The Planning Method Research On The Order Of Bridges Over An Urban River

The bridge is a structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier, such as a river or roadway. The development of the bridge is restricted by the economic development and technical progresses. So the bridge is in the person of the level of the productivity. With the high-speed developing of the economy of our country, the demand of traffic is more and more. Many building plans of bridges can be carried out with the growth of economic power. Also, with the improvement of level of the people's lives, the demand of mental enjoyness becomes higher and higher, the demand of the quality of the environment becomes higher and higher, too. The urban rivers are not only the passages of the zoology, but also the passages of landscapes. Then, it is a tendency that bridges over an urban river will be built as not only satisfying the traffic function, but also being embodied with the aesthetic value.The excellent bridge is not only embodied with the wisdom and great creativity of mankind, but also served as a symbol of the history and culture of human being. Under obeying mechanics and aesthetics rules, a beautiful bridge is the outcome of the junction of three of the literae humaniores, engineering technology and art. The most of literature about bridge aesthetics and bridge formative arts are concerned about a single bridge's form and characteristic of aesthetic taste. But, the number of the bridges over an urban river is usually not only one. If we concern about one bridge only, we maybe can not get the anticipated effect of the bridgescape. The main point of this thesis is concerned about the order of bridges over an urban river. The bridges over an urban river can be formed a beautiful urbanscape through the planning of the order of bridges. The major contributions of the work presented in this thesis are listed as follows:1. Summarized the functions of the urban bridges as follows, except the traffic function:(1) To serve as a symbol of connection, communication, politics and power.(2) As a kind of urbanscapes. The urban bridges are special structures because of their horizontal shapes compared with the most urban buildings. The bridges can produce multi-dimensions landscapes combined with mountains, buildings, and environment.(3) As places. They play an important role in connecting the public spaces on the banks of the river.(4) As urban landmarks.(5) As carriers of urban cultures.2. Summarized the common characteristics of a beautiful order of bridges as follows:(1) All the bridges over a river are an organic group.(2) Every bridge over the river is in harmony with the environment.(3) Every part of the bridge is in harmony with the others.(4) The bridge expresses the urban context.3. Analyzed the problems on the design of the bridgescape, such as traditional concepts, immoderate ornaments, copies of the bridge types, false bridge types.4. Proposed the idea of the order planning of bridges as follows:·Embodying the urban spirit·Developing the urban context·Following the district plan·Satisfying functions such as traffic,art and entironment·Forming the particular bridge culture5. Proposed the principles of the order planning of bridges as follows:From the point of view of the bridgescape, a bridge over an urban river is restricted by urban plan, other bridges over the same river and its environment. A harmonic order of the bridges is the junction of the three orders as follows:First, the order of bridges forms according to the urban plan. The bridges should be in harmony with the traffic function of the road web and regional function of the city.Second, the order of bridges forms with themselves. The bridges should be in harmony with the shapes of themselves.Third, the order of the landscapes composes of the bridges and environment. The bridges should be in harmony with environment at scales, styles, colors and illuminations.Only when all above three are satisfied, the bridges will show a harmonic order, and the bridges will reach all functions, such as aesthetic, historic, cultural, ecological, traffic etc.6. At last, the order of bridges over Suzhou River in Shanghai was planned as an example of the method proposed in this thesis.