Knight Architects has won two design competitions for bridges - one in west London and the other in Germany.

In London it has been appointed by European Land to create a 20m moving footbridge across the Grand Union Canal at Merchant Square, Paddington Basin.

It will feature a 3m-wide cantilevering deck hinged at its north end and raised using hydraulic jacks. The deck is formed from five fabricated steel beams that open in sequence. 

Twin rows of stainless steel rods form the balustrades and overlap to give a filigree effect. The handrail houses an LED downlight to guide pedestrians.

Practice founder Martin Knight, who worked on the Stirling Prize-winning Gateshead Millennium Bridge at Wilkinson Eyre, said: “In motion it will be an eye-catching kinetic sculpture whose silhouette is both legible and exciting and which is well suited to the position on Sunset Terrace next to the canal.”

In southern Germany the practice also won first prize in the competition to design a 270m tram, bike and pedestrian bridge over railway lines in Ulm.

Since going solo in 2006, Knight has designed more than 40 bridges including eight in Stratford City and the Athlete’s Village and four that move. The largest of these, the £14 million Lower Hatea Crossing in New Zealand, is on site.