Forms and Aesthetics of Bridges

The objective of a bridge design is to produce a safe bridge that is elegant and satisfies all functionality requirements, at a cost that is acceptable to the owner. A successful bridge design must be natural, simple, original, and harmonious with its surroundings. Aesthetics is not an additional consideration in the design of a bridge, but is rather an integral part of bridge design. Both the structural configuration and the aesthetics of a bridge must be considered together during the conceptual design stage. To achieve such a task, the bridge design engineer must have a good understanding of structural theory and bridge aesthetics. (C) 2018 THE AUTHOR. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company.