With the help of Spin Master Corp., Queens University Belfast’s Civil Engineering Department completed The Big Bridge Build, which spans nearly 100 feet across Belfast’s Clarendon Dock. This past Saturday, officials from Guinness World Records confirmed the bridge is the world’s largest Meccano structure.
Academics and students from the university’s School of Planning, Architecture, and Civil Engineering built the bridge with the help of local schoolchildren. The project is part of an outreach program to encourage more children to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
At Saturday’s official opening for the bridge, which will remain on display as a temporary installation, the students celebrated their achievement by walking across it for the first time.
“We are truly in awe of this remarkable achievement,” said Ben Varadi, executive vice president and chief creative officer, Spin Master Corp., which owns and producers Meccano. “Spin Master is incredibly proud that this timeless and iconic toy, invented over a 100 years ago, continues to inspire the world’s future architects and engineers.”
Numbers for The Big Bridge Build, according to The Guinness World Record:
Length of Bridge: 28.5 meters (96 feet)
Longest Span of Bridge: 14 meters
Height of Bridge: 6 meters (26 feet)
Weight: 600 kilograms
Pieces of Meccano: 11,000
Nuts, bolts, washers: 60,000
Total length of Meccano pieces (laid end to end): 3,835 meters
