First we looked at and discussed the bridges in our local area and then we looked at pictures and videos of famous bridges in Ireland and around the world. Most of them were really amazing and beautiful to look at.
Before we designed and made our own bridges, we investigated how the design of a bridge can determine its strength. We used A4 paper and coins and made simple test bridges across 2 piles of books. Next we sketched our designs and then we got to work in groups building our designs. We used a variety of waste materials from home such as cardboard, straws, cardboard tubes from tinfoil, wire etc. We had to ensure that our bridge was strong enough for the traffic crossing it but it also had to be pleasant to look at. These photos show us at work and also show the finished bridges.
