Galliard Homes | 2013 - 2015

The Greenwich Reach Swing Bridge completes the riverside Thames Path, reaching 44m across the mouth of Deptford Creek, its support cables spanning from a single plated steel mast. Long planned as part of the development at Greenwich Reach, the structure is a crucial piece of public infrastructure in a sensitive Central London location.

The bridge’s edge features a tapered cross section, making it seem thinner than it actually is, and an open truss soffit. The lightness of its main span, however, is contrasted by the extended back span (which contains the bridge’s counterweight and opening mechanism), which is a weighty, multifaceted box. The imbalance emphasises the bridge as a dynamic, moving system.

“Through simplicity of form and operation, and structural efficiency, this bridge is exemplary in its use and expression of plated steelwork.” – SSDA Jury Citation 2015