Lilla Lidingöbron

The island of Lidingö is part of the Stockholm inner archipelago and is connected to the main urban areas by a high-level highway bridge and a low-level bridge, which carries pedestrians, cyclists and a single tram line. As the 1925 low-level crossing became increasingly expensive to maintain, a new 700m SEK (£60m GBP) replacement crossing was planned in 2013. Greater provision was made for Active Travel and twin tram lines were included.

Knight Architects was appointed at the outset, developing alignment and Scheme Design options and achieving key approvals for the scheme, before being retained as client adviser for the Design & Build Tender and throughout the construction stage. A set of architectural design guidelines formed part of the tender, informing the contractor’s quality submissions while encouraging a cost-effective solution and giving room for construction innovation.

In the preparation of these guidelines, a Specimen Design was developed to demonstrate a solution to many design challenges. The two driving requirements were to form a harmonious visual relationship with the nearby highway bridge and to mitigate the potentially monotonous 750m length of the crossing to pedestrians. While a degree of design flexibility was allowed, areas of most sensitivity to bridge users were strictly defined, to ensure that the architecture and design quality was maintained throughout the detailed design and constructi..