Summary:

Hi everyone! My name is Emma Xiao, and I am a rising junior at Staten Island Technical High School. The purpose of Leaf Love Bridge is to connect urban areas in places like New York City, where I live now. Ideally, it could be placed over the Harlem River or the East River. It can be challenging for us to access greenery when tall metal buildings and smokey streets surround us.

Therefore, this bridge will offer a deep connection to nature as the leaf symbolizes Mother Earth. At the same time, Leaf Love Bridge promotes unity between the diverse people that make up Earth by showing how we are all veins on the same leaf. At the end of the day, we all stem from the same place :)

Themes/ Message:

Peace & Unity:
By making the main entrance the stem of the leaf, when everyone walks into the bridge, it represents the shared origins of every type of person. Then, the path branches out into 5 veins, each representing different continents: Africa, (North America, South America, Australia), Asia, Europe, and Antarctica. Each path is embedded with flags of countries that make it up. Countries such as Ukraine and Russia are intentionally included independently to symbolize the desire for world peace. As people walk through these paths, they would be able to learn about the nature and culture found in these countries.
Nature:
Respecting Trees:
At the end of each path (vein), there is a resting area where I placed my favorite tree from the country at the end of the vein. These include the Eucalyptus globulus (Australia), Olive (Greece), Cherry Blossom (Japan), and Acacia (Egypt). The reasons why I chose these trees are because these trees have roles in their cultural stories and serve as national symbols.
Marine Life:
Antarctica's vein is made with glass to make it seem as if you are walking on water. Only at the end of the long path is land, which hopefully will help visitors empathize with how Antarctic animals feel with the ice melting away. The water fountain is placed in the middle of the land (ice) to further show how the ice is breaking away. In addition, the net running down the middle path of the leaf reminds us that marine animals should not have to deal with feeling trapped by our shortcomings.

Audience: Fun for everyone!

With people from all backgrounds in NYC, we can all gain cultural empathy by walking through this pedestrian bridge! This bridge would create a recreational green environment for the enjoyment of everyone feeling cramped in the city! In addition, kids (adults too) would love the "caterpillar" and "ladybug" tables that are naturally part of Leaf Love Bridge!

Supplies

Revit 2023
Imagination!

Step 1: Build the Base

Bridge Span: 56 meters

The main curved shape of the guard rails and the leaf shape was designed by creating a mass under the Massing & Site tab. Make sure to use the spline tool so it would be easier to change the elevation of the guard rails. After doing so, divide the surface of the mass created to form the location to place the rails. Then, I created a new family where I made my own material for the guard rails so it was to my liking. By using the array tool, you would be able to create defined rails along the leaf.

Step 2: Veins

I designed the path by creating a floor on top of the mass just created. Using the line segment and circle tool, I sketched the basic form of what I wanted my path to look like. Then I used the trim and extend tool to edit out the lines that were in excess. All paths use more than the minimum walking width which is about 1.22 meters. This step involves a lot of the move tool and scrapping designs. Then choose a nice green material using the Edit Type button. The next part is cumbersome, but you can do it! Research all the flags of the countries you want to include in your path, then upload them onto Revit in the Materials Browser. Then create a separate floor for each flag, making sure each is the same size. Using the paint tool, find the flag of your choice, and upload it onto the floor. Then repeat! Although this may take a long time, this step is what brings the bridge to life!

Step 3: Add Components

Now it's time to add in the trees, fountains, and tables w/ chairs! This step involves researching the trees you would like to add, and their importance to a certain group of people. Upload the trees to Revit using the components tab. This could also be done with the water fountain. If the tree is not the right size, you can scale it since it is under the Planting category. Just open the family of the tree by double-clicking, and use the scale button. For the ladybug and caterpillar tables, you will have to find/draw a pattern that you would like the table to have. Then upload it onto the Materials Browser and paint it onto the table. This was a tricky step because the paint would not work sometimes depending on the material, and you maybe have to rescale/reposition the pattern so that the desired portion of the image will appear on your table. After this step, use the move tool and rotate tool to position the chairs so that it looks like the legs of the caterpillar/ladybug. Give yourself a pat on the back!

Step 4: Add Ground

Time to make the green grass! Under Massing & Site, locate the Toposurface panel. Here, you will be able to make points at a certain elevation. Changing this elevation slightly will allow you to add bumps to the leaf, making it more realistic. By placing points of increasing intervals, you can make small slopes that look really good when it's done. Keep in mind that currently the Toposurface is dirt. Let's change that! Again, going to our favorite Materials browser, find the Asset browser to select the grass of your choice! I used Bermuda grass because I liked the color. The wrinkles in between the veins created by the Toposurface will bring your leaf to life!

Step 5: Final Touches &Thoughts

Final Touches:

We're finally done!!! Adjust anything you need at this step to create the final Leaf Love Bridge! Be creative! For visual appeal, in the 3D view, edit the Graphic Display Options to add shadows and background so you can get an amazing realistic view!

Final Thoughts:

From spending days brainstorming a meaningful bridge design to researching how to use Revit better, this project is by far the most impactful idea I've come up with so far. It brings nature and diverse people together into a community of empathy through its experience. I hope you gained some inspiration and support Leaf Love Bridge!