3D group bridge

For our task we had to create a bridge with a group that was a certain height and length, using only bamboo sticks, cardboard and tape. For planning we made paper designs individually, then as a group we discussed what design and structure would be the most successful. Our bridge had to be strong enough for a toy car to drive over it. For this we had to take into consideration the edges of the bridge so that the car wouldn't fall off. 

For our main structure we layered cardboard sheets on top of each other and laid the bamboo sticks alone the edges to hold the sheets together. The bamboo sticks also acted as an edge of the bridge so the car wouldn't fall off. 

To attach the bamboo to the cardboard we used a stanley knife to cut slits into the cardboard and we looped elastic bands around and tied a not to secure them. My team thought this was a neat way of presenting our structure and were very pleased with the outcome as this created a balanced and strong base for our bridge.

At some edges we taped along the cardboard just to give double secureness to the bridge top.

We were only allowed to position our bridge in two points on the floor so we positioned out points just off centre as we thought this was the weakest point of the bridge. For the structure of the legs we clustered together bamboo sticks and created an upside triangle so that all the sticks met in one place. We created this triangular shape as throughout the tasks we all learnt that a triangle was the strongest and securest shape. Also visually it looked more exciting. We attached the legs to the floor with tape.

To give extra strength to the bridge we rolled up tape in long strips to create a wire like effect, which we attached to the table and to the legs of the bridge. This gave more support to the bridge without using our two points of contact with the floor.

The edge of our bridge was held up with bamboo sticks and was a ramp effect. This gave height to the bridge and gave different levels to the bridge which made it look interesting.

The end of our bridge.

Our final bridge which was successful in allowing the car to drive across safely.

Overall our bridge worked well and I enjoyed the task as I liked working with other people and exchanging our ideas. Our feedback was good as our bridge was minimalistic and effective, however the middle could have been made stronger which is something that my team and I could have improved. What I learnt from this task was that less is more as making something too complicated can ruin and idea and make the product ineffective. 

Our overall planning was good as we managed to create our bridge in the allotted time. We also managed to split the jobs up which was good so that everyone had contributed and made a difference to the product. This highlighted that planning helps with a products, however not everything was the same as our original plan which was good as it shows that you can change things as you go along to make them more effective.