During the design week held between 7th – 11th November, 2016, at the University of Brighton (UoB), we had to undertake an architectural design project that required designing, preparation of a physical model and preparation of a poster explaining the design and the model making process. The project was planned as a group activity and also involved a presentation by each group to a jury panel on the final day. Our group consisted of two members from the UoB including myself and three 6th form members from Hazelwick School; who joined us on Monday, Wednesday and for the presentation on Friday. I had been appointed as the group in-charge.
View of the Newport Transporter Bridge (Newport City Council, 2016)
Newport Transporter Bridge: Gondola suspended on cables (Newsquest Wales, July 2015)
All the groups were named after prominent bridges for motivation and to provide a professional feel. Our group was named as the ‘Newport Transporter’. Transporter bridges are movable bridges that work like ferries suspended on cables slung from tall towers, and are used to move people and goods from one bank of a river to the other. This arrangement allows for ships to pass underneath and eliminates the need to build long approach ramps that are otherwise required to build a conventional bridge that high. The gondola or platform is pulled using hauling cables attached to the motors running it.