Swing Bridge

by Tonkin Liu, Arup, and Cake Industries 

 Client Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs 

Awards RIBA London Award 2023 

This elegant sculptural form provides secure access to the Grade I-listed dinosaurs in Crystal Palace Park, a historic site that is on the national ‘Heritage At Risk’ Register. The laser-cut bridge references the iconography of a bony fish, providing access for maintenance, conservation and study visits, negating the need for unsightly gates and fences around the dinosaurs. For over 10 years, charity Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs,  – led by taxonomist and evolutionary biologist Ellinor Michel – has been working hard to improve public engagement with and the safe keeping of these world-renowned, life-size sculptures.

Read the full citation from the RIBA Awards Jury on RIBA Journal.

Contractor, Fabricator, and sub-structure design Cake Industries 

Structural Engineer Arup 

Laser Cutting M-Tec 

Galvanising Sub-contractor Joseph Ash Galvanising  

Piling Design Michael Aubrey Partnership Ltd 

Pile Contractor Capital Piling Ltd 

Internal gross area 8 m2