Download - China Bridge Project Portfolio

Chinese Bridge ProjectLehigh University

Spring 2011 - Arch/Asia/Rel 297

Sponsored by The Henry Luce Foundation

Winter

Table of Contents

Bridge Building Team

Project Overview

Dream Bridge

Playing with Stereotypes Alexander Gault and Lexi White Andrew Maier and Drew Mayer Rob Asselin and Mumin Gengcoglu Tom McMurtrie and Michael Moore Dream Narratives

Structural Analysis of the Rainbow Bridge Type Rob Asselin and Andrew Maier

Rainbow Bridge Construction

Preliminary Bridge Configuration Harvesting the Cedar Timbers Milling White Oak Decking Site Preparation Foundation Construction Timber Preparation Decking and Hand Rail Fabrication Dry Run Assembly Structure Assembly Fabricating Sub-Decking Applying Decking

The Bridge Dedication and Lehigh Qingming Festival

The Lehigh Chinese Bridge

A Tribute to our Fearless Leader

Glossary: The Terms and Tools of a Fluent Chinese Bridge Builder

Acknowledgements

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Student Participants:

Chinese Bridge Project - Arch/Asia/Rel 297 - Spring 2011

Andrew MaierRob Asselin

B.S. in Civil EngineeringB.A. in ArchitectureClass 2011

B.S. in Civil EngineeringB.A. in Architecture

Class 2011

Tom McMurtrie

B.A. in ArchitectureClass 2012

Lexi White


Drew MayerMichael Moore

IDEAS:ArchitectureMechanical EngineeringClass 2012


Mumin Gengcoglu


Alexander Gault


Hau Yu Hin (Billy)

B.S. in Mechanical EngineeringClass 2013

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Norman Girardot

University Distinguished

Professor inReligion Studies

Studio Instructors:

Tony Viscardi

Marcus Brandt

Professor of Architecture

Master Craftsman

Wang Dongning

Visiting Post-Doctorate Research

Fellow

Visiting Scholars:

Ronald Knapp - SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus at SUNY New Paltz Lectures: Siting and Situating Chinese Bridges; Beyond the Gate, Beyond the Paper, and Beyond the New Year: Ornamentation and The Chinese Home

Zhao Chen - Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture, Nanjing Universiy, China Lecture: Tectonic and Urban Studies, My Reinterpretation of China’s Architectural Tradition

Chen Xia - Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Brown University Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China Lecture: A Daoist View of Ecology: The Co-existentence of Dao and Wu and the Inter-relationship between Humans and the Natural World

Liu Jie - Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China Lecture: Traditional Chinese Wooden Structures: Technical and Historical Evolution

Tom Peters - Emeritus Professor, Department of Art, Architecture, and Design, Lehigh University Lectures: Cultural Aspects of Wooden Bridge Design: An Attempt to Understand Traditional and Modern Western and Chinese Construction Forms; Building the Rainbow Bridge in Jinze in 1999

Chinese Bridge Project Principal Investigators:

Ben Yen - Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Le-Wu Lu - Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dan Frangopol - Fazlur R. Kahn Professor and Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Constance Cook - Professor of Chinese, Director of the Lehigh in Shanghai Internship Program, Department of Mondern Languages and Literature

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The Chinese Bridge Project at Lehigh University

A panoramic Chinese scroll painting from the 12th century, “Along the River During the Qingming Festival/Qingming Shanghe tu,” depicts the Rainbow Bridge, a unique “woven timber” structure at the center of vividly detailed Song dynasty cultural and social life. The Lehigh Chinese Bridge Project takes inspiration from the Rainbow Bridge and employs project-based study and an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural “bridging paradigm” as a vehicle to construct enduring interdisciplinary and cross-cultural bridges between Lehigh and China. Engaging students and faculty from multiple disciplines at Lehigh and at partner institutions in China (Tongji University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and University of Science and Technology in Beijing), the Chinese Bridge Project advances Asian and Chinese Studies at Lehigh and promotes the university’s commitment to international and interdisciplinary education.

Another important development during the first two years of the project (2009-2011) has been the creation of the Lehigh Chinese Heritage Project. Under the leadership of Dr. Wang Dongning, the Heritage Project has engaged a dedicated group of faculty and students to explore Lehigh’s special historical connection with China. Through a “Digital Bridges” course, a team of Lehigh undergraduate students from the United States and China are researching, documenting, and disseminating information about the

lives and accomplishments of Chinese students who have attended Lehigh since 1879.

