Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Engineering: Design Competition Author(s): Henry Petroski Source: American Scientist, Vol. 85, No. 6 (NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1997), pp. 511-515 Published by: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27856884 . Accessed: 04/08/2013 17:19 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Scientist. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Sun, 4 Aug 2013 17:19:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Engineering Design Competition Henry Petroski [n earlyAugust 1996, a full-page advertisement In the shadow of theHigh Level Bridge is the appeared in theBritish magazine New Civil En Newcastle Swing Bridge, designed by JohnF. Ure gineer announcing a competition to design a and completed in 1876. A river-level crossing, the footbridge across the River Tyne. The text of the 281-foot central span of this bridge pivots in the ad, headed simply "a new bridge across the center to provide wide openings for shipping, Tyne/' was briefer thanmany classifieds but fully thus allowing upriver access. When built, the challenging: "We are looking for design teams Swing Bridge was the largest of its type inGreat a who can create stunning, but practical, river lev Britain, and it remains a vital trafficlink across the el crossing which fits this historic setting, opens Tyne. Justupriver from the Swing Bridge is the for shipping and is good enough towin Millenni Tyne Bridge, a 531-foot span steel arch thatwhen um Commission funding. Teams who think they completed in 1928was also the longest of its type are up to the task should register fordetails of the in Britain. It is thismodern high-level crossing design competition/7 The address given was that that towers over Stephenson's High Level Bridge of the Director of Engineering Services of the and the Swing Bridge in the photo accompanying Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council. the announcement of the design competition, and Gateshead is on the south side of the River all three bridges, which are closer to each other Tyne, about eight miles upriver from itsmouth than the distances they span, had to be respected and directly across the river from themore well by any proposed new crossing of theTyne. known Newcastle Upon Tyne. This location in Details of the 1996 bridge-design competition the northeastern region of England is about 50 were provided in a strikingly designed folder, miles from the Scottish border. The deep and whose cover reproduced both a photograph narrow river valley around Newcastle has made looking upstream at the three historic bridges bridge building at this location challenging and the ad's eye-catching typography. Inside, since Roman times, and all early river crossings therewas elaboration on the competition's pur required the traveler to descend steep roads into pose, program and procedures. The site of the the valley and ascend equally steep roads on the footbridge, the brochure revealed, was to pro other side?until Robert Stephenson's High vide "the essential pedestrian link" between Level Bridge was completed in 1849. Since the "two major urban regeneration projects." On spans needed at Newcastle were not nearly as the Newcastle side, "redevelopment is well great as those needed for his contemporaneous underway, with leisure and tourist activities Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait, interspersed with high quality commercial Stephenson chose a tied arch, or bow-string buildings and housing." Across the river, "the girder, rather than a tubular girder, for the Tyne focus is on cultural and leisure uses," with a for on crossing's superstructure. The foundation prob mer grain warehouse the riverbank "set to lems encountered beneath the Tyne were more become the largest contemporary visual art difficult than at theMenai Strait, however, and gallery outside London." Such is the setting the numerous timber piles had to be driven through new footbridge would have to be in keeping sand, gravel and clay before the piers could be with and, moreover, complement. built. The design and construction were done Potential design competitors were informed a new well, and Stephenson's bridge still carries road that the footbridge "will provide dramatic and rail trafficacross the Tyne. vista of the existing crossings upstream and the sweep of the Tyne as it curves to the south downstream." In addition, the from Henry Petroski is A. S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering appearance a the other had to be considered and professor of history at Duke University, where he also bridges naturally in the the aesthetic considera chairs the Department of Civil and Environmental design. Beyond were some mat Engineering. Address: Box 90287, Durham, NC 27708-0287. tions, however, there practical 1997 November-December 511 This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Sun, 4 Aug 2013 17:19:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions was at Figure 1. Tyne River footbridge design by Gifford and Partners/Chris Wilkinson Architects chosen by design competition. Construction Gateshead, England, is pending funding by theMillennium Commission. (Color illustrations courtesy of Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council.) were ters towhich designers had to attend. The foot Approximately six shortlisted teams a bridge, which would be located at the conver expected to be invited to submit design, which were gence of two planned bicycle routes,would have was to be due about six weeks after they a to be accessible to cyclists and would have to provided further information in the form of accommodate as many as 1.5million pedestrian technical brief thatwould spell out such details and cycle crossings each year. Finally the bridge as the opening and closing sequences for the would have to incorporate an opening mecha bridge's operation, each of which was expected nism to allow ships to pass. to be completed within twominutes. Each short The brochure made it clear thatmultidiscipli listed team would receive ?2,000 upon receipt of a nary teams were expected to be necessary to a satisfactory submission of design, and the an produce a design "of sufficiently high technical winning team would receive additional and aesthetic merit/' Teams could be led by a ?3,000. The winning design would be submitted civil engineer, a structural engineer or an archi to theMillennium Commission, a British organi tect, "but any contracts or agreements entered zation for funding such projects. In other words, into as a result of the competition will be based a design team was guaranteed no more than on civil engineering model documents." To be ?2,000 for its efforts,and even thewinning team no considered for shortlisting, teams were expected might see no more than ?5,000, for therewas to submit the names of all member firms and guarantee of a contract to execute the design. how they fit into the team's structure; details of qualifications and experience, especially with The Tradition of Design Competitions regard to bridge design and construction; and Though the details may vary, the process for a new across examples of previous bridge projects, especially generating ideas for bridge the opening designs, along with lists of clients. Tyne is typical of design competitions, which Entries at that stage were restricted to six pages have been held since ancient times. In the fifth of text on letter-size paper, plus drawings and century b.c., for example, the Athenian Senate a photographs. Among the criteria forbeing short invited architects to submit designs for War listed were "evidence that the team has under Memorial on the Acropolis. The young United stood the unique nature and qualities of the site" States of America held design competitions in and "experience of compatible teamworking." 1792 for both theWhite House and the U.S. 512 American Scientist, Volume 85 This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Sun, 4 Aug 2013 17:19:33 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions so new Capitol, and in 1802 New York did for a Internal Competition not city hall and courthouse. In England, a famous A design competition is, of course, the only an a new design competition for a building to house the way to acquire excellent design for can Great Exhibition of 1851 drew almost 250 bridge or structure. Larger political entities own entries, none of which was judged to be ade support their design and engineering quate. Ultimately, Joseph Paxton's late entry of departments; many of the bridges built around as an iron and glass structure came to be known New York City in the firsthalf of the 20th century were authori the Crystal Palace. On continental Europe, in designed by the city's and the port own the early 20th century, the Swiss developed ty's engineers, who at various times includ as rules for engineering design competitions that ed such outstanding bridge designers Gustav have led to some of the most innovative and Lindenthal and Othmar Ammann. On theWest attractive concrete bridges in the world. In Coast, in the 1930s, the state highway depart Australia, on the other hand, the architectural ments of Oregon and California had in leader as design competition for a new opera house for ship roles such bridge engineers Conde was coast Sydney resulted in a striking structure that McCullough, whose Oregon highway are of recognized worldwide but that, because of its bridges among the finest examples bridge over construction problems and cost overruns, effec art inAmerica, and Charles Purcell, who saw the San tively ended the use of open design competi the design and construction of tions in that country.