Aurecon schools bridge building competition launched for 2014

Global project delivery, engineering, and advisory services provider Aurecon has this week launched its Bridge Building Competition for 2014, with online registration now open.

We invite all secondary schools to register a team for this event, which will be held at 11 different locations. The competition is open to Year 8 and 9 students in Australia and Year 9 and 10 students in New Zealand. Students compete in teams of three by designing and building their own bridges made of balsa wood, string, glue and cardboard using guidelines and materials provided by Aurecon.

The bridges are then put to the test on competition day in August using a specially built rig to see which school’s bridge can withstand the heaviest load before failing. Guest judges will also score the bridges on aesthetics, creativity and workmanship.

Participation is free and prizes are awarded to schools and students in each location for first, second and third place, along with a prize for the overall competition winner.

Bill Cox, Aurecon’s General Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: “The aim of the Aurecon Bridge Building Competition is to provide insight into engineering as a career choice for students, and to provide a fun and challenging environment for students to put their skills in teamwork, creative thinking and innovation to use.”

Competitions will be held in the following locations in 2014:

Australia
• Gladstone
• Mackay
• Northern Territory (Darwin)
• NSW/ACT (Sydney)
• South Australia (Adelaide)
• South East Queensland (Brisbane)
• Victoria (Melbourne)
• Western Australia (Perth)

New Zealand
• Auckland
• Christchurch
• Wellington