Elegance really matters in the built environment, but what is it when applied to bridges? For bridges to delight their users over their long design life they must embrace a wide range of elusive factors.

Ian Firth is an engineer and bridge designer with Flint & Neill in London, and has worked with many bridge architects on notable bridges large and small around the world. Drawing on his experience he will attempt to define elegance in this context and show that it is not merely about appearance but also about process.