Category Archives: Engineering

Working towards an engineering competition, we made one model of the entire span of the bridge showing one proposed design.  We then made three separate tower models showing alternative tower designs.  This way, our clients were able to present three different bridge concepts using just one large model.

For a brief nano-second, a universe (black holes and all) is created when an atom is smashed in one of several underground accelerators at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.  The scientists at SLAC have the capability and technology to measure and record these events in real time.  Buildings are constructed, remodeled, and removed as the […]

Tower Model (14″ x 16″; 27″ over water line) Road Section (24″ x 12″) This model was built to demonstrate the addition of pathways to the new Bay Bridge, enabling pedestrians and cyclists to cross the bay between Oakland and San Francisco.  The engineers needed to find a way to retrofit the West Span with […]

As the Bay Bridge engineers worked through the resolution of technical issues, we stood by ready to produce physical mockups or technical check-fit devices for them. These models addressed instances where a physical representation of a design was the best way to know if it would actually work.  The Bay Bridge Light Pole Pedestal was […]

When crossing the Bay Bridge (after the initial shock of the toll cost subsides) one rarely thinks about how painstaking it must have been to position each individual strand into a saddle in preparation for the mid-way turn.  With the help of color coding and numbering of every strand, this model was used as a […]

The lead engineer at Caltrans, in charge of the construction of the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, was convinced that the best way to save costs was to find and resolve all of the potential design constructability issues that would normally get resolved in the field ahead of time.  Having us construct the model, document […]

As you might have noticed, both the footing and the pier cap were made at an odd scale. The goal was to make the models as big as possible while still accommodating transport through standard doorways.  The engineering solutions that worked on the footing contract had to be shown to work at the pier cap—where […]

As you might have noticed, both the footing and the pier cap were made at an odd scale. The goal was to make the models as big as possible while still accommodating transport through standard doorways.  The engineering solutions that worked on the footing contract had to be shown to work at the pier cap—where […]

We CNC machined these odd-looking devices that were designed to be purely functional and dimensionally critical.  The actual sockets were made by different vendors abroad, and had to constrain to tight tolerances to fit just right.  The Bay Bridge engineers had the idea to build these check-fit devices to send to the manufacturer to ensure […]

This assembly-sequence bridge model section was produced for an engineering competition. Something seemingly so simple was actually a bit tricky as the model was required to maintain a higher tolerance in the construction of the parts for demonstration of the assembly of every part – a precision puzzle, if you will. Bright colors were used […]

Tower Anchorage Mockup (11’-4” x 13’-0” x 10’-0”) Tower Splice Mockup at elev. 114.0m (13’-5” x 10’-1” x 14’-9”) Tower Section Mockup at elev. 89.0m (13’-5” x 10’-1” x 13’-1”) These full-scale mockups were made for the purpose of design accessibility.  While a small scale model can clearly communicate components and their corresponding relationships, the […]

Tower Anchorage Mockup (11’-4” x 13’-0” x 10’-0”) Tower Splice Mockup at elev. 114.0m (13’-5” x 10’-1” x 14’-9”) Tower Section Mockup at elev. 89.0m (13’-5” x 10’-1” x 13’-1”) These full-scale mockups were made for the purpose of design accessibility.  While a small scale model can clearly communicate components and their corresponding relationships, the […]

Tower Anchorage Mockup (11’-4” x 13’-0” x 10’-0”) Tower Splice Mockup at elev. 114.0m (13’-5” x 10’-1” x 14’-9”) Tower Section Mockup at elev. 89.0m (13’-5” x 10’-1” x 13’-1”) These full-scale mockups were made for the purpose of design accessibility.  While a small scale model can clearly communicate components and their corresponding relationships, the […]

Tower Anchorage Model (17″ x 16″ x 12″) Tower Splice Model (16″ x 12″ x 18″) Tower Section Model (16″ x 12″ x 12″) Can you imagine being asked to build 3 full scale models of the new Oakland Bay Bridge Main Span Tower?  The question made no sense to us either, until we learned […]

Tower Anchorage Model (17″ x 16″ x 12″) Tower Splice Model (16″ x 12″ x 18″) Tower Section Model (16″ x 12″ x 12″) Can you imagine being asked to build 3 full scale models of the new Oakland Bay Bridge Main Span Tower?  The question made no sense to us either, until we learned […]

Tower Anchorage Model (17″ x 16″ x 12″) Tower Splice Model (16″ x 12″ x 18″) Tower Section Model (16″ x 12″ x 12″) Can you imagine being asked to build 3 full scale models of the new Oakland Bay Bridge Main Span Tower?  The question made no sense to us either, until we learned […]

This model was one of the original entries in the most recent Bay Bridge design competition, and it has also been used in public presentations, design review meetings, news reports, and even a groundbreaking ceremony.  While designing this model, we realized that the strength and durability of the suspension cables was critical.  The model would […]

This is an actual-size representation of a section of suspension cable as designed for the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.  It shows not only the overall size of the cable, but also what happens to the individual cable strands when compressed to make one large cable.  This colorful section model is on exhibition at the […]

This is an actual-size representation of a section of suspension cable as designed for the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.  It shows not only the overall size of the cable, but also what happens to the individual cable strands when compressed to make one large cable.  This colorful section model is on exhibition at the […]