The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan (1998)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Akashi_Bridge.JPG
Bridges have always been a challenge for engineers. Over the course of history, bridges are advancing technologically, both in terms of structural design and in terms of materials, allowing for bigger span lengths.
Suspension bridges hold the record of the longest span between ground columns. Although Suspension bridges had been previously built in China, England, and elsewhere in Europe, the first American suspension bridge was the Jacob’s Creek Bridge in Pennsylvania, built in 1801. It is claimed to have had a span of 21 meters.
Since then, suspension bridges have reached spans of up to 1,991 meters. This record length is attributed to the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, constructed in 1998 in Japan.
[Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob%27s_Creek_Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashi_Kaiky%C5%8D_Bridge]
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Wikipedia’s list of longest suspension bridge spans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_suspension_bridge_spans
Wikipedia is one of the main sources of information and data online today. One of its features is the integration of data tables.
Data tables often contain information of ranking lists on various topics.
Bridges, of course, are not excluded, nevertheless suspension bridges in particular. Wikipedia’s list of longest suspension bridge spans contains 131 bridges [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_suspension_bridge_spans].
By creating a csv file from this table, I imported the data into grasshopper.
I also modeled an abstract mesh geometry of a suspension bridge segment to use as a module for the visualization.
module model in created in Rhino
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The resulting visualization, involves the first 10 bridges of the list.
They are arranged in descending order of longest span.
Visual representation of the span length maintains relativity to the actual.
The bridges’ age is also roughly visualized by a gradient of blue, with the oldest bridges in lighter tone and the more recent in darker.
Capture of the baked result from Rhino’s perspective viewport