The Millennium Bridge links Gateshead with Newcastle

Jim Eyre, who designed the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, is being presented with a Gold Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineers on Thursday.

He is praised for the way the bridge has made people think about the link between architecture and engineering.

The last President's Medal was awarded in 2000.

I look at the problems and try to resolve them in an interesting and elegant way Jim Eyre

The so-called "blinking eye" bridge links Gateshead with Newcastle and uses a unique tilting mechanism to open.

Designed with engineers Gifford & Partners, the bridge spans 105 metres over the Tyne and tips to allow 25-metre clearance for boats.

In 2002, the bridge won the Stirling Prize for Architecture and the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Design. It also featured on a series of stamps on innovative engineering structures.

Mr Eyre said: "My inspiration often comes from the design constraints themselves. I look at the problems and try to resolve them in an interesting and elegant way.

"Sculpting, shaping, getting the lines and detailing right are part of the pleasure of design but it's sometimes a battle to keep it intact.

"Good engineers understand the importance of good design."