Footbridge, King’s Cross
London N1C

A commercially astute decision to connect retail units to platforms with a raised walkway facilitates footfall and gives travellers more time to shop.

The bridge is a key part of the Western concourse at King’s Cross, which Simon Goode project directed while at John McAslan + Partners. The multifunctional raised walkway takes shoppers straight from the mezzanine level shops to their platforms via lift and escalator links, making shopping in the Western Range an easy stop on the passenger journey.

Prototypes were built of bridge components to iron out interface issues and test for buildability, performance and function. With no space for services in the floor slab (which is also the roof slab to the TfL concourse), Simon proposed that the link be used to carry services to the mezzanine building. Accessible panels in the ‘belly’ of the walkway ensure that maintenance can be undertaken without closure. Works were undertaken in an operational rail environment, facilitated by the construction of a new platform to prevent disruption to services.