On 28 October 2010, 23 teams of graduate and student ICE members participated in one of the most complex and demanding ICE NW Construction Challenges to date, held simultaneously at venues in Manchester and Liverpool.
Their task was to construct towers using only plasticine and straws. However with a constantly changing materials market and multiple regulatory changes throughout the evening the challenge was much more difficult than anyone first imagined.
In just two hours each team was competing to build the tallest tower. However materials were limited, each team only being allowed to purchase as much as they could afford. Additional money was awarded throughout the evening, based on teams correctly answering engineering themed quiz questions. The main focus of the evening was to highlight to these young engineers engineering uncertainty; to try to make them think about some of the real life difficulties that can occur when delivering a project. The main difficulty was that the prices of materials changed on a periodic basis, as did the regulations for what construction techniques were allowed. A scrolling news panel kept them up to date with global engineering events; however it was up to each team to decide what information to act on; whether to risk purchasing blue straws at a cheap price just after a blue straw bridge had collapsed, or whether it was worth buying yellow plasticine before research into its strength had been completed.
Despite one or two failures on the night, the majority of teams managed to construct a tower that complied with the initial brief and took account of all the regulatory changes that occurred throughout the evening. Several teams succeeded in constructing towers above 1.5m, much higher than originally envisaged. The winning team from Manchester were from Arup and constructed a tower to a height of 1.60m. However, they were narrowly beaten by a team in Liverpool from John Moores University, with a tower measuring a very impressive 1.62m.
Some creative solutions to the problem were thought up and the standard of many of the designs is a true testament to the quality of young engineers in the region. Congratulations to all those who completed the challenge.
The winning team from Manchester comprised Holly Cottrell, Clare Leech, Chris Lonergan and Ben Cohen. The winning team from Liverpool, and the region, comprised Joel Leyland, Michelle Ireland, Steven Dowell and Laura Menendez.
Pictures from this year’s challenge can be found at the links below:
Manchester:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ICENW.GnS/ConstructionChallenge2010Manchester?feat=directlink
Liverpool:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ICENW.GnS/ConstructionChallenge2010Liverpool?feat=directlink
The ICE NW Graduates & Students Committee are already considering plans for next year’s event, and are hoping to build on our success to date by promoting the concept in other UK regions. If you would like to get further involved or would be willing to offer corporate sponsorship please contact icecube@ice.org.uk.
For more information on the ICE NW Graduate & Student Committee or to get involved with any of our events and initiatives, see our webpage at http://www.ice.org.uk/nearyou/UK-Regions/North-West/Committees---branches/Graduates-and-students
Particular thanks go to all those who helped make the evening a success, especially our sponsors Liverpool John Moores University.
We hope everyone who competed enjoyed the competition and we look forward to welcoming you again at Construction Challenge 2011.
Chris Wood
ICE NW Graduates & Students Committee
November 2010