The Bridge of Aspiration, Covent Garden, London, UK

The Bridge of Aspiration between the Royal Ballet School and the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden comprises an aluminium beam of highly complex geometry and a series of aluminium and timber square frames forming a twisted box arrangement (Fig. 1). This paper describes the design and construction, and addresses the reasons for selecting aluminium as the primary structural material. The innovative design had to deal with several complex issues and permit installation in a single operation to minimise disruption to the function of the Opera House.