The beginning

“People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.” - Joseph Fort Newton

I have been toying with the idea of creating a personal blog about bridge design for a while now, but I have been concerned that such a blog would hold no interest to a great many people. I still believe so; however, the time has come when I feel that I must share my opinion, views and thoughts with the wilder public. These days, the process of bridge design is also affected by a number of frustrating and annoying circumstances that overshadow many aspects of life in Hungary. These circumstances seem to be gaining ground, which is harmful even in the short term, and even more so if they are to become the new norm. That is the reason why I would like to put my finger on these circumstances in an effort to eliminate them if possible. 

In the present social, political and economic situation, one must not remain silent or put up with the manner in which things are managed here. One must stop pretending that everything is all right. Many retreat into silence, choose to smolder themselves, or refuse to raise their voices, but beyond a certain level, such behaviour can be called indifferent at best, but certainly not moral. The oversimplified, fact-twisting communication of recent years is destroying public discourse to such an extent that those who know the facts no longer wish to speak up or they simply shake their heads in resignation. This is a sinking ship. It would be easier to go abroad, but that would be an admission of defeat. I naively believe that common sense, honour and credibility always come before serving short-term political interests.

In order to demonstrate my professional credibility, I would like to share a few personal data from my resumé. I graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at BME (Budapest University of Technology) as a bridge designer in 2001, and then in 2007 I obtained a Ph.D. degree at the Pál Csonka Doctoral School of the Faculty of Architecture. In 2008 I obtained the qualification of a bridge and structural designer and I have been working as a bridge designer ever since. Simultaneously, I teach students of architecture as a lecturer. Since 2011 I have been a lecturer in the subject of Aesthetics of Bridge Design, a subject which I introduced at the university. In 2015, I obtained the qualification of bridge and structural engineering expert. Over the past decade, I made statical calculations of dozens of bridges and in a few cases I was involved in every stage of the bridge-building process, from conceptual design to construction.

The blog seeks to articulate a fact-based opinion on the topics that concern me, and I hope the facts will throw new light upon the pre-fabricated and simplified messages communicated to Hungarian society.

Erzsébet Bridge, Budapest