A few years ago I worked with my old firm on their “Foster Works” series, an oeuvre complete that included critical essays on major projects. It was a great assignment–interviewing people from my past life, thinking about how the various projects in the office fit together into a cohesive statement about architecture and technology, and getting to travel to some of the works being covered.
One of those was the Millau Viaduct, a truly monumental set of cable-stayed spans over a large valley in central France. It had been in the office while I was there, and the scale of it was baffling–one of the major supports is taller than the Eiffel Tower. Research included a day in a rented Peugeot, driving back and forth across the bridge and through the (drop-dead gorgeous) countryside around it. That was, without question, one of the best days you can have as an architect/writer.
The office and I noodled around with that essay for a while, and I’m very pleased that it’s been made a part of a book on the Viaduct, sharing space with an essay by Foster himself. As with everything that comes out of the office, it’s a gorgeous, well-designed effort, full of high-quality photographs and drawings alongside the historical and critical bits.
A real thrill to see this in print…
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