The Solar Zigzag Footbridge
The Solar Zigzag Footbridge is a design proposal for a public functional art structure. The painted steel bridge is designed to span one hundred feet over a roadway, a stream, or a ravine. The structure is thirty-two feet tall, and eighteen feet wide. It is made from six overlapping triangular shaped steel trusses that are welded together and separated by a steel and wood planked walkway near the center, and a frame at the top that supports five large solar cell panels. The solar cell panels are used to generate electricity for the community in which the Solar Zigzag Footbridge is located, and to light the structure at night.
The concept behind the aesthetics of the design is based on the visualization of the flow of electrical energy from the sun, through the solar cells, and into the local community. Symbolically, the visitors to the bridge can walk through this flow of energy as they move from one end to the other.
The Solar Zigzag Footbridge is one in a series of public functional art projects that explore new and exciting ways in which public art can also be used to make energy from the sun, for the communities in which they are installed.
Status: Unbuilt
