how the skydance bridge was built

Oklahoma City SkyDance Bridge: for Sooner Spaces

HISTORY OF THE SITE AND PROJECT

2005-2006 Downtown to the River Studio

The letter from the mayor which has invited team SXL as only one of five to compete …team SXL is the underdog against internationally recognized larger firms..each team receives a $10,000 stipend to prepare their concept

OUTPUT TEAM

Most of us had not designed a bridge ..what we lacked in experience

we made up with passion

PART ONE OUTPUT TEAM

THE PURSUIT OF INSPIRATION

Oklahoma…where the wind comes sweeping down the plain…..

A history of aeronautics..from Wiley Post to modern defense weapons

Power from the wind: vertical structures are bold markers on the horizontal plane

Route 66 icons

PROCESS: DESIGN THINKING

May 2008

May 2008

May 2008

Single Truss – Twist June 2008

Wall Cloud July 2008

Wind July 2008

Single Truss Knife July 2008

The male scissortail courts the female by performing acrobatic maneuvers which involves diving recklessly towards the ground..this is known as the “skydance”

Oil rig structures, which have led to the state’s booms and busts, are analogous to the spirit of hardworking Oklahomans and the scissortail ..they achieve a lot with a little…bridges must also do the same

The first crude model

Gathering frequently and often very early in the

morning the team shares and debates ideas

July 2008

July 2008

Scissor July 2008

Aug 2008

After collectively spending over 1,400 hours…without any real pay (the $10,000 stipend was mostly spent on the model,

coffee and donuts)… the passionate team proudly presents their concept..which wins..a victory for the underdog

THE COMMISSION

INPUT PLAYERSCity of Oklahoma City

MayorPublic WorksCommunity

SHPOODOTWIND TUNNEL TESTINGOUTSIDE CONSULTING ENGINEERS (Modjeski and Masters)FABRICATORSPRODUCT MANUFACTURERSFHWAFEDERAL AVIATION

PART ONE OUTPUT TEAM DUKING IT OUT

July 2010: Working towards 90% SubmittalLong story short…$5M Budget expands to $12.8M due to forces beyond the team’s control such as changing codes, added requirements and scope by Client. At this point the Client informs the team that they must redesign the bridge to meet the new budget of $6.8M ..and by the way still meet the same deadline and provide an iconic presence. A challenging task to say the least.. …..However the team comes up with a new structural approach of using a truss bridge with the “bird” as an independent sculpture which is architecturally much closer to the original concepts and the budget goals are met. Success!

Engineering Issues Another long story told even shorter. Amidst working on the project codes

were changed which required an unprecedented increase in minimum

performance of the structure to withstand loads from wind from

multiple directions, seismic, ice, a vehicle driving over the bridge..ALL at the same time….Our engineers saved

the day and made it work..On time and budget

How Stan Carroll made it all work in 3d…..a screen shot of how he programmed the model…magical

The Creative Process within Fabrication

Oklahoma City SkyDance Bridge: Bridge to Design Thinking