The Severn Bridge replica under construction. (Image courtesy of ICE.)
To build their replica, the ICE turned to one of their Gold Medalists, bridge engineer Dr. Robin Sham, to design the project. Using over 200,000 Lego blocks, the replica weighs three quarters of a ton. With the support of Claire Gott and her team of bridge engineers at WSP| Parsons Brinkerhoff and Bright Bricks, a team of professional Lego builders (Best job title ever?), the construction of the Severn replica took over 650 man-hours to complete.
While the construction of this massive replica is stupefying, the ICE didn’t undertake it on a lark. “Bridges connect people and places, both physically and emotionally. The ICE’s visionary LEGO Bridge project connects civil engineers with the public, demonstrating the monumental accomplishments of civil engineering,” said Sham. “Using familiar LEGO bricks to demystify and showcase the extraordinary feats of engineers, I hope the next generation will be inspired to consider engineering as a career.”
Not surprisingly, the Lego replica behaves much like a bridge constructed from steel and concrete. Just like any suspension bridge, the Severn replica uses cables to keep the roadway suspended, even exhibiting the fluid undulations that happen to real world bridges as the suspension cables dip and pull the roadway upward.
Whether the ICE’s plan to engage young people and push them towards engineering will work will take some time to figure out. What isn’t up for debate is that the more of these stunts that engineers can pull off, the greater chance they have to capture the imaginations of the next generation of engineers.
For more record-breaking engineering, read about the world's fastest human-powered vehicle or the dancing robots at the Qingdao Beer Festival.