Creative Engineering Design: Paper Tower Design Challenge
Copyright Alezzandra Diaz
Students work as civil engineering teams in small groups to design and construct model towers out of paper with minimal teacher guidance on completing the challenge. Each team is given limited supplies (three sheets of paper, tape, and scissors) and limited time (one class period), paralleling the real-world resource/cost limitations faced by engineers. Teams aim to build their towers for maximum height and stability to withstand a simulated lateral "wind" load.
Engineers brainstorm, design, and test solutions to real-life problems. For example, civil engineers who design new buildings are challenged to create homes, buildings, and skyscrapers that are both eco-friendly and structurally sound.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Identify ways to maximize limited supplies of paper to maximize tower height.
- Identify which designs can and cannot withstand the self-weight of the paper tower as well as a lateral wind load.
- Work effectively in small teams to communicate, plan, build and test a paper tower.