Leading French engineer, Michel Virlogeux calls for architects to be more 'rational' and engineers to be more 'creative'
25 Jul 2008

SPANS: Viaducts, Bridges and Walkways
25 Jul – 20 Sep 2008



Images : Agnese Sanvito

A major new exhibition featuring the best new bridges, viaducts and walkways from UK bridge designers opened last night by the acclaimed French engineer, Michel Virlogeux. Speaking at the exhibition in London’s Building Centre Virlogeux made a plea for “architects to be more rational in their thinking and engineers more creative.”

Virlogeux presented the intricate details of the engineering behind his iconic project the Millau Viaduct in France designed in collaboration with by Foster + Partners to an audience of over 300. The Millau Viaduct has regenerated a whole region, as well as vastly improving road connections, thanks to its audacious 2.5km leap across the Tarn valley. It is now the largest French tourist attraction outside of Paris, welcoming 7,000 visitors each day.

SPANS: Viaducts, Bridges and Walkways is the first bridge exhibition to come to London since the Royal Academy’s blockbusting Living Bridges in 1996. Stirling prize winning architect Chris Wilkinson, Director Wilkinson Eyre Architects, most famed for the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, comments:

“I want to make a plea for more bridges across the river to address the great north, south divide. Apart from the fine Millennium and Hungerford bridges, we haven’t managed to build any new bridges for centuries despite the massive development on both banks and this is one of the reasons why the river is so undervalued. We need to build more beautiful bridges we can be proud of to bring more life back to the Thames.”



Mike Davies of Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners has outlined his ideas on improving pedestrian and cycle access across the River Thames. In Crossing The Thames, an article that appears in the exhibition catalogue, Davies proposes an idea for aerial cable cars linking the South Bank to Northumberland Avenue and Trafalgar Square.

SPANS: Viaducts, Bridges and Walkways at the Building Centre brings together cutting edge technology, natural materials and daring aesthetics. New bridges have been quietly transforming themselves from functional devices to cross a divide into major destinations in their own right.

The exhibition will be at The Building Centre, Store Street, London, WC1 from 25 July – 20 September 2008.

Exhibition details:
Venue: Main gallery, The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London, WC1
Opening times: Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm and Saturday, 10am–5pm. Admission free.
Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road or Goodge Street
Telephone: 020 7692 4000
Further details: www.buildingcentre.co.uk



London Buildings

Morning talks:
To accompany the exhibition a series of Morning Talks will run every Wednesday. All talks start at 8:30am and are free to attend:

30 Jul Tim Lucas, Partner, Price & Myers

6 Aug Hanif Kara, Director, Adams Kara Taylor

13 Aug Chris Wise, Director, Expedition Engineering

20 Aug Jim Eyre, Director, Wilkinson Eyre Architects

3 Sep Matthew Wells, Director, Techniker

10 Sep Martin Knight, Knight Architects and Renato Benedetti, Partner, McDowell+Benedetti

17 Sep Julia Barfield, Director, Marks Barfield Architects and Jane Wernick, Director, Jane Wernick Associates

The Building Centre is an independent forum where all sectors working in built environment can come together to share best practice in planning, design and technology. It hosts a number of industry organisations to further these aims. It is a place that the public can visit learn about the industry and join the debate – www.buildingcentre.co.uk

The exhibition is part of the joint Building Centre and New London Architecture exhibition programme. New London Architecture (NLA) at The Building Centre is an exhibition space dedicated to the future of the built environment in London - www.newlondonarchitecture.org

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