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Bridge Building Competition
2007
The SAICE International Bridge Building Competition has been provisionally booked to take place at the St Alban's College in Pretoria from 30 August to 1 September 2007. More details on this and the regional competitions hosted by each SAICE branch, including relevant documentation, will be posted on this page at a later stage.
For more information, contact Zina Girald at SAICE, Tel: +27 (0)11 805 5947 or [email protected].
2006
DOWNLOAD THE FINAL RESULTS - Please note, this document is in MS Excel format format
DOWNLOAD THE MAP TO THE VENUE - Please note, this document is in .pdf format
LINK TO THE VENUE WEBSITE
DOWNLOAD BRIDGE BUILDING APPLICATION FORM FOR 2006 - Please note, this document is in MS Word format
DOWNLOAD INDEMNITY FORMS - Please note, this document is in MS Word format
DOWNLOAD BRIDGE BUILDING RULES - Please note, this document is in MS Word format
DOWNLOAD THE PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME - Please note, this document is in .pdf format
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Please contact Zina Girald at National Office to make your contribution to this worth while event on +27 (0)11 805 5947.
During the course of Thursday, 27 July 2006, the bridge building winners from SAICE Branches countrywide, as well as three teams from Zimbabwe, made their way to Maropeng (meaning returning to your place of origin) in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site north-west of Krugersdorp for the final stage of the competition. The learners were very curious about this rather different bridge building venue and, after a restful night in the learners’ accommodation on the wonderfully quiet hilltop where city lights do not diffuse the star-speckled sky, they eagerly gathered in the Tumulus Building, the first of its kind in the world. This unique building is designed to look like an ancient burial mound from the front, but upon exiting one looks back on a very modern structure. The interesting architecture is symbolic of the journey through the evolution of life.
After an informative presentation by a bridge engineer on the stresses and strains to be taken into account when designing bridges, the learners got down to the gruelling business of planning and measuring, of cutting dowel sticks and of glueing them together to form sturdy bridge structures, all the while racing against the clock, because mid-afternoon was tools-down time.
Looking at the meticulously constructed bridges drying in these ancient surroundings later that afternoon, one could not help but marvel at how man has advanced technologically!
After having exchanged their daytime T-shirts and track suits for school uniforms, the teams gathered again in the Tumulus Building for an evening of nerve-racking testing of their bridges. Excitement mounted, hopes soared and some dreams were shattered as one team after the other brought their bridges forward for testing. The camaraderie that had developed among the various competing teams during their stay culminated in an evening of shared emotions.
The very excited winning team, Hoër Tegniese Skool Daniel Pienaar from the SAICE Algoa Branch, scored a total of 103.98 points. Second was Hoër Tegniese Skool Drostdy from the SAICE Western Cape Branch, scoring a total of 98.47 points, with St Johns College of Zimbabwe third at 97.72 points. The entrants from the SAICE Durban Branch, Port Natal High School, who scored a sturdy 90.97 points, received a consolation prize. Our heartiest congratulations to these teams!
News from our branches & neighbouring countries...
THE SAICE ZULULAND BRANCH BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION
 The winning team from the Nkosithandile High School and their teacher
KRANSKOP SCHOOL WINS BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION
Gabriel Khwela, Mxolise Mthembu and Cornelis Grobler, of Domino Servite Secondary School near Kranskop, won first prize in the SA Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE) bridge building competition with their model of a timber bridge, which, although weighing only 160g could resist a force of 79kg.
“The winning bridge is always the one with the least weight capable of carrying the highest load,” said Kobus Burger, the regional organiser. “SAICE hold the schools model bridge building competition annually with the objective of promoting an interest amongst learners in science and technology and hopefully encouraging them to follow a career in civil engineering,” he said.
Invitations are sent out at the beginning of each year to all secondary schools in Pietermaritzburg as well as to rural schools within the greater Pietermaritzburg boundaries. Schools are issued with timber slats, glue and hints on the construction of lattice bridges. Each school may enter two teams and they have two weeks to construct their bridges. This year structures were tested using the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s test rig and testing was overseen by Prof. Deneys Schreiner.
The competition was held at Howick High and sponsorships for the building materials were received from PMB Moulding and Permoseal, with the Department of Transport sponsoring airplane tickets for the winners to take part in the national competition in Johannesburg later this year.
For enquiries about future competitions, please contact Kobus Burger on +27 (33) – 347 1841
ENGINEERING PROFESSIONS ASSOCIATION OF NAMIBIA - 2006 Young Engineers’ Construction Project: Bridge Building Competition
This year’s event took place on Saturday 17 June 2006 at the Windhoek Technical High School in Academia. The EPA Vice-President Mr. Fritz Jeske officially opened the event, welcoming students and teachers and wishing them all success in the competition.
A record number of fifty teams from all corners of Namibia consisting mostly of three members each participated in this competition. This year’s winning bridge weighed 153.8g and carried a load of 98.9kg. The winning team, made up of Charlotte Rechholtz, Oliver Pieters and Felix Fleissner, was from the Deutsche Höhere Privatschule in Windhoek. The team from Walvis Bay High School took the second place and another team from the DHPS in Windhoek took third place. The first three teams received cash money for each team member and a cheque for their school, the prizes amounting to N$750.00 per team and school for the first prize together with a floating trophy, N$600.00 for the second prize and N$450.00 for third prize respectively.
In his closing remarks the EPA Vice-President Mr. Fritz Jeske encouraged students to consider engineering as a career. Some of these scholars are our country’s future engineers. Competitions such as this help to stimulate additional interest in those, who may consider engineering as a profession besides promoting the industry as a whole to scholars, laymen and current engineers alike.
