Birtday-Party

Bridging the Gap

Constructing, building and testing

A child working on the model of a bridge.

Model of a bridge
© Architekturzentrum Wien

Bridges shape the face of our landscapes and cities. They are an important part of the built environment. Arched bridges, chain bridges, suspension bridges, monkey bridges, cable-stayed bridges or body bridges – in the Architekturzentrum Wien you can learn more about the construction and history of this important engineering structure. In the framework of the workshop we take a playful look at different kinds of bridge structures. Compression and tension forces are explained with the help of structural exercises. Equipped with a scale, a level and other tools we build our own bridge. We test its bearing capacity above an area of water – let’s hope no one gets wet!

Children build a bridge at a scale of 1:1.
A bridge for the gap
© Architekturzentrum Wien
School students present their model of a bridge.
A bridge for the gap
© Architekturzentrum Wien
Two children test the forces in a bridge with their own bodies.
Testing with your own body
© Architekturzentrum Wien
Children try out the forces in a bridge with their own bodies.
Testing with your own body
© Architekturzentrum Wien
A child walks across a suspension bridge she has built herself.
Suspension bridge
© Architekturzentrum Wien
A child walks across a suspension bridge he has built himself.
Suspension bridge
© Architekturzentrum Wien

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