Sustainability and Beauty in Bridge Design

Bridge designers have a great responsibility to the planet and future generations. When designing bridges, we must contribute to addressing the current climate and biodiversity emergency and to the industry's awareness of our dual role in causing and addressing this crisis. Bridge designers also have a great responsibility to the users and perceivers of these crossings, as their scale, exposure, and long life make them have a tremendous visual and social impact. The bridges we design must also be functional, appropriately respond to every constraint, meet every technical criterion, and have a cost appropriate for their scale and complexity. This is an article on holistic bridge design, specifically focusing on how to harmonise, when designing bridges, efficiency from a carbon footprint perspective with beauty, so the design of such emotive, prominent, and enduring constructions improves the quality of the built world in multiple ways.