Gottlieb Paludan Architects won the design competition for new foot bridges for Network Rail which owns and operates 32,000 km of the railway network in England, Wales and Scotland. 

Network Rail’s design competition sought ideas for pedestrian footbridges with optimised accessibility that can be used across the British rail network. Network Rail owns almost 2,400 footbridges across all of Great Britain, only 200 of which meet the future requirements. 

Gottlieb Paludan Architect’s design ’The Framing Bridge’ will improve accessibility for train passengers and other pedestrians. The new footbridges must also address the challenges of electrifying the rail network with overhead masts and lines that require extra clearance above the tracks. Gottlieb Paludan Architect’s winning design will be developed further and adapted to the many different locations where it is expected to be deployed.

The simple construction and framing of the bridge creates an open space where local features or artistic elements may be added. In addition to contributing to a good overview of the platform, the simplified design makes the bridge more identifiable and adaptable, both technically and architecturally.

Visualizations: Gottlieb Paludan Architects