During the Spring semester 2011, students in engineering, architecture, art, and science were engaged in a culminating multidisciplinary studio both to design and model cross-cultural “dream bridges” and to construct a working pedestrian model of a bridge combining traditional Chinese techniques and philosophy with contemporary principles (Arch/Asia/Rel 297 The Chinese Bridge Project Studio, 5 credits). Students from the Heritage Project “Digital Bridges” course will document this studio on film and on the internet, framing the Chinese Bridge Project through Lehigh’s distinctive history. These two courses will be complemented by a series of guest lectures, in-class and all-university presentations, a symposium on China sponsored by the Global Studies Program, and a Qingming festival celebrating the completion of the Chinese-style pedestrian bridge on campus.

The Chinese Bridge course initially explored common preconceived stereotypes about both Eastern and Western cultural habits and traditions. These preliminary discussions helped to drive the first design project emphasizing the connection of East and West through the Dream Bridge exercise. The major focus of the Chinese

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Rainbow Bridge, Jinze, China. Photo Credit Andrew Maier

“Rainbow Bridge” of the Zhang Zheduan’s Song Dynasty Painting, “Along the River During the Qingming Festival”

Bridge Project then quickly shifted to the construction of an innovative interpretation of the Rainbow Bridge. As a group, the students in the design studio created models to further develop design ideas throughout the semester to help guide the physical building of the full-scale bridge. Students assisted with the entire design and construction process from harvesting raw materials to assembly and final detailing. The entire building phase was under the inspired guidance of the master craftsman, Marcus Brandt, who was instrumental in the reconstruction of the Rainbow Bridge in China as depicted in the NOVA documentary film. Surely all of the work accomplished the Spring 2011 semester will serve as inspiration to future students involved with the final phase of the Chinese Bridge Project, the design and construction of a pavilion and Chinese-style garden landscape.

“Bridge - a time, a place, or a means of abstract connection or reconciliation…. The bridge gathers to itself in its own way earth and sky, divinities and mortals.”

– Martin Heidegger

“A Chinese bridge and bridges in general are (yes) something to stand on and (also) a worldview or symbol hiding a sacred story or myth (which is also to stand on or to live on). It is the link, connection, yoke, ligature connecting earth and heaven – a kind of “third term” connecting the two banks of reality.”

– Norman Girardot

Dream BridgeConsidering the cultural implications of East and West

夢之橋

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西方

东方

Playing with StereotypesAn excercise in understanding

cultural similarities and differences

Western BankAlexander Gault ‘13Lexi White ‘12

The Dream Bridge Process

The Western bridge includes material and form that embody an aggressive and protected position. The bank is created with a combination of stone and concrete to demonstrate a power-ful western view. The geometric foun-dation is extruding towards the east with overwhelming strength. The high rising structure deals with contrast of order in the grid foundation and chaos of the stone façade. The wooden truss acts as elongated support as they cross towards the east.

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Eastern BankAndrew Maier ‘11 Drew Mayer ‘12

The team’s eastern interpretation of a dream bridge is deeply rooted in the traditional, undulating landscape. The patina screens, however, shroud the terrain. Each screen is developed from the repeated form of a triangle, through which a weaving structure carries the glass bridge deck. The glass creates visual intrigue by enabling the daring bridge-goer to see the water below, as well as reflections of the structure and copper screens.

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Negotiating the connection between two fundamentally different bridges poses a significant challenge. Yet the character possessed by each bridge became apparent as the two melded together. The parasitic growth of the eastern bridge engulfed the strong western bridge, much like the growth of a vine using the strength of a host tree.

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Western BankRob Asselin ‘11Mumin Gengcoglu ‘13

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Eastern BankTom McMurtrie ‘12Michael Moore ‘12

The Dream Bridge ProcessThe Eastern bank was generated from a look at not only the dichotomy between East and West, but also of that between traditional and contemporary style. We defined stereotypes of traditional China as “rooted,” “orderly,” and “contained” and contemporary China by contrast as “tenuous,” “organic,” and “expanding” and subsequently sought to express these adjectives in material and form. A stacked orthogonal grid of notched, interlocking wooden beams comprise a broad foundation that alludes to traditional Chinese dougong principles. From this highly regular structure emerge sinuous bands that suggest an affinity for nature as wells the movement toward contemporary times. The bridge that ascends from the systematic bank of tradition embodies contemporary China’s leap into globalization – with Plexiglas and steel that reflect its surroundings much as China integrates foreign influence. While crossing to the Eastern bank, one path gives rise to two, two to three, and the three lead to the “ten thousand things/everything” in a reference to the Daodejing (Chap. 42).

