Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel and why is he famous?
– He designed Paddington Station, Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge and a network of tunnels, bridges and viaducts for the Great Western Railway. He was also responsible for the famous bridge over the Tamer at Saltash near Plymouth. Where is the longest bridge in the world? – The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan is the longest suspension bridge in the world and spans three-quarters of a mile. Construction began in 1988 and it took 10 years to complete. Activity 2 – Ask pupils to now think now about building their own bridge in the classroom. To prepare they will need to think about which Standards will be important when designing their bridge, for example weight of traffic crossing the bridge, location of the bridge, materials the bridge is made from, will the bridge need to withstand particular weather conditions. Further information on Standards applied to bridges can be found at the beginning of these notes. In pairs, pupils should brainstorm the Standards they wish to use for their
