On Friday our class took a trip to the Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo Piers. There we had to sketch both, the Brooklyn, Manhattan Bridge, as well as, columns and beams in an old bean factory. Through sketching and observation, we pin pointed the structural elements of both bridges and careful details of the structure. We concluded the flow of all the steel cables, how each cable distributes the tension to the main columns of the bridge. How the cables on the Brooklyn Bridge are different than that of the Manhattan. Clearly being, since the Brooklyn Bridge was built first, the granite that was used to create the structure is not as sturdy, as the steel that was later use to create the Manhattan Bridge. Hence why the Manhattan is smaller in scale. (Less material used). We also sketched the beams and columns and joists in the old bean factory. Since the buildings structure was mainly brick, large columns were places sort of like a grid in the building. So this can keep the building from collapsing. Through our site visits, I have a greater appreciation for all three locations. I see why certain elements in a structure are the was they are. I am getting (little by little) a clearer understanding of how a structure is maintained.
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