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The design process for this Western Bridge began by creating lists of adjectives that described what we think the West represents: refined, modern, bold, established, protective and organized. As the lists grew, the strongest words were selected and reorganized into word clouds like the ones seen on a previous page about east/west stereotypes. These adjectives were then used as inspiration in our selection of materials; ultimately we decided to make use of copper paneling, a wood frame structural system, and metal cables as secondary supports for the cantilevered bridge form. The materials helped dictate the bridge’s form through a process of experimentation and countless conceptual sketches. The final form represents the typical journey of a hero, a winding path full of both physical and mental challenges progressing from bank to bridge as it cantilevers out into space.

The joining of east and west bridge halves involved marrying two diverse design vocabularies in a fashion that allowed for a compromise of form while still permitting each half to maintain its own cultural identity.

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As I wander through the Western outback, I wonder about our future relations with China. When will our two highly achieving societies learn to work together? Will we ever be able to co-exist, or is one nation destined to swallow up the other? These thoughts worry me as I continue my journey to the unknown Eastern bridge. At last, I see a monumental structure in the distance. I hurry to find a stone cave structure resting on the Western bank. My path splits into two, and I must choose my route to continue onward. I stare down both ways uncertain of where they lead. I see beams of sunlight shining through a stone arch at the top of a ramp ahead. Uncertain but still curious, I begin to walk up the left ramp. There are massive columns driven into the ground, which must be concrete. It looks cold and tough beneath the path. The columns are actually wrapped with wires that seem to be growing like ivy on a building. All I can focus on is the opening ahead of me. I keep walking toward it. When I look up, there are only the flat stones resting on the ordered columns. I feel trapped inside the bank until I finally reach the light. It is an overwhelming rush to suddenly be on the bridge and hear the roaring water beneath my feet. The façade I exited from is layered with sharp rock. Beams I noticed from inside the bank are leaping aggressively towards the other side.

The Eastern bridge appears strong, I feel nervous because I cannot see where the path is going. Enormous copper plates faintly reflecting the sun block my vision. The infesting wire is wrapped around thin wooden rods that run back as far as I can see. I continue walking down the bridge and feel a sense of anxiety as I near the halfway point. I pass beyond the reli-able and dependent Western beams and now the thin Eastern rods and wire are taking over. I cross the threshold from the wooden path to the transparent pathway of the Eastern bridge. To my surprise the transition from West to East was simple and comfortable. The two pathways have merged into one, and the strength has been transferred to this second, Eastern half. I don’t even look back, as this new experience is quite enchanting. I have come face to face with these copper plates and feel the texture of the weathered surface. It is apparent this metal has existed for many generations, as it is faded and dull. The pathway curves and I follow it the rest of the way. This new Eastern bank is simple and organic. Broad sweep-ing curves run through the leveled terrain and give off a welcoming vibe. Crossing over to this mysterious Eastern bridge has proved to be quite an amazing journey. I was hesitant at first to leave my comforting Western cave, but when I learned what was on the other side, it seemed foolish to not take advantage of this new world. I felt a shift from geometric order to a simple organic form. This bridge seems to relate significantly to the questions I had posed about U.S. relations with China. It is possible to leave the world you are accustomed to, to learn and benefit from the other shore. Although the copper-plated side seemed to be engulfing the Western rock with its wire tentacles, both sides were able to join together in a mutually supportive way.

-Alex Gault

道A tree as great as a person’s embrace springs from a small shoot;A pavilion nine stories high begins with a pile of earth and stones;A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. 千里之行，始於足下

Daode jing, Chap. 64, adapted from the Gai-fu Feng and Jane English translation.

