by admin
LBD:NY Design Educator Yves Roger (left); Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction students working on their bridge design project.
Tim Hayduk
Students in the design studio class taught by Yves Roger, AIA, at the Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction have been working on bridge designs for the past six weeks. This class of freshmen began their design challenge with an introduction to structural design basics. Students explored the physical forces of tension and compression as they are applied to a series of bridge types: arch, cantilever, truss, suspension, and cable stay bridges. We checked in with students Altius, Eli, Joelth, and Rifah as they were putting the finishing touches on their bridge models.
Tim Hayduk: Clearly you have worked hard on your design. What was your motivation?
Group: We made a bet with another group that we could build a stronger bridge with less material… But really, we wanted to get a good grade.
Eli: The Burj Khalifa — the idea of building something that big or bigger.
TH: What is the most important thing you learned during the process?
Rifah: How different materials hold up the weight of the bridge.
Altius: You can learn from each other’s mistakes.
TH: What was the most challenging part of the project?
Joelth: Building the arm at 130 degrees.
TH: Are you seeking out careers in architecture or engineering?
Altius: I like aerospace engineering. When I was little, I used to draw buildings and skyscrapers.
Witnessing these students working efficiently on their model for the cable stay bridge, one could easily imagine each student achieving their respective goals.
Learning By Design:NY provides school-based K-12 residency programs and professional development workshops to students and teachers. For more information, and to learn about ways to get involved, visit www.cfafoundation.org or contact Tim Hayduk at thayduk@cfafoundation.org.