When Leonardo da Vinci designed a 240 meters bridge it would have been the longest bridge in
the world. His plan was ambitious. In 1502, a skeptical sultan rejected Leonardo's design as
impossible, but 300 years civilization finally embraced the engineering principle - arches as
supports - underlying the construction. The bridge has been constructed, in Norway.
Now instead of spanning the Bosporus , his visionary creation was destined to span 500 years as
a bridge to another millennium. Vebjorn Sand, the man behind the modern project, has a site
with images and details. http://www.vebjorn-sand.com/thebridge.htm Leonardo Bridge Project
In 1502 Leonardo da Vinci did a simple drawing of a graceful bridge with a single span of 720-foot
span (approximately 240-meters.) Da Vinci designed the bridge as part of a civil engineering
project for Sultan Bajazet II of Constantinople (Istanbul.) The bridge was to span the Golden
Horn, an inlet at the mouth of the Bosphorus River in what is now Turkey.
The Bridge was never built.
Leonardo's "Golden Horn" Bridge is a perfect "pressed-bow." Leonardo surmised correctly that
the classic keystone arch could be stretched narrow and substantially widened without losing
integrity by using a flared foothold, or pier, and the terrain to anchor each end of the span. It was
conceived 300 years prior to its engineering principals being generally accepted. It was to be 72
feet-wide (24 meters), 1080-foot total length (360 meters) and 120 feet (40 meters) above the
sea level at the highest point of the span.
Norwegian painter and public art creator, Vebjørn Sand, saw the drawing and a model of the
bridge in an exhibition on da Vinci's architectural & engineering designs in 1996. The power of the
simple design overwhelmed him. He conceived of a project to bring its eternal beauty to life. The
Norwegian Leonardo Bridge Project makes history as the first of Leonardo's civil engineering
designs to be constructed for public use.
Vebjørn Sand took the project to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. Though hardly a
visionary organization, when Sand presented the project the reaction was unanimous. "Everyone
on the project knew we would be making something more than another boring bridge," Sand
says of his meetings with government officials, "We would be...
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...or the Project.
Through the process of development, these world-class architects and engineers have joined
Vebjørn Sand to create a "dream team" of experts on the history, design and structural aspects
of the "Queen of Bridges" prepared to implement the global project. Sand's vision to build the
bridge on each continent also includes drawing on the cultural traditions, and incorporating
materials, unique to each region.
Finally, the Leonardo Bridge Project represents a historical connection between Europe and the
Middle East, between Christianity and Islam. The Italian Renaissance was inspired by the
scholarship of the Ottoman Empire. Leonardo, in turn, was fascinated by the Middle East. This
aspect seems particularly relevant since the events of September 11, 2001, as the Leonardo
Project expands into the global goodwill project Vebjørn Sand envisioned.
The Norwegian Leonardo Bridge was constructed and opened to foot and bicycle traffic on
October 31, 2001. Da Vinci's vision resurrected, 500 years after the drawing was made. Vebjørn
Sand is currently considering several sites in the United States for the next Leonardo Bridge
Project.
"Dugway Proving Ground." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugway_Proving_Ground
On May 24, 1854, construction began of the Victoria Bridge. This was a difficult task for the workers given the size of the bridge (“almost two miles in length from shore to shore” ) was the largest construction project during this period of time. Moreover, the construction of the bridge did not cease during the winter months. Therefore, many of the workers on the bridge would continue even while the St-Lawrence River froze underneath their
The Golden Gate bridge, standing as an icon of roadway innovations, took multiple engineers years to design and complete. They could not just simply build an ordinary bridge. They had to take into consideration the physics behind it, as well as, what kind of effect the environment would have upon the bridge. The bridge sits along one of the most active fault lines in the world, so engineers had to make sure their bridge could withstand a little movement. Today the Golden Gate bridge still stands tried and true, as does many other innovations that 20th century engineers came up with.
Bering Land Bridge- during it’s time of existence the bridge was a major factor in migration from Asia to North America; made travel easier because it was on land instead of having to travel by boat
Cicek, Kemal. “The Cambridge History of Turkey. Volume 3: The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839.” Journal of the Economic &Social History of the Orient 52, no.1 (2009): 153-158. EBSCO.
South University Online. (2013). HUM 1002: History of Art from the Middle Ages to Modern Times: Week 1: Elements of Design. Retrieved from myeclassonline.com
...nturies later. Leonardo Da Vici was a great thinker and he was way ahead of his time in what he did and if it wasn't for some of the things he did then we as a civilization wouldn't have some of the things we have now. His works has greatly influenced the world today and has changed the way people do things.
da Vinci took the time to paint. Some people might ask, “Besides its detail, why would a
Some of these inventions, or really just newly designed weapons and some art, such as the Last Supper, were created for The Duke of Milan as the occupation of military engineer and designer. Leonardo was totally anti-war, but being in Renaissance Italy, he was constantly surrounded by it. He helped design many weapons, like missiles, multi-barreled machine guns, grenades, mortars, and even a modern-style tank. Also, being fascinated by water, he designed an underwater suit with breathing devices (including a diving hood), webbed gloves to explore underwater, and a life preserver. He did not release this to the military for fear of the suit being used for “evil in war.” Leo’s notes were written in a way like no others’, like many of his art techniques (“Renaissance man”).
In her essay,”Importance of the Golden Gate Bridge,” Stephanie Stiavetti suggest that “It maintained this point of pride for nearly 25 years until the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964. Today, this historic San Francisco landmark holds its place as the second largest suspension bridge in the country, behind Verrazano Narrows.” Back then, experts thought that it would be impossible to build a bridge across the tides and currents in that area because strong currents and tides would make construction extremely difficult and dangerous. The water is over 500 feet deep in the center of the channel, and along with the area's strong winds and thick fog, the idea of building a bridge there seemed nearly impossible. Despite all of the problems of building a bridge across the Golden Gate, Joseph Strauss was named as lead engineer for the project. Construction began January 5, 1933, and in the end cost more than $35 million to
At a workshop behind the cathedral, Michelangelo began an extraordinary work of art that would be thirteen feet tall, made of marble, and would take nearly three years to complete. Compared to previous artists, Michelangelo’s David was based on human model and wa...
Clearly, the piece is not in its original form, nor was it even twenty years after completion. However, due to the concern, care, diligence, and expertise of many art lovers, there remains at least a remnant of da Vinci’s masterpiece to be studied and enjoyed by future scholars and visitor.
Leonardo Da Vinci is a famed artist today due to his renowned painting of the ‘Mona Lisa’. In the 14th century, people of Venice would have known him as an engineer, people of Milan would have known him for his Last Supper, but only the people of Florence would have seen his whole character. Da Vinci is known as the archetypal Renaissance man, a man of “unquenchable curiosity” and “feverishly inventive imagination”. Da Vinci created many technologies and new innovations which were so advanced for his time and age that many scholars did not believe him. He contributed to civilisation through three main areas: art, science and engineering.
Engineering is one of the oldest professions. About 4400 years ago Imhotep, the first documented engineer , built a famous stepped pyramid of King Zoser located at Saqqarah. With simple equipment and mathematics Imhotep built a monument that is standing to this day. For him greatest contribution to engineering was the discovery of the art of building with material such as stones. The people that followed him carried engineering to remarkable heights using human brain which gave them skill and imagination. Thanks to Vitruvius' De Architiectura which was published 1AD in Rome which survived and gave us a look at engineering education in ancient times.