![]() ![]() Hoërskool Jim Fouché from Bloemfontein was third with their bridge weighing 149g and carrying a load of 126.1kg before breaking. They had an extremely high aesthetics point of 58.5 and their total points came to 224.3. Brackenfell High School from Cape Town came second with a bridge weighing 135g which failed at 111.9kg. The winning school was HTS Kimberley with a bridge weighing 162g which collapsed carrying a weight of 162.5kg! Their aesthetics point was 46.5. ![]() Each and every team’s bridge was tested to destruction to ascertain its weight-bearing capability. Excitement mounted, hopes soared and some dreams were shattered as one team after the other brought their bridges forward for testing on the rigg. Before the destruction, each team had to give a briefing on how the pandemic of the past year and a half influenced their design. The teams, after having exchanged daytime T-shirts and tracksuits for school uniforms, gathered for an evening of nerve-racking testing of their bridges. The bridges, adjudicated by a panel of engineers, were judged according to a system where aesthetics consisting of design, correctness and aesthetics accounted for 30% of the total and the weight of the bridge and its weight carrying capacity making up the rest. Schools came from as far afield as Bloemfontein, Durban, Ermelo, Kimberley, Pietermaritzburg, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Cape Town to fight for the much sought-after trophy and cash prizes for the winners. The sponsors were Peri, WBHO, BVi, JG Afrika, RiChem and SAASTA, without which this competition could not succeed. It has since become an enormous success and is enjoyed by learners across the country. The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) initiated the bridge building competition more than 29 years ago to further high school learners’ use of mathematics and science in an engineering context to grow the profession. The finals of the National Bridge Building Competition was held at the St George Hotel in Doornkloof, Pretoria on 27 August 2021.
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