Remodeling Guides
Architecture
Modern Architecture
Architect's Toolbox: Bridges That Unite Home and Land
Spanning an abyss or meant for a meditative meander, bridges on home sites inspire awe and wonder
What is it about bridges that fascinates us? Maybe it's their ability to connect two points. Or maybe it's their strength (Brooklyn Bridge), majesty (Golden Gate Bridge) and elegance (Sunshine Skyway Bridge).
Just like their big-scale brethren, bridges that connect a home to its land can evoke the same sense of wonder and delight. While some are tenuous and ethereal, others are all about force and movement. Sometimes the power of the bridge splits the house in two, and sometimes the house is strong enough to force the bridge to change direction.
Whatever the case, bridges that connect a house to its site have always intrigued me. So let's look at some home bridges.
Just like their big-scale brethren, bridges that connect a home to its land can evoke the same sense of wonder and delight. While some are tenuous and ethereal, others are all about force and movement. Sometimes the power of the bridge splits the house in two, and sometimes the house is strong enough to force the bridge to change direction.
Whatever the case, bridges that connect a house to its site have always intrigued me. So let's look at some home bridges.
A celebration of light and elevation, a luminous bridge connects a luminous house to its site. Entering the tube-shape bridge, with its translucent skin, reinforces the notion that one is leaving the world at large to enter a world of light and geometry.
Is it an observation tower, a home or sculpture? In any case, the bridge provides that ever-so-tenuous connection to the earth and continues on, splitting the house into up and down while forming an overlook.
While this bridge draws us in, the stairs up ahead block our view of what lies beyond. Is it a view of the ocean? Perhaps it's a view of a preserve. Whatever the case, the mystery won't be solved until we traverse the bridge and climb the stairs.
While the simple, shallow gable roof juts forward to invite us in, this simple and elegant bridge helps us navigate the abyss. And there must be some pretty nice views of the city from inside, given the views we get from the bridge as we travel to the door.
As we cross this bridge, the interior of the home is laid out before us. We get to understand where we are going well before we get there and know that we will be delighted with the views of the city beyond.
Though the medieval drawbridge wasn't meant to welcome, today's version can, with a more friendly and welcoming design. This one traverses the stream bed below.
So what happens when the bridge doesn't make it all the way over to the other side of the ravine? Perhaps all the movement's energy binds itself up into a spiral that unwinds as it finds its way to the ground.
Perhaps the bridge is a decompression chamber that allows one to relax before getting to the destination. An elevated and floating platform with a canopy for a roof and an articulated structure that creates a distinct rhythm all reinforce the bridge as just such a chamber.
Last, what goes on below the bridge is just as significant as the bridge itself and what it connects. So whether a garden or a terrace or a water feature lies underneath, make that space special. Don't, as T.S. Eliot bemoans in The Four Quartets, let the "big, brown god" river below the bridge be "almost forgotten."
More Architect's Toolbox:
Roofs That Connect Earth and Sky
Finding the Space Between
More Architect's Toolbox:
Roofs That Connect Earth and Sky
Finding the Space Between