Designing for the Realities of a Day in the Life of a Good Looking but Hardy Footbridge

This paper tells the story of the design development of three concrete footbridges across varying landscapes within South Africa. Their designs relate to their surroundings and also to the fact that they must survive the harsh realities of theft, vandalism and life with limited preventive and routine maintenance. They are aimed to be a tax payers dream and a friend to the communities they serve. A common thread through each bridge is the use of bespoke in situ concrete forms rather than standard precast concrete sections. In each case the bridges were staged and formed with shutters. Innovative structural systems such as an arch supported selfanchored multi-span stress ribbon bridge were conceived and developed.

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