The Rolling Bridge, London

Created by Thomas Heatherwick, The Rolling Bridge, located on the Paddington Basin in London, measures twelve metres long and opens every Friday at noon. At first sight it struck me as nothing more than a glorified drawbridge, probably more concerned with form than function. Thinking about it, though, it does carry out the obvious function of bridging one point to another whilst providing a method of allowing passing boats through the canal. And every time it opens and closes we are given a reconstructed definition of the function of a bridge - in real-time. Relating the structure to the natural world, it reminds me of the defensive motion of an isopod. I also find it amusing how, from what we can see in the video, someone (albeit a very slow moving someone) could potentially get trapped inside the bridge in its closed position. And the vision of someone launching themselves off the bridge in its half-deployed state also makes me smile.