Small bridge, big lessons

Recently, our Advanced Bridge Designer, Arianna, had the pleasure of speaking at the IABSE British Group Future of Design, engaging with a room full of curious young engineers.

As architects specialising in bridge design, it was particularly rewarding to contribute to a predominantly engineering-focused event. Moments like this highlight the value of collaboration between disciplines and the important role architecture plays in shaping infrastructure that is not only technically rigorous, but also thoughtful, and enjoyable for the people who use it.

Arianna shared the story of the Trevor Basin footbridge: a 4m moveable bridge within a UNSECO World Heritage site. Despite being our smallest project, it was one of the most complex from concept to detailed design. The project reminds us that complexity doesn't scale with size, and that even small interventions, when thoughtfully designed, can navigate challenging constraints and make an impact far beyond their footprint.

The talk was made even more inspiring by being in the company of others doing exciting work in the field.