Engineering Now .: Volume 3 - Edition 8 .: March 2007

The 2007 City of London Design Competition: 10 Years of Bridging School and Practice

By Audrey Korol

This Steel Tied Arch to replace the existing Meadowlily Bridge was designed by Diamond Engineering, one of the two teams tied for first place at the 2007 City of London Design Competition. Artist rendering by Projected Images.


The 10th annual City of London Design Competition once again showcased high caliber student designs. Thirteen teams of fourth-year Civil and Environmental Engineering students had eight minutes to present and impress the judges with their innovative designs Tuesday, March 6, 2007 in the Spencer Engineering Building.

Students have been working since September with faculty and external faculty advisors to develop solid design solutions for one of two design projects: (1) design alternatives for the rusting 90-year old Meadowlily Pedestrian Bridge in London’s south-east end which has fallen to disrepair; and (2) an environmental project in residue management for the Elgin Area Water Treatment Plant in Port Stanley.

A panel of judges from the City of London including Mr. Ian Blevins, Mr. Michael C. Hannay, Mr. Brian Hayman, Mr. Vic Morris, and Mr. Wade Young spent nearly five hours evaluating the student designs in the afternoon. Their judging was largely based on innovation and level of design challenge, aesthetics, value and presentation. After viewing the student presentations during the evening, the judges made their final decision – with a little twist!

“We have decided two teams demonstrated equal amount of work and thought,” the judges explained. “Both teams deserve equal recognition.”

The judges then announced the first place prizes of $1,500 to:
Trott Environmental: Jonathan Cooper, Ryan Crowley and James Little
Diamond Engineering: Peter Garbacz, Brian Nourse, Shari Robitaille, Dana Tessler and Jeffrey Thomson

Second place prize of $750 was awarded to:
RMRD Associates Inc.: Johnathan Hagan, Dustin Gravelle, Sean Lalonde, Robert Mara, Steven Parker

Fourth-year Civil Engineering student Stephen Black was excited to hear the judge’s final results. “After months of hard work, it’s fun to see what teams come out on top,” he says. Adding, “I had such a great time working on this project because it reflects the real-world competitive environment I’ll soon face when I graduate.”

Western Engineering professor Mike Bartlett emphasized this point during the competition. “The purpose of this competition for students is a bridge between school and practice.”

Click here to read the Western News story, London bridge is going back up

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Contact

.: Allison Stevenson
Spencer Engineering Building, Room 2074
Telephone: (519) 850-2917 Fax: (519) 661-3808
contactwe@eng.uwo.ca