Gingerbread, bridge, contest, Minions, candy canes, architectural

Holiday Fun: Benson Earns 2nd Place in a Local Architectural Gingerbread Bridge Design Competition

Benson Industries recently participated in an architectural gingerbread bridge competition sponsored by SFA Design Group LLC a structural engineering firm in Portland http://sfadg.com/

Bridges were judged in 3 categories:

  • Architectural Design (people’s choice)
  • Braced Structural Design
  • Unbraced Structural Design

The Benson team bridge “Minion Christmas to All” took 2nd place for Architectural Design. Unfortunately, the bridge was compromised during relocation to the testing apparatus, and the candy cane struts proved too strong, pushing out the base during load application, so the bridge only held about 100 lbs.

In the ‘Unbraced Structural Design” category, Benson came in second with the winning bridge carrying about 15 times the load of Benson’s. The other category, “Braced Structural Design” allowed the other bridges to use the sides of the testing apparatus to provide extra support for their bridges.
 
The Benson team had a lot of fun and are very thankful for the opportunity to participate. We will be ready for a rematch next holiday season!

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