In collaboration with Shih-Fu Peng of Heneghan Peng Architects, AKT II engineered the Carpenters Lock Footbridge for the London 2012 Olympic Park. The bridge is designed to adapt to the change from Games to Legacy mode and the mechanics of this underpin the architectural and structural integration.
During The Games the bridge is perceived as part of The Park’s continuous high level concourse balanced with the winding waterways and towpaths of the ecological setting below. Described as a ‘Dancing Keel’, the legacy mode is defi ned by a Z-shaped structural form featuring two 27m long bridge spans each 6m wide with a third 56m diagonal span providing a route for admiring the view.
The spans coupled with the shallow deck constraints were solved with an engineering design utilising trapezoidal trusses, tuned mass dampers and fi xity into the robust concrete abutments. Externally the bridge is clad in mirror-finish stainless steel which brings the surrounding landscape to life.
