engineering.
The Bridge to Impact panel discussion at the Roca London Gallery examined the challenges of rural isolation and the transformational power of bridges, showing how physical connections within our built environment can unlock social and economic opportunity.
Infrastructure shapes daily life, determining who can move, connect, and participate. The panel made clear that equitable access is not an aspiration but a responsibility.
As the speakers noted:
“When a bridge is built, it changes more than a landscape. It reshapes access to education, healthcare and livelihoods.”
Daniel Poku-Davies (Architectural Designer at Foster + Partners) and Max McDonagh (Senior Engineer and Designer at AKT II) reflected on Lord Norman Foster’s Millennium Bridge in London and connected with Bridge to Prosperity to help bring forward a series of discussions on the universal right to infrastructure.
The connection with Bridge to Prosperity (a non-profit organisation) not only helps raise awareness for the works they do in rural Africa but also reveals what it takes to develop infrastructure in developing parts of the world. Set against this backdrop of global need, the panel convened to examine the role of infrastructure as a catalyst for change.
Speakers including Johnston Businhe, Jon Dale, Alex Gault, Harbinder Singh Birdi, and moderator Martin Knight shared insights that will inform an implementable report for stakeholders, from local councils to global funders, outlining the policy and investment pathways needed to scale sustainable, inclusive infrastructure.
AKT II’s Director of Infrastructure, Camron Paton, positioned infrastructure as a human right, broadening the conversation with insight from global projects that centre dignity, inclusion, and community impact.
His perspective advanced the conversation, emphasising design’s role in advancing dignity and inclusion, and exploring how equitable access to infrastructure underpins social, cultural, and economic opportunity.
The discussion offered a clear reminder: infrastructure is not a privilege, but a right.
The week also provided a valuable opportunity for in-person connection. The entire Toronto studio gathered for an evening together, making the most of the rare occasion when teams from across continents can meet face to face.
