<p>“A bridge has to be designed”. Every bridge is the exploration of all degrees of a freedom of a project:
the context, cultural processes, technology, engineering and industrial skills. A successful bridge aims to
dialogue with these degrees of freedom to achieve a delicate equilibrium, one that invites the participation of
its users and emotes new perceptions for its viewers. In short, a good design “makes the bridge talk.”</p><p>Too often, the bridge, as an object, is reduced to its functionality. Matters of perceptions and
experiences of the users are often not considered in the design process; they are relegated to levels of
chance or treated as simple decorative matter. The longevity of infrastructure projects, in general, and
bridges, in particular, highlights the deficiencies of such an approach. The framework to design bridges must
include historical, cultural, and experiential dimensions. Technology and engineering are of paramount
importance but cannot be considered as “an end in themselves but a means to an end”. This paper proposes
to discuss three projects by Ney & Partners that illustrate such a comprehensive exploration approach to
footbridge design: the Poissy and Albi crossings and the Tintagel footbridge.</p><p>The footbridges of Poissy and Albi dialogue most clearly with their historical contexts, reconfiguring
the relationship between old and new in the materiality and typology use. In Tintagel, legend replaces history.
Becoming a metaphor for the void it crosses, the Tintagel footbridge illustrates the delicate dialogue of
technology and engineering on one side and imagination and experience on the other.</p>
Axiomatic Design: 30 Years After