Creative work process: B+G Internal Bridge Competition
As planners in the field of architecture and civil engineering, we bear a great responsibility for developing and designing the built environment. An open attitude and creativity are prerequisites for fulfilling this responsibility.
Creativity requires an open environment, free space and a good culture of discussion without prohibitions on thinking. The design result is rarely just the elaboration of an idea but rather the result of a long development process in a team of experts.
On the occasion of a publicly announced ideas competition for a pedestrian and cyclist bridge, a team from Bollinger+Grohmann's "Parametric Workflow Group" launched an internal office bridge competition for over 30 colleagues from various branches. (Short clip of the entire session)
During a virtual meeting, the participants were introduced to the previously unknown task and the requirements and necessary essential files (a Rhino3D and a Karamba3D template) for further processing. Nine teams worked on the task, retreating into virtual rooms for two hours to develop and elaborate their designs.
Afterwards, they met again to present the results. The spectrum of designs not only shows the variety of possible solutions from a creative process but is also testimony to the different tools and methods used to generate designs.
A jury awarded their scores according to previously discussed criteria such as Workflow, Innovative Process, Craziness, Elegance, Structural Performance, etc. and finally selected the winning design.
Meanwhile, we started to organise small internal idea competitions in advance for selected projects in which the structure also plays a significant role in the design of the building, such as bridges, roofs, towers, etc., sometimes also with the participation of the architects. These competitions are somewhat sketchy in developing an idea or a direction.
The playful approach and the collaboration with colleagues beyond the daily project work not only strengthen the team spirit but are also an expression of our attitude with which we as engineers want to meet the global challenges in the future: With cooperation, creativity, a willingness to experiment and, of course, a lot of fun and passion.
© Bollinger+Grohmann
