Pierre Bidaud

Stone is one of the oldest bridge materials, but it is rarely considered for modern footbridges. This session explores the design and construction of a doubly curved stone footbridge for the Tate, showing how a traditional material can be reimagined to deliver an elegant, low-carbon structure.

The presentation will cover:

• The design concept and why stone was chosen for the footbridge
• The engineering challenges of creating a doubly curved form in stone, from geometry and analysis to detailing
• How the construction approach turned the design into reality
• The carbon benefits of building in stone and lessons for wider use of low-carbon materials in bridge design