Topic: Video of Towers Collapsing

[NorthAndre]

For my structures course in the University of Michigan architecture program, there is a project each year where students have to build towers out of thin baswood sticks.  The towers are then loaded with weights to see how much they can hold up.  My groups project will be due in a few weeks, but on the course website they posted a video compilation of the towers being destroyed from last year    Its all carnage, and kind of fun to watch.  Here is the link:
http://www.structures.tcaup.umich.edu/project/ARCH324_towers_compilation.mov

[RiverViewer]

That is hilarious, watching everyone jump back and hoot each time!

[mrnyc]

this is what the internet is for. funny stuff!

[tcj1985]

Maybe I'm just easily amused, but I haven't laughed so much in a long time!

[smackem81]

I did this type of stuff in high school. They gave us only 15 balsa wood sticks to work with to make a bridge with. Mine held up 115 lbs before it collapsed.

[J.Remy]

amusing, notice how seems like the same person is doing the hooting and hollering.

[NorthAndre]

I think it's the person holding the camera that is doing most of the screaming, lol.  Apparently the girl at the end of the video falls off the ladder, too bad the video doesn't go just a bit longer.

[RiverViewer]

I did this type of stuff in high school. They gave us only 15 balsa wood sticks to work with to make a bridge with. Mine held up 115 lbs before it collapsed.

That sure sounds like a lot of weight!  Were you the winner?  Any pictures of your bridge?

[David]

I thought this was going to be another 9/11 conspiracy thread.

Hayward post some pictures of some buildings you've designed :]

[smackem81]

I suppose I was the winner for that school year. I didnt hear of any of the othe physics classes having a bridge surpassing it. No pictures of it either. I didnt think anything special of it when I first made it, I was hoping at the time it could get something like 20 lbs just to get an A. When it finnaly decided to collapse, it was catastrophic failure under the weights. Not much left afterwards.

[NorthAndre]

I thought this was going to be another 9/11 conspiracy thread.

Hayward post some pictures of some buildings you've designed :]

I've been planning on uploading my architecture portfolio to my flickr sometime soon.  Currently its filled with a few random projects... some are on the main page.  http://flickr.com/photos/70205638@N00/

My group right now is working on our tower.  We have six people which is over the suggested 4, and we are all arguing about its size and shape.  We'll have to see how this one goes!

[Boreas]

It's only fun until there's an eye put out

[David]

I thought this was going to be another 9/11 conspiracy thread.

Hayward post some pictures of some buildings you've designed :]

I've been planning on uploading my architecture portfolio to my flickr sometime soon.  Currently its filled with a few random projects... some are on the main page.  http://flickr.com/photos/70205638@N00/

My group right now is working on our tower.  We have six people which is over the suggested 4, and we are all arguing about its size and shape.  We'll have to see how this one goes!

I like this one a lot.

[NorthAndre]

^ I'm glad you like it.  I've been revising it over and over, so I'm not sure what the final product will end up like


Anyways, today was the test day for our towers.  We held the weight limit + a bit more.  We are graded on weight and height along with style points.  Our tower scored perfect style points.  We were about middle ground as far as height in comparison to other groups.  While the minimum is just 3 feet, we had 6 feet, and another group had 8.5 feet!  The towers could weigh no more than 4 oz. and laminating members to create thicker ones was not allowed. 

I have a video of our tower being broken, but I'll upload it later.  Here's a few pics.  Only one person is required to be present to show the tower, so half of our group decided to sleep in.  Here's the 3 of us showing off our masterpiece before the carnage.




Perfect score from the judges!

[mrnyc]

ah ha radio tower style design -- yeah that seems like an excellent idea...and it sounds like it was. congrats on your tops score (like we had any doubt!).