Urban and geographical situations in the development of structural systems for footbridges: diversity and rationality

Descartes, who symbolises French rationalism, investigated the dualism of mind and body, the dichotomy between reason and passion. In the same way, our purpose in this paper is to illustrate the relationship between structural reasoning and passion in relation to a specific project, with its particular geographic and urban context.

Footbridge design can be seen within this “reason-passion” duality and if the rational aspect of design has been largely investigated thanks to the development of new technologies, it is necessary today to return to the basis of a project’s development - its specific context.

Reason functions in a ‘geometric-static-material’ trilogy and has a new resonance thanks to the latest production technologies.

Passion means engaging in a dialogue with the local setting and site context, to ensure that each project is a specific work of art that fits into and is informed by its surroundings.

Three recent projects in particular, designed by our firm, illustrate this continuously evolving approach: the Meulan/les Mureaux footbridge over the Seine, near Paris; the Yangzhou footbridge in China and the Bouvets footbridge at la Défense, in Paris.