An Unintentional Sculptor?

Robert Maillart (1872-1940) was a Swiss civil engineer and bridge builder. From a technical standpoint, he was among the first to use and exploit reinforced concrete as a building material. He also designed some of the most beautiful and graceful bridges ever built.

Case in point: The Schwandbach Bridge.

You can probably tell why I titled this “unintentional sculptor”. To me, the purity of this design is plastic art - sculpture.

So is this bridge, probably his most famous: The Salginatobel, (1929-1930) in Schiers, Switzerland. In 1991, it was designated a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Here’s a closer view.

I don’t believe Maillart set out to be a sculptor, though he wasn’t particularly interested in the mathematics of engineering.

These are great designs. 1) They fulfill their function superbly. 2) They use new materials in an efficient manner. 3) They’re beautiful. 4) They must be, because Arthur wants to ride his bike across all of them.

How many great designs do you think achieve these three goals?

• Posted by Jennifer at 12:00 pm
• Tagged: Architectural, Rants and Raves, Designers