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Stratford City Bridges

London, UK

People gathering in Olympic park with Stratford Bridge 20 arch in the distance

Stratford City Bridges

London, UK

Client

Stratford City Developments Ltd (Westfield Shoppingtowns Ltd)

Programme

2007 - 2011

Design Team

Knight Architects, Arup

Bringing design continuity to super-scale projects

Knight Architects enjoyed a leading role in the aesthetic design of the infrastructure for the £4bn Stratford City development in East London. This included new pedestrian and cycle bridges of 26m, 35m, 39m and 57m spans.

This major project saw the regeneration of 73ha of inner-city land adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Set above the extensive network of existing railway infrastructure, the projects were designed to provide consistency in appearance, quality, and safety.

The designs ranged from coordinated bridge parapets and retaining wall structures to several new highway and footbridge structures. These included a 200m long road viaduct and an 85m span arched highway bridge crossing the CTRL High Speed One route, as well as shorter highway spans of 31m and 46m. A family of common elements, including parapets and lighting, was developed to ensure high-quality detailing throughout. Planning consent followed extensive consultations with stakeholders including the Olympic Delivery Authority, London Borough of Newham, Transport for London and Network Rail.

Aerial view of Olympic Park with orange Knight Architects bridge markers
View from steel bridge parapet across river looking at the Olympic Stadium

“During the Olympics and for those who live and work in the area now, it cannot be stressed enough how important it was to ensure that bridges supported the integration of place, local identity and created an uplifting experience for users that made them feel safe”

– Kay Hughes, Principal Design Adviser and Head of Design ODA (2006-2012)
Stratford Olympic Park foot and cycle bridge in Athletes village
Stratford Olympic Park bridge 20, close up of top of the cable stayed arch
On deck view of Stratford Olympic park Bridge 20 looking at the cable-stayed arch
Parapet of Bridge 14