West to East

Dream NarrativesThe Dao of Joinery

As I took my first step out onto the transparent, nearly invisible walkway, I thought back to my reasoning for starting this journey. Not remembering any good reason to be doing this, I decided to focus on my more perilous situation that was at hand. A friend had, after all, warned me it was quite a treacherous journey to the Western bank, but I pressed on. Since I found I had nothing to worry about as far as the transparent floor, I decided to take in some of my surroundings. Looking down, I see that the walkways are supported on what looks to be an ancient duogong platform rising up out of the water, and I am suddenly unsure of my footing once again. I continued through the archways regardless, and looking up, I see that the entire system of walkways is quite populated with people going from or to the Western bank, and I also notice the large steel arches rising up out of the darkness of the foundation, bounding

East to West

Duogong

forwards like an overeager puppy towards the Western bank. Through the gates, the substructure gave me a bit more security seeing as it was (or at least seemed to be) solid steel. About halfway across I made the mistake of looking back, which shattered my sense of security once again. I saw that the steel itself was supported by that ancient wooden structure, and not much else.

I decided it was not wise to look backwards any more, and instead looked forward to the massive suspension structure holding up the other half of the bridge. I hurried toward the more stable looking western side of the bridge, but had to stop where the bridge took a right turn, and spent a moment in awe. Huge monolithic copper walls rose out of a reflecting pool, and the water ran down into the black abyss. Realizing I was also above the abyss, I hurried on until the bridge surface changed to a translucent glass structure. Unfortunately at this point, I hit my first real hurdle. Less of a hurdle, in fact, and more of a twenty-foot brick wall! Less of that actually, and more of a twenty-foot vertical gap between where I was and where I wanted to be! Luckily there was a rope ladder that must have been left by the brave people before me, and I proceeded, very nervously, to climb up. The relief at being on solid ground was short lived, as I looked on and saw the series of more vertical gaps yet to be crossed. However, I knew I had to press on. Then I realized I was now nearly across and stepping onto solid ground, my fear of falling was gone. I continued on between the huge copper walls, admiring the reflections in them, until I reached the side of the reflecting pool. I nearly expected there to be a sign congratulating me, saying, “You made it!” But it was more subtle. I was rewarded instead with a look into the reflecting pool, and a view of what I had just crossed. I looked into the reflecting pool and tried to remember why exactly I had decided to embark on this incredible journey to the Western shore. Nevertheless, I decided to see what this other world had to offer.

-Mike Moore

Two-Piece

Three-Piece

Stable Unit

Final Configuration

Structural Analysisof the Rainbow Bridge Type

A modern structural understanding of the intuitive, traditional buidling methodBy Rob Asselin and Andrew Maier

彩虹橋的結構分析

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Tributary Width Assumption:

Loading Assumption:

Width

P

Tributary Width:

Loading Assumption:

Students conducted a systematic study on the traditional Chinese Rainbow Bridge type of construction to assess the possibility of reinterpreting the basic structural concept using modern materials. The focus of the analysis was on the unique ability of the Rainbow Bridge to act as a hybrid structural system, combining structural concepts typical of both arch and beam systems. Simply stated the bridge is made up of a variety of interwoven wooden members that, when loaded, lock together to create one single structural unit that transfers the loads from the deck to the foundation supports. A major finding that dramatically differed from the NOVA reconstruction was the relative insignificance of massive abutments. The students set out to simplify the complex bridge form so that future analysis may be completed quickly and accurately as the reinterpreted bridge design progressed during the design studio.

(Left) The loading assumption and tributary area diagrams portray how the typical bridge deck loading was reduced to individual loads running axially through each of the members.

(Right) The structural response models for the uniformly loaded and asymmetrically loaded bridges display the differences in member deflection and internal member flexure.

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Hybrid Arch-Beam Response Mode

Legend: Blue = Min (-), Red = Max (+)

Assymetrical Loading Case:

Column-like Behavior Beam-like Behavior

Typical Uniform Loading Case:

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Full Page Image

Rainbow Bridge ConstructionExploration of the traditional ancient Chinese bridge type

“Bridges have always helped bring people together. You can see it today.

People from both sides of the river are now more closely connected. But the rainbow arch is also a bridge across time,

from the present to the past.”

-Professor Tang Huan Cheng

彩虹橋

Research based on the work of Tang Huan Cheng, Tom Peters, Zhao Chen, and Liu Jie

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Preliminary Bridge Configuration and Site Plan: March 15, 2011

Bridge Site on South Mountain, Lehigh University Campus

Chalk Line

The original Rainbow Bridge form was composed of a three-piece arch interwoven with a four-piece arch; however our studio opted to diverge from the typical structural design and create our own new structural interpretation. Using the same interweaving concept we simplified the structure by reducing the number of members required. The group designed a system, which involved interconnecting a two-piece arch with a three-piece arch.

