Enhancing a Suicide Barrier – A New Aesthetic Design Challenge

Suicide is a major public health concern that costs hundreds of thousands of lives every year around the world. High landmark bridge crossings have frequently served as a destination for people considering suicide, and as a consequence measures have been taken over the last few decades in many countries to erect suicide prevention barriers on these structures. In many instances, these barriers were designed solely to prevent climbing over. Unfortunately, this approach often ended up conveying a negative “high-security” type appearance that significantly detracts from the above-deck visual aesthetics of the bridge and the everyday pedestrian crossing and viewing experience. Given that bridge life spans are now typically required to be 75-100 years, it is very important that a safety barrier is designed with careful attention to good aesthetics as well as being functional, so that it will achieve an enduring visual quality that is cohesive with other bridge components. Mark Langridge has led the aesthetic and architectural design of many new bridge crossings in important Canadian settings over the past twenty-five years.