Natural Materials Bridge

Hi, my name is Emily and I am a sophomore student at Map Academy in Massachusetts. This project was to design a pedestrian bridge that connected people with nature, while also allowing access to the conservation area for more people. This area has a concrete structure of a fish ladder that is difficult to cross for some people. The Stewart/ Person preserve in Kingston,Ma, has a trail that goes around a large pond that includes the fish ladder. I wanted to design a bridge that connects people with nature and makes it more accessible. I chose a design that used all natural materials to help blend the bridge in with nature .

20 twigs : 18 inches long, a quarter inch wide

raffia twine: 10 strips, 15 inches long

6 dried leaves, crumbled up

textured dirt colored paint

blue glossy paper for water

20 popsicle sticks

foam core board

mat knife

glue

I wanted to make a bridge that was all natural, so it would connect people with nature and fit the theme of the conservation land. The area of the conservation land is woodsy and has a fish ladder, so I thought that using branches and leafs and vines and twigs to make it seem woodsy and safe for the fish. I looked for an example that was already completed to use as a model for my bridge.

I made the rest of my model on small scale to show how it could be produced at the fish ladder. The bridge, when its life is over, can be reused for other things or can biodegrade.

This sketch is based on my inspiration bridge.

1 Gather the supplies

2 Made the layout (sketch)

3 Measured the supplies

4 Laid out the main supports

5 Weaved the twigs and vines and raffia

6 Glued popsicle sticks to make fish ladder

7 Painted dirt paint on the foam core and glued on crushed leaves

8 Glued blue glossy paper to look like water

9 Cut large branches for bridge supports

10 Glued bridge down

I was able to learn to apply the engineering process to the bridge project. I also learned about bridge designs and incorporated nature in the bridge design. I also learned how to make a scale model.