Twisting high above Floral Street in Covent Garden, the Bridge of Aspiration provides the dancers of the Royal Ballet School with a direct link to the Grade I listed Royal Opera House.  The award-winning design addresses a series of complex contextual issues, and is legible both as a fully integrated component of the buildings it links and as an independent architectural element.

The skewed alignment and different levels of the landing points dictate the form of the crossing, which is geometrically and structurally simple. A concertina of 23 square portals with glazed intervals are supported from an aluminium spine beam.  These rotate in sequence for the skew in alignment, performing a quarter-turn overall along the length of the bridge. The result is an elegant intervention high above the street, which evokes the fluidity and grace of dance.

Awards

AluProgetto Award 2006

Footbridge Award (aesthetics/short span) 2005

Balthasar Neumann Award 2004 (shortlisted)

RIBA Award 2004

RFAC Trust/BSkyB Building of the Year Award, Bridge Category 2004

Civic Trust Award 2004

British Construction Industry Awards 2003, Special Award