The ice bridge being built by a group of students from Eindhoven University of Technology in Finland, has collapsed. It was to be the largest ice bridge in the world, but thaw has caused the record attempt to fail.
According to Arno Pronk of Eindhoven Technical University, the pressure on a large balloon became too great, and it tore. The balloon was keeping the bridge up. It is also just really bad luck, say the builders. According to Pronk, it’s extremely unusual for it to thaw in central Finland at the beginning of February. The rain was the last straw; it softened the ice completely.
The idea was that the students would build an ice bridge 9 metres high, spanning a distance of 35 metres. In addition to forty students from Eindhoven Technical University, pupils from Summa College and Sint Lucas School in Eindhoven were working on the project, bringing the total number of participants to 190. Universities from, among other Ghent and Helsinki were also involved.
The students were more successful in previous years, when the largest ice dome and ice roof were built.
Source: Studio040
Translation: Lizzie Kean (LinkedIn)
