Most Dutch bridges, whether fixed or movable, are built by civil engineers without any input from architects resulting in “functional constructions devoid of any poetry whatsoever.”
Therefore it is really nice that an architect was deemed necessary for this relatively small drawbridge for the Amstel-Drecht canal in South Holland.
NIO Architects, one of the finalists in the 2010 Dutch Design Awards, found poetic inspiration in all sorts of odd places: a Jedi Starfighter, a praying mantis and the design of the stylized pleasure boats that clip along in the canal. And, unlike the most Dutch bridges, this bridge, the Prayer of Shadow Protection, is dark, somewhere between green and blue, a bit like the water in the Netherlands but more sparkling.
The result is a bit terrifying, yes, but also kinda awesome.
A freak robot with elegant contours slowly disappearing as dusk falls