The Cloudbridge is a conceptual structure that would provide a path from one mountainside to the next. Image: Arturo Tedeschi The architect set parameters and instructions and an algorithm generated the 3-D shape. Image: Arturo Tedeschi It's hard to imagine that this 3-D model would integrate seamlessly into nature, but it does. Image: Arturo Tedeschi

Most of the time, the fastest way to get anywhere is a straight line leading from point A to point B. But as a new conceptual project from Arturo Tedeschi architects shows, that’s not necessarily the most efficient, or most beautiful, way to go about it. Tedeschi's Cloudbridge links two mountainsides via an ethereal, cloud-like structure. Though bridges are often a visual statement of strength, Cloudbridge’s latticed form and non-linear path creates a super-stable bridge that appears to float between mountains, blending into its natural surroundings.

The surreal concept, bolstered by extreme engineering, is a reflection of Tedeschi's work in general. “Nowadays engineering and architecture are evolving just by improving in small steps the 'state of art,' and designers are gradually losing their visionary attitude,” he says. “This is also evident in technology, automotive and product design.” Cloudbridge is meant to push the boundaries and be a playful look at how the trajectory and appearance of a bridge can be altered using parametric design.

>Most of Tedeschi's design work is done computationally.

Most of Tedeschi's design work is done computationally, which means he and his team rely on algorithms to generate structures rather than manually manipulating the drawings themselves. Simply put, the designer uses software to create a diagram, which includes a set of instructions and procedures; this allows the shape to emerge rather than be modeled. Tedeschi explains parametric design like this: “An algorithmic-software could be imagined as a blender and an algorithm as a recipe,” he says. “We put the ingredients into the blender with specific quantities and combinations, then we push the start button and our 'shake' emerges.”

In the case of Cloudbridge, the ingredients were dimensions, weights, construction constraints, shape and length of the path. This allows the software to compute a final, optimized grid structure that can bear and balance the load of the asymmetric path. Though Tedeschi's design is fully computer-based, the resulting structure looks and feels organic—almost as though you're walking on an extension of the actual mountain. “We believe that computational approach can lead designers to new territories we must not be afraid about,” he says, adding that designers have to watch out for creating buildings for their mechanics rather than architecture. “Fortunately, algorithms are not blind processes and designers can balance the 'ingredients' in order to give their personal touch.”