St Philips Footbridge in Bristol: The Aesthetics of Thoroughly Responding to Constraints

Abstract

In 1840, the inauguration of the Great Western Railway in southern England, connecting London and Bristol, changed part of the outskirts of Bristol to a major railway hub and a home for many rail-related activities. An area behind the station between the railway, the River Avon and the Bath Road, known as Temple Island, became restricted to rail use (workshops, depots and sheds) for more than 150 years, making it inaccessible and unattractive as the railway use decreased. The transformation of this area into a new centrally located neighbourhood is one of the most important urban development projects currently planned in Bristol. The new St Philips footbridge spans the River Avon, contributing to accessibility to the site. The bridge, a 50 m span and 4 m wide steel beam with a forked geometry, seamlessly hosts a ramp for disabled users and cyclists and a staircase to maximise functionality. The design approach to generate its shape was simultaneously structural, aesthetic and functional, innovatively solving a complex crossing problem.

Keywords:

• holistic footbridge design
• functionality
• aesthetics
• elastically fixed beam
• complex steelwork

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