The Science&Engineering and Art&Design Saturday Clubs at Kingston University London had a Masterclass with Simple Works, focusing on structural engineering practice and design. 

The session began with a short warm-up activity where Club members discussed their favourite structures in small groups. Examples included the Sagrada Família, Big Ben, The Shard, the Tower of London and the Vincent Centre. Simple Works then delivered an introductory presentation covering who they are as an organisation, what engineering is, the purpose of structures and what inspires good structural design. 

The main activity was inspired by the work of Frei Otto and explored tensile structures through natural forms such as soap bubbles and spider webs. Club members were challenged to design and build their own tensile structure, considering its purpose and intended users. Working in groups of around five, they had 20 minutes to design, followed by 30 minutes to build. Using materials such as paper, clips, straws and wood panels, they created physical models and explored engineering concepts through creation. 

The results included a Blue Lagoon installation, an arena, a museum caterpillar, an entertainment venue and a redesign of Kingston University.