Footbridge over Highway A-2, Guadalajara, Spain

Public opinion in many communities is contributing to the growing demand for structures that are more than just utilitarian. Bridges, however, are a product of engineering in no need whatsoever of adornments or inefficient members to enhance their elegance. By means of an example, the paper illustrates that good form follows function design yields economic solutions that meet even the most exacting aesthetic standards, provided that the designer observes a few basic rules about structural form, bridge integration in the landscape, transparency, slenderness and harmony.