SWP was commissioned to work alongside architect and designer Thomas Heatherwick to produce a set of 14 slave cylinders and 1 master cylinder, able to operate an innovative rolling bridge design that is now installed pride of place in Paddington Basin, London.
The design used the simple but effective “displacement principle” that meant the master cylinder would supply equal quantities of hydraulic oil into each of the 14 manipulation cylinders until the bridge was full retracted or extended. This principle would allow the bridge to seamlessly unfold in front of your eyes.
Precise tolerances were required, along with the use of a robust and durable welded stainless-steel cylinders capable of withstanding the elements of being permanently located outside.
