Following an exciting win of the RIBA competition to design the next generation of motorway gantries in the UK, National Highways have appointed Useful Studio to develop the concept through Preliminary Design. Working in close collaboration with Jacobs and Atkins Realis JV we have successfully reduced the carbon and material use by half and created a solution that minimises on-site works.  

Our design and technical innovations for the family of gantries aims to make them more elegant for every motorist. We have proven a carbon reduction, dramatic Capex and Opex cost reductions, and extended life by implementing a leaner, lighter steel construction without compromising the structure's strength and resilience.  The competition design is a significant first for National Highways and the Department for Transport. We have been able to prove how the government, acting as an innovation champion, can get better value and more sustainable performance from public funding by choosing specialist designers who are not normally part of the large infrastructure framework agreements. 

The architectural design of the gantries is evolving with the structural design work, ensuring a structurally efficient design that retains the environmental ambitions through reduced structure and material circularity. The elegant design will bring an identity to National Highways, reflecting the ambitious nature of this project.

Our gantry design 'family' has been pared right down to use low-carbon electric-arc furnace weathering steel to give the gantries very low maintenance. We have also scaled down all the key components to optimise their size and shape, leading to a 50% reduction in material for each gantry, and a further similar reduction by replacing the normal block foundations with a sculpted lean plinth.