Bridge Project: Bahrain Bayan School

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Please share a brief background of your innovation.

The Bahrain Bayan School Bridge project started in January 2022 with an aim to foster students’ leadership and innovation. It all started in a meeting with the Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Medhat Merabi where a vision to extend our current campus was shared with the math department. Mr. Merabi believed in students’ creativity and innovation; therefore, he asked for their full involvement in designing a bridge linking both campuses ensuring a safe and easy passage.

How was it planned?

A team of students from the Math and Art departments worked together to accomplish this task. The team met at different times with Dr. Bashar Ahmadi, one of Bahrain’s finest engineers and entrepreneurs who explained some engineering norms and concepts and gave students some directions on how to start their project. Afterward, the team went on site and took different measurements. 

The art department under the leadership of Miss Amy Teranvergara proposed and executed the current design and use of mirrors and reflections visualizing students’ growth from primary to high school.

Bahrain Bayan School students applied different mathematical concepts to provide different calculations needed to support the weight of the bridge under the supervision of the math subject leader Mr. Antoine Fayad. The team had different meetings with Dr. Ahmadi who transferred his knowledge and experience to the team and redirected them on the right track and helped them overcome different difficulties such as how to design comfortable stairs and how to make the best use of the space they had to design a realistic though futuristic bridge.

Did you face any challenges in the implementation?

The bridge was fully designed by Bahrain Bayan students; those students have no experience in either engineering or architecture; however, the students showed dedication and perseverance to accomplish this project. Different meetings with Dr. Ahmadi were of high importance in clarifying many engineering norms for the students. 

Another difficulty was the change in plans of the new building has been shifted and moved into the designated parking spot which exposed the students to real-life challenges and how to overcome unseen obstacles.

Brief assessment of the results

Bahrain Bayan school students worked hard for almost 3 months to accomplish the task given; such projects are encouraged by the school board of trustees and administration.  

Despite all difficulties, students were able to produce a bridge fully designed by them; this experience reflects the high academic and creative level of Bahrain Bayan School students who are designed to be future leaders.

Lesson learned and how we could make things differently

Bahrain Bayan School students showed a high level of intelligence; they are self-learners, risk takers, and good communicators. Once their imagination was unleashed, the students were able to produce beyond their age level. They presented with confidence their work to dr. Bashar Ahmadi and other board members. However, interviews with engineers and field visits to some sights would have been of great help for the students for future projects.

Special thanks to Mohammed Khalifa Al Ghatam, Sharifa Talal Al Mannai, Yara Khalid Bin Thani, Ali Abdulameer Al Jeshi, Ali Wael Al Maraghi, and Abdulla Sameh Al Thawadi for their dedication and perseverance.

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