ABSTRACT
The origin of the word design is the Latin ‘designare’, to draw. In classical times, the stability of a structure depended on its shape, which could be drawn by those with the special skills. Design now has a much-widened meaning embracing the concept of anything from bridges to fl oats for a carnival. In the context of bridge engineering, design means the conceptual phase, where harmony is created out of the tumult of data which includes:
the physical characteristics of the site; the technical aspects concerned with the strength of materials and the theory of structures; the specifi ed design life of the bridge and the maintenance regime; the various regulations that must be complied with; the economic and time constraints that have to be met; the form of contract under which the bridge is to be built; the effect the new bridge will have on the community, either by its scale, its appearance, or by the changes it will make to the local environment; the wishes of the bridge owner.
