Innovation in movable bridges: sophisticated design and analysis with an eye on tradition

ABSTRACT: The first known movable bridges date back to 2000 B.C. Found in Egypt, early examples were built of wood and were swing or drawbridges. As centuries passed, and longer spans were needed, contemporarily with the introduction of new building materials, the original types were augmented by new solutions. In the last two centuries, extremely interesting examples of different movable bridges realized in iron, concrete or steel can be found. However, in the last decades, lack of creativity and aesthetics have characterized movable bridge construction in general. Just very recently, and especially in the field of movable pedestrian bridges, designers have started to consider this very special type of bridge as occasion for testing new and extremely creative solutions. Some recently realized examples highlight the potentials and show the often high technical level in these new variants. This paper will briefly describe the evolution of the most common types of movable bridges, show some of the latest developments and present a case study of the design and analysis of an innovative movable bridge.