Christian Menn's recent bridge designs - Reducing structural elements to the simplest solution

The conceptual designs by Christian Menn of four landmark bridges are presented: 1) a 350-m span cable-stayed bridge with jointless deck girder, 2) a cable-stayed bridge with a single “spindle-shaped” pylon, 3) a bridge with an arch reaching high above the deck (both carrying a horizontally curved deck girder), and 4) a cable stayed bridge with three pylons monolithically connected to the deck girder. All of the original bridge designs are driven by the aim to optimize the flow of forces with the objective to reduce structural elements and their dimensions to a minimum. The four bridges express technical efficiency by slenderness and transparency and emphasize the importance of understanding the functioning of the structural systems. A sound engineering concept is thus the solid basis for a far- reaching aesthetic quality and for the conceptual design of simple but elegant structures that offer a great crossing experience while respecting the functional requirements and providing technical performance.