Studio B Architects | Design and Technical Delivery Team

The Moreland Station footbridge was an opportunity to bring together heritage, research and contemporary design. While Studio Director at Studio B Architects, I prepared the heritage report making the case for replacing the existing early twentieth-century timber footbridge, while advocating for a new structure that would remember and acknowledge the original and the people who had built it.

The intention was never to simply replicate what had been there, but to carry its architectural language forward. Drawing on the original timber girder construction and the industrial character of the railway yards, the design translated the historic framework into black-painted steel. Perforated Corten panels formed a textured backdrop, enclosing the concrete bridge deck and stairways, while slender stainless steel braces supported the new steel girder trusses.

The result was an understated composition, retaining the familiarity and rhythm of the original structure while expressing it through contemporary materials and construction. An elegant, simple homage to the past, and a recognition that even everyday infrastructure can carry considerable history and meaning.

The bridge has since become part of Moreland Station's own history. Following the Bell to Moreland level-crossing removal project, the railway was elevated and a new station developed, with the footbridge removed in 2020. Although no longer standing, its design sought to ensure that the memory of the original bridge, and those responsible for its construction, would continue in its replacement.