This was our second attempt at the ultimate structure. To say we did not make any concessions would be a lie. At first we believed the arch would span both cubicles without the use of the center cubicle divider. We also believed the arch could be built without using temporary supports made out of DVD spindle cases. We were wrong on both these fronts, but our results were not disappointing.

It took perhaps a full 3-4 weeks of building to reach the point the bridge is at now. We started with the belief that a double thick base would create in the end a stronger bridge. What we found was that those tapes could better be used elsewhere.

We drew diagrams and used mathematics. We ran small scale mock arches to figure out the tape-to-arch ratios. All the math in the world, though, could not prepare us for the trials of the spirit brought on by the construction. True knowledge of the arch came only from touching the tapes, feeling their weight, lifting the unfinished bridge, feeling it’s sheer mass. This is how we were able to make decisions without thinking. This is how the arch became instinct.

Posted in Construction

Tags: bridge, build, Construction, lego, vhs