A short presentation outlining the role civil engineers play in shaping our world

1. Building bridges with Kier

2. Famous engineers
 Who has heard of these people?
 Isambard Kingdom Brunel
 Designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge
in Bristol
 Chief engineer on the Great Western
Railway project, from London to Bristol
 Thomas Telford
 Consulted on the rebuilding of London
Bridge
 Built the Mensai Suspension Bridge on the
island of Anglesey, the longest suspension
bridge at the time
 Robert Stephenson
 Established the concept of the railway
 His Britannia railway bridge pioneered
a technique for building iron bridges
 Built the Victoria Bridge in Montreal, Canada
and bridges over the Nile for the Egyptian
Railway
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Thomas Telford
Robert Stephenson
Isambard
Kingdom Brunel

3. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
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At the London Olympics in 2012, a famous actor called Kenneth
Branagh played Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the opening ceremony

4. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
 Some of you might not remember the opening ceremony, but 1 billion
people around the world watched it!
 The opening ceremony included lots of things that make us proud and
important parts of our history.
 Isambard Kingdom Brunel is a famous engineer, and the work he did –
building bridges, railways and even the world’s biggest ship – made it
easier for people to travel and trade.
 His work during the industrial revolution
made him a celebrity in his lifetime,
and he – and the things he built – are
still very famous.
 There’s even has a university
(Brunel University) named after him.
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5. A world without engineers…
 Who here has been to London?
 And who has seen Tower Bridge and The Shard?
 They’re both very important parts of the London skyline, and as you can see
from this picture, London would look very different without them
 Tower Bridge took Sir John Wolfe Barry and his team of engineers eight
years to build. They started work in 1886 and finished in 1894
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6. And now it’s your turn!
 In groups of five, use the LEGO to build a bridge.
 It can be as long or as high as you like;
 The bridge must be in one piece;
 You don’t have to use all the bricks;
 Be creative!
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World record-breaking LEGO bridge at ICE in London

7. Thank you
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