Bridge Building

CAT’s bridge building workshops are a great fun way of introducing teams of pupils to the structural forces all building designs need to account for and the impact this has on selection and use of building materials.

The activity provides a foundation from which other building material properties can be considered, including life span and sustainability.

Workshop Overview

Pupils are introduced to the key forces bridges and building are designed to resist, the strength and weaknesses of different materials, the impact of section profile and at the principle of triangulation. Working in groups, they then design, build and test a model bridge to destruction. These are constructed using art straws and low temperature glue guns and the finished designs are compared by ratio of breaking load to bridge weight.

Key Info

• Duration 120 mins
• Suitable for KS 2-4
• Focus on STEM subjects
• Covers the primary forces buildings are designed to resist, material selection and the effect of shape and structure
• £120 per session (up to 20 pupils)

Enrichment Activities

This workshop works well combined with a CAT site tour which covers the use of building materials on site.