Our congratulations go to all participants in the competition for their enthusiasm and camaraderie, but in particular to the winning teams and respective schools. A special word of thanks goes to the EPA judges, Mr. K Detering, Mr. J Leicher and Mr. F le Roux, as well as Mrs. Retha Landsberg, Mrs. C Langeveldt and Mr. T du Toit of the WTHS for their kind assistance and technical support on the load testing of the bridges.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following firms for their kind and generous sponsorships:
Windhoek Consulting Engineers
V K E (Namibia) Inc. Consulting Engineers
Africon Namibia Consulting Engineers
Lund Consulting Engineers
Seelenbinder Consulting Engineers
Penny Pinchers and Timber City
Democratic Media Holdings.
The day ended with a small cocktail function to which the participating teams, accompanying teachers, parents, sponsors, guests and members of the EPA were invited.
Qualified to partake in the international bridge building competition hosted by SAICE on 28 July 2006 in Johannesburg the winning team accompanied by an adult will fly to South Africa should the EPA meet the challenge of raising further funds to cover the costs for this trip. Any donations / sponsorships are welcome and will be greatly appreciated.
SAICE DURBAN BRANCH BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION
The Durban Branch Bridge Building Competition was the very first competition to ever take place in the history of SAICE. The competition has come a long way in attracting young school learners to join the civil engineering profession.
The Durban Branch Competition 2006 had an extensive selection of schools taking part, many of these previously disadvantaged schools. The teams made their way to the N Shed at the Durban Harbour at 9am on the morning of 24 May. Excitement prevailed when two bridges ended up carrying the maximum weight of 1500 grams. Unfortunately, one of these two teams had to be disqualified due to a technicality. The winning team was the Durban Port Natal School.
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- The winners, Port Natal High School...
- The winning bridge
- ...hard at work...
SCENES FROM THE SAICE PRETORIA BRANCH BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION
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SAISI KROON BRUGBOU-WENNERS
Die Suid Afrikaanse Instituut van Siviele Ingenieurswese (SAISI) het pas die beste brugbou-skool in Bloemfontein, vir 2006 aangewys. Hoërskool Sand du Plessis se A-span sal die Bloemfontein-tak verteenwoordig tydens die komende nasionale Brugbou-kompetisie wat in Johannesburg op 28 Julie 2006 gehou word. Nog ‘n span van “Sannies” het boonop die derde plek verower vanjaar!
Skole van in en om Bloemfontein het sake in die Boet Troskiesaal op die hoofkampus van die Sentrale Universiteit vir Tegnologie, Vrystaat, in Bloemfontein uitgespook.
Hierdie gewilde kompetisie, waarin skoolspanne van al die materiale en die ontwerpvereistes voorsien word, het homself die afgelope dekade reeds gevestig as ‘n opwindende manier om skoolleerders se skeppende vermoëns en strukturele insig te toets. Die brug, wat die grootste massa kan dra tydens die lastoets, word bekroon as die wen-brug.
Die prysgeld van die eerste 3 plekke in die Bloemfontein-streekfinaal, was as volg: 1ste plek - R2400, 2de plek - R1800 en 3de plek - R1200.
Tydens die Bloemfontein-tak van SAISI se kompetisie was die uitslae soos volg:
- H/s Sand du Plessis (A) : 41,15 kg
- Grey Kollege (C) : 18,00 kg
- Sand du Plessis (C) : 17,40 kg
- Jim Fouché (A) : 15,50 kg
- Jim Fouché (B) : 10,90 kg
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- H/s Sand du Plessis (A-span) : Wenners van die jaarlikse SAISI-Brugboukompetisie : Bloemfontein-tak.(v.l.n.r) Karl Crouse, David du Toit, Janico Louw en Mnr Jurie Vermaak (SAISI-verteenwoordiger en kompetisie-organiseerder)
- H/s Sand du Plessis (A) met hul wen-brug in die jaarlikse SAISI Brugbou-kompetisie: (v.l.n.r) Karl Crouse, Janico Louw en David du Toit
UPINGTON BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION
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- Upington Branch winners, Hoerskool Upington
- Coming in second were Hoerskool SC Kerns
- ... and in third place, Hoerskool Duineveld
AMATOLA BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION
The team from Hudson Park High School taking the victory
BRIDGE BUILDING COMPETITION AT “THE BRIDGE” SHOPPING CENTRE - PORT ELIZABETH
The Algoa Branch of the SAICE recently held it’s annual bridge building competition in Port Elizabeth.
A unique part of the event was the staging of the event at “The Bridge” Shopping Centre which is a shopping centre built over a main roadway in Port Elizabeth. The competition was therefore more in the public eye than previous events and SAICE and engineering in general attracted quite a bit of attention.
Nine local schools took part with a total of eleven bridges being tested.
We presented quite a challenge to the schools this year with the maximum weight of bridge (built out of very small section wood strips) being 200 grams.
Daniel Pienaar School from Despatch built the winning bridge, which supported a mass of 65kgs over the span of 650mm. They will now represent the Algoa Branch Region at the National Competition in Johannesburg later this year. The same school won the local competition last year and were the first SA team at Nationals last year so we expect them to come back to Port Elizabeth with the trophy.
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- Algoa Branch winners, Daniel Pienaar Hoerskool and Geoff Roberts, the branch chairman
- The chairman with the runners up, Hoerskool Despatch
- All the bridges displayed before destruction
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