Railway station footbridges provide essential access for passengers and often a crucial connection between neighbourhoods, but until now they have been time-consuming, carbon intensive and expensive to build. By bringing contractor, manufacturer, engineer, architect and client together from day one, we have been able to come up with a solution that will reduce time, money and carbon and result in a footbridge that will have a lasting, positive impact on thousands of local communities.

Network Rail was looking for a solution that would minimise the bridges’ impact on the environment, locally and globally. Each option, component and material for the AVA Bridge has been tested against the opportunity to save whole life carbon. While upfront carbon has been reduced, by concentrating on replacement cycles, overall embodied carbon will be significantly lower. In addition, the team has tested the operational energy use against the potential for on-site renewable energy generation.

Adherence to circular economy principles means that AVA uses self-finished materials which are robust enough to withstand weather and vandalism and require minimum maintenance. The design life for AVA is at least 120 years.

All AVA components (apart from the lifts) will be manufactured offsite in the same factory and assembled quickly and efficiently onsite, with minimal impact on the local environment, resulting in significant reductions in build time and materials compared with traditional footbridges. The structure is long lasting and low maintenance, comprising a light, robust stainless-steel structural frame and cladding system.

AVA is simple to install and therefore can connect communities that have previously been unable to benefit from bridges at all, helping to make them stronger and more vibrant. And AVA’s advanced configurator tool empowers communities and stakeholders to design a bridge which is tailored to their specific requirements.