It’s a project out of every architect’s childhood fantasy: a 100 foot (31 meter) long suspension bridge, constructed completely out of LEGO.
Envisioned as part of the ongoing Bridge Engineering exhibition at London’s Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), the massive bridge utilized over 250,000 individual LEGO bricks in shattering the World Record for the longest LEGO suspension bridge. Stretching further than the length of three London City Buses end-to-end, the bridge weighs in at over 1,600 lbs (75 kg).
The replica of the Severn Bridge, designed by certified LEGO professional Duncan Titmarsh and his company Bright Bricks with consulting from ICE Gold Medalist Dr. Robin Sham, took a team of builders nearly 650 hours to construct. The bridge was first assembled, and the world record broken, at Weydon School’s sports hall in Farnham, Surrey, before being relocated to its place within the Bridge Engineering exhibition.
“Bridges connect people and places, both physically and emotionally,” said Dr. Sham. “The ICE’s visionary Lego Bridge project connects civil engineers with the public, demonstrating the monumental accomplishments of civil engineering. 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.”
In addition to the LEGO bridge, the Bridge Engineering exhibition also features a tour of notable bridges throughout British history and an interactive zone that encourages people to design their own bridges. The exhibition will be on display until April 2017.
Check out the video below to see how the LEGO bridge was designed and assembled, and learn more about the event here.
News via ICE, H/T Interesting Engineering, Londonist.
