A combination of innovative design and community engagement has delivered an elegant piece of infrastructure
North West RIBA Regional Award 2022
Knight Architects for Cumbria County Council
GIA: 500m2
Contract value: Confidential
Pooley Bridge’s sole crossing over the River Eamont was swept away by floods in 2015 – an economic catastrophe for the village as well as a psychological blow. Knight Architects worked with the community to shape its replacement, giving local people confidence in its structural stability and its sensitivity to a World Heritage Site. Springing from abutments of local stone, the ensemble of in-situ concrete and naturally weathering stainless steel crosses the river in a single 40m span, so no piers sit in the water. Railings are minimal to ensure transparency and allay fears that solid sides would be an obstacle to future floods. The combination of innovative design and community engagement has delivered an elegant piece of infrastructure which feels part of the place, and one with embedded social value
North West RIBA Regional Award 2022
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