:00:00-04:00

This ulta-futuristic pedestrian bridge fashioned from hexagonal steel framing and paving links two uneven areas of Motril, Spain.

Amsterdam Iconic Pedestrian Bridge Entry by Yaohua Wang Architecture

2012-04-03T12:59:00-04:00

In our last post, we published the winning designs of the [AC-CA]-hosted Amsterdam Iconic Pedestrian Bridge competition. Here's another proposal that didn't quite make the cut with the jurors, but we are happy to publish it. The author is Yaohua Wang, who – in past articles – managed to polarize the opinions like nobody else.

Let us know what you think in the comment section below!

Winners of the Amsterdam Iconic Pedestrian Bridge Competition

2012-04-03T12:55:00-04:00

Three outstanding bridge designs have recently been selected as winners in the Amsterdam Iconic Pedestrian Bridge competition. Hosted by [AC-CA], this open international competition called for proposals that would reflect contemporary design tendencies and also take into consideration the "urban insertion and impact geared towards creating a new architectural symbol for an European capital city."

Calatrava’s Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas Opens to Traffic today

2012-03-29T14:27:00-04:00

The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration was the debut of Dallas’ newest architectural icon connecting Downtown Dallas to West Dallas over the Trinity River. More than 40,000 people attended the opening celebrations from Friday through Sunday, March 2-4, when it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to walk, run and party on the bridge and toast the best new view in town. The bridge, Santiago Calatrava’s first vehicular bridge in the United States, will officially be opened to traffic this evening.

Calatrava's Peace Bridge to open tomorrow in Calgary

2012-03-23T19:37:00-04:00

“It has been extraordinarily controversial and I made no bones of the fact that it’s not a project I would have supported if I had been on council at the time,” said the mayor. “But the thing is, it’s there. It’s an indelible and a permanent part of the landscape of our city. “It would all do us good to grow to love it.” The span, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is officially pegged at $24.5 million, but is expected to cost more.

Mexico Inaugurates World's Tallest Suspension Bridge

2012-01-06T17:15:00-05:00

With yesterday’s inauguration, the Baluarte Bridge in Mexico is officially the Guinness World Record holder for the tallest cable-stayed bridge. The massive infrastructure project consists of 152 steel suspenders supporting over 1100 meters of 20 meter wide roadway, with a central span of over 520 meters. Its four lanes are held up by two 400 meter towers – tall enough to house the Eiffel Tower – which bring the structure its impressive world record credentials.

China opens world's longest sea bridge

2011-06-30T11:32:05-04:00

China, which seems to complete mammoth infrastructure projects on a routine basis, has claimed another world-beater with the opening of the longest sea bridge. The 26-mileJiaozhou Bay crossing connects the bustling port city of Qingdao, south-east of Beijing, to the industrial district of Huangdao.

Winner of the Negrellisteg Crossing Competition Announced

2011-04-28T14:03:52-04:00

Paris-based Explorations Architecture, together with engineering firms Flint & Neill and Arup Lighting have won the international competition to design the Negrellisteg crossing, a pedestrian bridge, over the Hauptbahnhof railways in downtown Zurich, Switzerland. The competition was held by the City of Zurich with 12 shortlisted teams.

Calatrava's bridge in Dallas shot down, back as zombie

2011-04-13T21:33:00-04:00

"But I do believe that in these economic times, it doesn't make sends for us to spent extra tax dollars, public funds, taxpayer money on elaborate architectural construction when we have real infrastructure needs..."

But don't fret just yet! Calatrava's previous contract was mostly paid for his earier work. The Dallas Morning News reported that the city voted to accept $5,000,000 in anonymous donations in addition to the $2,100,000 funds left unpaid to Calatrava combined with a $3,500,000 in city bond money– giving Calatrava a total of $10,700,000 for a new contract to build a bike and pedestrian component to a new redesign of the bridge, the I-30 Margaret McDermott Bridge.

Reported by the Dallas Observer, Hunt "suggested removing the signature features and instead building a 'plain vanilla' bridge, thereby lowering the cost to $222 million, and then applying the $92 million toward that amount, reducing TxDOT's funding commitment to around $130 million."

Finally, the cost of the original Calatrava design is reported to have been originally as $500,000,000 but reduced down to $314,000,000– Texas' congressional representatives had secured $92,000,000 leaving a bill of approximately $222,000,00...