Living Structure

photo by Bernard Gagnon

This bridge in the mountains of Yemen seems as if it were grown by the canyon walls it connects. At times, building seems to be more a kind of biological adaptation to environment than planned concept and execution. This form is the opposite of the mechanical, the engineered. 

By stark contrast to the little footbridge, the Hoover Dam Bypass blasts straight across the Black Canyon:

Here the raw power of technology and engineering alleviates to a great degree the necessity of responding to environment. This ability creates its own type of beauty and aesthetic—this bridge is certainly one of the most awesome built things I've ever seen! It is the awe of accomplishing the impossible, to span such a massive space. The little bridge in the mountains of Yemen is impossible in it's own way, considering the rudimentary methods available to its builders. It literally looks as if it were put together, piece by piece, by hand. But its beauty comes from how it emerges from the landscape; it fits there perfectly, and imparts a sense of completion and totality.