The Brunel Experience

The Clifton Suspension Bridge designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, spanning the Great Avon Gorge, at Bristol, was completed five years after his death in 1859. It was Brunel's first bridge design. Our teams of students are given a challenge to design and build their first 1.5 metre suspension bridge. Their bridge must be strong enough to carry two people; be attractive; be the cheapest bridge possible; and be as strong as possible and the bridge must be designed and built in three hours within strict criteria for the use and cost of materials. The students must use materials "purchased" at a "store". with a selection limited to: bamboo canes; plastic tubing; cellulose tape or balls of string using information from research materials and demonstration models, the programme identifies the specific components of the problem and presents the results of the student projects.