Aesthetic Design Method for Bridges

Abstract

In the case of designing many different bridges in open space, it is very difficult to produce a series of well‐balanced bridges, even for those engineers who have a sense of beauty. An aesthetic design method is presented to overcome this difficulty. It is found that a morphological analogy between the stone path in the traditional Japanese garden and a series of different bridges provides a key to solving the problem, and the rule that is used in the harmonic stone path is essentially the same as the principle of the design in question. The essence of the creation is explained analytically and the process of the designing is shown concretely. The proposed method is applied to the actual design planning of Honshu‐Shikoki bridges on the Kojima‐Sakaide route, which is now under construction. Several new forms of piers and bridge towers designed with the proposed method are compared to the ordinary ones planned by the Honshu‐Sikoku Bridge Authority in the early stage of the designing.