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The exhibition
Victorian engineers were the first to build bridges across wide, deep natural gorges and treacherous waters like the Menai Strait.
Today we build bridges across far greater distances and can see off even greater engineering challenges. Yet the principles remain the same.
In 2016 ICE celebrated the very best of bridge building with a major exhibition spanning three centuries of bridge engineering achievements.
Its centrepiece was a 31m suspension bridge built entirely from LEGO and overseen by some of the world's top bridge engineering talent. It was awarded the Guinness World of Records certificate for the longest ever span (16m) of a bridge made of LEGO.
The Evolution of Bridges
We've come a long way since the Romans figured out how to cross a wide river using timber.
The timeline below contains some of the most spectacular examples. Starting in 1826 with the Menai Suspension Bridge and culminating with some of the most stunning modern bridges.
1826
Menai Suspension Bridge
First iron suspension bridge of its kind in the world, built by civil engineer Thomas Telford.
1850
Britannia Bridge
The bridge's tubular design allowed the trains to run through the middle of eight wrought iron tubes, rather than on top as would have been expected.
1864
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Closely associated with designer/engineer Isambard Brunel and at 214m spans the deep Avon Gorge.
1966
Severn Suspension Bridge
Designer/engineers Dr. William Brown and Sir Gilbert Roberts created the suspension bridge across the River Severn which replaced a ferry service.
1973
Bosphorus Bridge
Designer/engineer Dr William Brown's bridge across the Bosphorus Strait reconnects Europe and Asia for the first time since 512BC.
2008
Sutong Bridge
The 8.2km bridge connects the people on either side of the Yantze River, China, reducing commuting time and boosting the local economy.
Building the Lego Bridge
Find out about the engineering skill that went into our LEGO bridge record-breaker.
The LEGO bridge idea
Claire Gott MBE, civil engineer at WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff, on location at the Severn Suspension Bridge, explains why ICE decided to attempt the world record for a bridge made out of LEGO.
The design and testing of the LEGO bridge
Dr Robin Sham FICE, global long span and speciality bridges director at AECOM, explains how the bridge shows what civil engineering is and what civil engineers do.
The world record attempt
Nick Woodrow, Director CEMAR, explains how he came up with the idea in the first place. Built by Bright Bricks, the team spent a month building and testing the 33m bridge offsite. They used over 200,000 LEGO pieces that weighed half a ton.
Bridge selfies
We asked you to snap yourself in front of your favourite bridges. And you did - in droves. Here's a selection of our favourites.
click on a pin to view a selfie
Explore the exhibition online
To see the detail of what's in our Bridge Engineering exhibition, or if you're unable to make it to London, take the virtual tour below.
How can I become a civil engineer?
If you want to be a civil engineer, have the right academic subjects and attitude you can start making your career choices right here.
Partners
The following sponsors provided valuable support of the Bridge Engineering exhibition.
Meet civil engineers
Hear first-hand stories about what it's like to work as a civil engineer.
