It is safe to say that, when it comes to public appreciation of architecture, bridges tend to have their design dismissed and their functionality appreciated. This has to do mostly with the fact that, unlike a building located within a rural or urban landscape that allows pause for contemplation, bridges are normally structures used within a short time span does not allow for much examination. With a few exceptions (that include the bridges designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava) the aesthetic qualities of bridges are not often discussed or admired. However, a recently finished pedestrian bridge in Auckland, New Zealand, deserves some consideration.
Named Point Resolution, the pedestrian bridge designed by New Zealand architects Warren & Mahoney replaces an existing 1930s bridge that had become structurally unsound and is a successful example of multidimensional efficiency in that it crosses a road, railway and waterway to connect the coastline with a stretch of headland on the opposite side of a bay in Auckland. However, Point Resolution is also a striking piece of design owing to its elegant angular lines modelled on the hull of a ship, a concrete body featuring a series of etched patterns designed by artist Henriata Nicholas to look like water ripples and its adroit integration into the landscape.
