Bridge Design Slung at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

Brunel's radical wrought iron link suspension bridge design slung 214m between two sandstone towers hewn into the rock walls prompted much debate in the profession at the time. Would it work? Could it be built? Would it cost too much?

It was a triumph of youth and innovation over the establishment. His ideas eclipsed the alternative designs from the great and good of 19th-century engineering - including Thomas Telford, leading engineer of the time and founder of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Brunel's radical wrought iron link suspension bridge design slung 214m between two sandstone towers hewn into the rock walls prompted much debate in the profession at the time. Would it work? Could it be built? Would it cost too much?

I subsequently learned that there are issues surrounding the maintenance of the bridge, with various parties avoiding responsibility for its upkeep. Sadly, the lack of dedicated stewardship registered with me almost as much as the form of the bridge itself. The Faena Hotel offered a different commentary on modern design, namely, that it can often look pretty much the same whether you are in North or South America.