SSDA 2019 A W A R D
18 NSC
October 19
Opened in November 2018, the
Taplow Riverside Footbridge
is the latest crossing of the
River Thames and provides a
new pedestrian link in the Thames Path
to connect a riverside development with
Maidenhead.
Spanning 40m, the shallow arch form
of the design is inspired by Brunel’s nearby
Maidenhead Bridge and is echoed in the
slender steel box structure.
Fabricated triangular-section box
girders form the twin structural arches that
support the deck, while slender steel hangers
complete the composition and ensure the
structure is lightweight and transparent in
river views.
Initially a truss-type footbridge was
proposed for the site, but this was criticised
by local residents, who felt the design was
industrial-looking and out of character with
the area.
This prompted Berkeley Homes to
appoint Knight Architects and COWI to
develop a slender and elegant design to suit
the natural beauty of the site and enhance
user experience while still being costeffective.
“The site for the bridge presented
numerous access challenges,” explains COWI
Project Manager Clare Taylor.
“The only viable access route for
construction was the river and so it was
important to design a bridge that could be
constructed easily and safely from the water
without compromising the bridge aesthetics
within this picturesque setting.”
This challenge was solved by using steel as
the primary material as it allowed the bridge
to fabricated offsite in one piece.
Another important consideration was
steelwork’s high structural strength and
stiffness as it provided the only possible
material to realise the architect’s vision of a
very slender bridge for this site.
The steel structure was designed with
structural efficiency in mind but allowing a
clear architectural identity to be developed. It
consists of three key features: the arch, deck
and flat plate hangers.
The arches are triangular in cross section
Taplow
Riverside
Footbridge
The latest Thames crossing is a slender, sculptural form
that was erected in an area of natural beauty with limited
construction access.
© Knight Architects
/Bridges#Arch_bridges
/Design_of_steel_footbridges#Trusses and Vierendeel girder bridges
/Design_of_steel_footbridges
/Bridges
/Design_for_steel_bridge_construction
/Design_for_steel_bridge_construction#Fabricating_the_steelwork
/Tied-arch_bridges#Hangers