Ribbon

Every once in a while I see something fun and impractical and beautiful. In general, frivolity in design equates to wastefulness. However, on occasion we'll see a building that, some how, is serious and playful at the same time. The Thorncrown Chapel in Arkansas, designed by E. Fay Jones, would fit that bill.

Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs,
Arkansas. Photo: Whit Slemmons

Architect Gray Organschi  created this woodland bridge to span a brook. link No easy feat. A simple straight span with several supports would have served the purpose but instead Organschi choose to serpentine the foot bridge at a acute angle to the ravine. Stylistic whimsy might be a fitting description for this ribbon in the woods. Because the construction is of a laminated design, it's strength is derived from the gluing and bolting together of the structural decking. The components work in concert to make a strong, beautiful bridge.

A flight of fancy in the woods.
Photo: Gray Organschi

Another Organschi design, here an out house, is dressed in stone with a fitted interior, adding a bit of playfulness and permanence to an other wise utilitarian box.

So good looking it makes
you want to stop for a visit.
Photo: Gray Organschi