In recent building news, it has been announced that Ney & Partners has successfully won an enviable position to design the new £4m Tintagel Castle footbridge, Cornwall, for English Heritage. The winning team, based out of Brussels, saw the team, alongside William Matthews Associates, an up and coming architectural practice, prove their talents and come head and shoulders above the rest.

Beating off 136 other keen industry competitors in the multiple stage competition, the judges for the competition came to a majority decision on selection the team, thus granting them the enviable engineering and architectural commission. As for the reasoning behind their selection, the judges commented that the design concept was for the elegance, structural ingenuity and delicate profile of the presented design which allowed it to stand apart from the others presented.

Kate Mavor, Chief Executive of English Heritage provided her thoughts on the winning design, stating: “The winning team’s concept is daring and very exciting. It is not the final design but instead a brilliant indication of the team’s talent and imagination.”

Inspiration for the solution presented has been stated to have come from Celtic history and how the Tintagel Castle drawbridge was originally arranged and designed. In accordance with this, the design proposal has included the usage of local slate for the decking and a mixture of both non and weathered steel so that contrast can be provided – this, in effect will be most notable when hit by sunlight, allowing it to provide a striking visage at the backdrop of the coastal scenery.

As a result of the win, Ney & Partners will now begin developing their final designs, with consent applications set for a later date in the year, and a predicted completion date set as 2019. Set to entirely change the experience gusts will have when visiting the castle, the 28m high bridge is a must-watch to see how the final designs are developed and put into action.