The AVA footbridge: an adaptable bridge & lift system

Anthony Dewar

Anthony has led on elevating the importance of design within rail infrastructure amongst his peers and the industry’s leadership. His notable achievements include forming the Network Rail (NR) independent design panel, development of NR design principles, reinvigorating NR’s design approach via design competitions and introduction of built environment design guidance.

An experienced Civil Engineer and design professional, Anthony has over 20 years of industry experience and has spent his career in a number of private and public sector bodies. Anthony is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Royal Society of Arts.  He is also a member of the National Infrastructure Commission Design Group.

Phil Webb

Phil Webb joined Walker Construction as a site agent in 1993, playing a pivotal role in developing the rail division. Promoted to divisional rail director in 2006 and then managing director in 2013, he is the first non-family member to hold the position. As safety director, he led the implementation of a behavioural safety program. An enthusiastic advocate for diversity, Phil is dedicated to inspiring young talent and bridging the skills gap in the construction industry. He also played a key role in the construction of the AVA footbridge, reinforcing the company’s commitment to infrastructure excellence and innovation.

Dan Green

Dan is a Chartered Civil Engineer and the lead structural designer for AVA Stowmarket, the first-of-a-kind deployment of the AVA system. He is an associate at Expedition Engineering and a dedicated and creative structural engineer with over a decade of experience designing complex bridges and leading design teams. He sits on the UK Net Zero Bridge Group Executive Committee and has delivered projects from concept through to construction at every scale including architectural footbridge designs, long span crossings, and heritage structures.

Andrew Davies

Andrew is an RIBA Chartered Architect leading the architectural team on the ‘AVA Footbridge & Lifts’ consortium. As a partner and head of transport & infrastructure at Hawkins\Brown Architects, an AJ100 top ten practice in the UK, he has been involved in the AVA journey from its beginning. Following the RIBA future footbridges competition in 2018 where Hawkins\Brown’s entry received the highly commended award, Andrew’s team were asked to join a nationally significant R&D project funded by InnovateUK and Network Rail to develop an affordable, quick to build, robust, sustainable, and adaptable footbridge of the future. 

Chris Head

Chris has 18 years of experience in the steelwork industry, starting in steel stockholding and moving into architectural metalwork. He then worked as a project engineer in the oil & gas sector for clients like BP and Exxon Mobil. For the past six years, Chris has been the pre-construction manager at McNealy Brown, contributing to projects on landmarks such as the Millennium Bridge and Westminster Bridge. 
Chris has been involved with AVA for two years, focusing on the fabrication and assembly of the footbridge, contributing with knowledge of materials as well as manufacturing methods and availabilities within the steelwork industry.

Darren Falkingham

Darren leads the uptake of the AVA Lift System for ARX.