Bridges obviously serve multiple functions but the primary purpose is to traverse a terrain obstacle to get goods and/or people across to the other side. Bridges are often viewed as an indicator of progress in technical capability, engineering skills as well as a symbol of economic potential of a particular city, region or a country. Often, this is the reason why many urban bridges become the most important infrastructure in some cities. This paper discusses several examples of bridges which have made a significant impact on the perception of a city and resulted in substantial changes to landscape configuration. The following available research methods of evaluation were used: analysis of literature, observational in-situ studies of objects and own research. Analysis were performed on dozens of bridges constructed over the centuries. The example selection was directed to the well-known objects, the spectacular new implementations or icons of bridge architecture. The study involved both contemporary and historical objects

Polymer concrete is a promising material with applications in construction and architecture; however, guidelines for its design and optimization are not well-established in the literature. This study aimed to evaluate how resin volume fraction and aggregate size distribution affect key properties of polyester polymer concrete, including flexural strength, compressive strength, water absorption, and material cost. Three types of quartz aggregates with different particle size distributions were used, as follows: small (below 0.5 mm, quartz dust), medium (0.2–2.0 mm, quartz sand), and large (2.0–10.0 mm, quartz gravel). The resin volume content varied from 5% to 30%. Differences in apparent density, open porosity, water absorption, flexural strength, compressive strength, and material cost were analyzed as functions of resin volume content and aggregate size. The results showed that apparent density and mechanical properties are positively correlated with resin content for small and medium aggregates; however, in the case of large aggregates, flexural strength decreased when the resin volume content exceeded 20%. A significant reduction in material porosity and water absorption (to ~0.4% and ~0.2%, respectively) was observed at high resin volume fractions.

The article describes conducted observational studies of contemporary architectural objects in various parts of the world. Examples from Japan, the Emirates of Arabia and Poland - contemporary architecture of cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Dubai, Gdańsk, Katowice have been described. He evaluates them and draws attention to the essential elements. He conducts an original discussion on the contemporary architecture. In the subjective assessment, two elements are always important: meeting the investor’s goals and the needs of users. Observation of what is happening new in a built environment is an integral part of the architect’s work. Of course, it is good to look at new architectural realizations of buildings and examples of space management, not only superficially, e.g. in terms of the overall aesthetic image or an interesting detail, but also to make a somewhat deeper assessment. Evaluations, e.g. in terms of meeting the needs and satisfaction of users, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solutions. In order for the assessment to be professional despite the fact that in the observational form (own observation) well as the architect knows the basics and techniques of qualitative research. Qualitative observational studies were aimed at identifying factors shaping contemporary architectural objects and the surrounding space. Due to the globalization, the scope of research has been established to be very wide, taking into account different regions and cultures. The result of the research was to identify various types of elements affecting the quality of architecture. The main elements of this analysis include adapting objects to the various needs of users and investors. The universal principles of typical solutions of the contemporary architecture related to the quality of this architecture were also defined.