Bridges presentation
The Vauvray Bridge was destroyed in
World War II, leaving the Plougastel Bridge (1930) over the River Elon at Brest, with three spans of
567ft (173m), as the longest reinforced concrete arch span until 1942.
Swiss engineer Robert Maillart designed three-hinged arches in which the deck and the arch ribs
were combined to produce closely integrated structures that evolved into stiffened arches of very
thin reinforced concrete and concrete slabs, as at the Schwandbach Bridge (1933), near
Schwarzenbach (Switzerland). Maillart's early apprenticeship with Hennebique sharpened his
awareness of the plastic character of the material. His profound understanding of reinforced concrete
allowed him to develop new, light, and magnificently sculptural forms. Maillart's bridges are of two
distinct types: stiffened-slab arches and three-hinged arches with an integrated road slab. The 295ft
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