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Art Inspiring Transmutations of Life pp 71–82Cite as

The Relevance of Beautiful Infrastructure

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Part of the book series: Analecta Husserliana ((ANHU,volume 106))

Abstract

The infrastructural landscapes commissioned by Robert Moses and designed by master structural engineers such as Othmar Ammann from the 1920s to the 1960s demonstrate a vast range of design qualities. Beauty has not always been deemed relevant to the creation of structure and infrastructure, and yet there are lessons from this era in the design and interpretation of the physical environment. Building upon qualitative techniques that enabled structural artists to use slender elements to, in the words of Hans-Georg Gadamer, “defy the traditional principles of structural engineering… and to create something totally new,” this project illuminates the potential of structures to embody humanistic richness and depth of perceptual experience.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture and Engineering, PC (EYP) Boston, 125 Warren Street, Newton, Massachusetts, 02459, USA

    David M. Foxe

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  1. David M. Foxe
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Correspondence to David M. Foxe .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Siena College, Loudon Lane North 5, Loudonville, 12211, New York, USA

    Patricia Trutty Coohill

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Foxe, D.M. (2010). The Relevance of Beautiful Infrastructure. In: Coohill, P. (eds) Art Inspiring Transmutations of Life. Analecta Husserliana, vol 106. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9160-4_5

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