London
2009
Birds Portchmouth Russum
Plashet Lane Secondary School in East London is bisected by a busy main road. A 70 metre footbridge curves and rises across this barrier to link the main school buildings. The structure is simplified into a pair of deep steel parapet beams made by rolling standard sections horizontally then heat bending them vertically.
Awards:
RIBA Award 2001
Certificate of Merit, Structural Steel Design Awards 2001
Commendation, Civic Trust Awards 2002
Runner up for BCIA Small Projects Awards and The Prime Ministers Award
A cloister-like enclosure is formed by asymmetrical Teflon coated glass-fibre canopies arranged between steel arch rings.
The bridge deck has a plate steel gazebo enclosure at mid-span. Used daily by children and erected within a functioning school, the structure was closely reviewed for safety in use and the construction method planned out to avoid accident.
Matthew Wells, one of world’s most renowed structural engineers answers questions from the public. Got a question you’d like to ask? Learn more and submit a question.
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