Revisiting the Bridge of Aspiration

29.04.25

In celebration of International Dance Day, we have made a short film with Sumner + Rothmore about one of our most recognisable projects, The Bridge of Aspiration.

Completed in 2003, this pedestrian bridge connects the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden with the Royal Ballet School. Apparently willful, WilkinsonEyre’s extraordinary design is in fact a remarkably imaginative and daring response to a complicated set of geometric and programmatic problems.

In the film, WilkinsonEyre Founding Director Jim Eyre revisits the bridge more than 20 years after its completion and recounts the story of its design. Now something of an architectural icon, last year the bridge won Architecture Today ‘s ‘Test of Time’ award. The AT Awards ‘recognise buildings that stand the test of time; projects that have proven their worth through years of use, adaptation, and continued relevance.’ In praise of the bridge the judges noted:

“Playful and poetic, the Bridge of Aspiration is a gift to the city that never ceases to be surprising, yet somehow looks as though it was always meant to be there.”

International Dance Day is an annual event, established in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute. It aims to promote public awareness of the "art of dance". The date was chosen to honour the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, a French dancer considered the creator of modern ballet.

View from below of the Bridge of Aspiration

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

Winner of the 2002 RIBA Stirling Prize, this unique crossing for pedestrians and cyclists was the world's first tilting bridge.

Bridge of Aspiration

Twisting high above Floral Street in Covent Garden, the Bridge of Aspiration provides the dancers of the Royal Ballet School with a direct link to the Grade I listed Royal Opera House.

Eaton Centre Bridge

The CF Eaton Centre Bridge revitalises a connection between two shopping malls in downtown Toronto by providing an attractive, landmark pedestrian crossing above the street.