Buro Happold designed two new pedestrian bridges (known as North and South Bridge) which connect Arsenal’s spectacular new Emirates Stadium to nearby Drayton Park and the Arsenal underground station. These large bridges have been designed to provide a rapid evacuation route for spectators – at 15m and 22m in width respectively they are wide enough to accommodate emergency vehicles.

Both bridges, which cross over commuter and freight railway lines, are of steel truss construction, comprising steel tubular members with a steel and concrete composite deck.

In designing the bridges, Buro Happold had to work within some challenging site constraints; existing transport and utilities infrastructure severely restricted the available positions for temporary and permanent bridge supports. The solution for the 700 tonne North bridge was to lift it into position in two sections using a crane. The larger 1,200 tonne, 105m long South bridge was fully assembled nearby and launched by sliding it over temporary supports.

The state-of-the-art 60,000 seat Emirates Stadium, which opened in time for the 2006/07 season, involved a multi-disciplinary package of building engineering, infrastructure and environmental services. The timing of the bridge completion was critical to the stadium’s overall building programme, as the assembly was taking up space needed for the construction of part of the stands.

Date: 2000 - 2006