The simplified system not only reduced the number of logs that would be needed, but it also provided a more effective method of supporting the deck in the reverse curvature section as the deck bends back towards the ground plane.

These slight alterations required a great deal of intense geometric preparation. Numerous students aided in creating detailed working construction drawings portraying the required lengths and angles of each of the different pieces. The goal was to reduce the number of errors during bridge construction by creating an accurately drawn model early on in the design phase.

Upper Sayre Drive

To A

rt P

ark

84.0

0

67.8

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Dao

Path

Str

eam

Proposed Future Pavilion Site

Bridge

Rock Mound

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Tongji University Workshop, Rainbow Bridge Schematic Model

Lehigh Chinese Bridge, Structure

Schematic Design Drawing for Lehigh Chinese Bridge

Traditional Rainbow Bridge Schematic Diagram

Modified Lehigh Rainbow Bridge Diagram

16’

22’

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Harvesting Cedar Timbers: March 20, 2011

Students committed extra time on a Sunday to visit a wood farm in nearby Bucks County to harvest cedar logs to be used for the structure of the bridge. The group made a conscious effort to select dead trees to cut down to mini-mize the environmental impact of our class’ project. Logs were cut to 12 and 8 foot lengths before being hauled to a clearing for transport to Lehigh.

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Peavey

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Milling White Oak Decking: March 31, 2011

Woodmizer Sawmill

A professional tree doctor helped us fell a large white oak tree located within yards of the bridge site. He began by climbing up into the tree canopy to remove the crown and all of the small branches before dropping the primary trunk. A great effort was made to roll the log into position for rough sawing; the large log was cut into planks to be used for decking and handrails by a mobile sawmill machine that we were able to make use of for an afternoon.

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Site Preparation: March 14 - March 25, 2011

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Foundation Construction: March 21 - April 1, 2011

Scot’s Derrick

The stone foundations were built using traditional stone masonary techniques and stone found on the site. The Scot’s Derrick was crucial to moving stones far larger than anyone could carry. No mortar was necessary, as small gravel and rocks were used from the stream to solidify the foundations. A laser level ensured both sides were equal in height and level.

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Foundations Image taken with no people

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Foundations Image taken with no people

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Timber Preparation: April 4 - April 10, 2011

Spokeshave

After harvesting the cedar trees, it was time for the timber preparation. Using drawknives and spokeshaves the students stripped the logs of the bark and portions of the sapwood revealing the creamy wood below. Chisels and axes were used to clean up the knots creating straight smooth timbers, ultimately used in the rainbow structure of the bridge. Though the process was labor intensive and time consuming, it was important to remove the bark and create a finished surface.

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Draw Knife

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Decking and Hand Rail Fabrication: April 12 - April 14, 2011

Steam Box and Steam Generator

All of the decking and handrails were created from large planks that were harvested from the single white oak tree that was dropped adjacent to the construction site. Deck boards were cut to 4.5 inches wide by approximately 7 feet long, and the two handrail pieces were cut to 8 inches wide by 21 feet long. The top edge of both handrails was rounded off using drawknives and planes while a gliding T-bevel was used to add a drip edge along the bottom side. Each handrail was then placed inside a steam box to make them more malleable and receptive to our curved form. The bending of each handrail required numerous hours clamped to the form before the shape began to take hold.

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Dry Run Assembly: April 12, 2011

Once all structural cedar members had been fully prepared for construction a mock assembly was completed in the parking lot adjacent to the design studio. The group planned how to best assemble the structure so that the real construction on site could be completed as quickly as possible. Marcus introduced us to the square-lashing knot to help serve as a temporary connection between the cedar logs and transverse members. Next students practiced raising each side of the bridge and interweaving all of the remaining structural members.

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Square Lashing

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Structure Assembly: April 14, 2011

After completing the dry run assembly the group reconvened on the bridge site to begin the final structural construction. The process began with the aligning of the two outer H-Frame components atop the stone foundations. As the Chinese would say, this involved the weaving of a 八, ba/figure eight form (a set of three large logs), with a 人, ren/person form (two large logs). Temporary scaffolding logs were used, giving students the ability to more easily work at an elevated level with the large cedar timbers. Each timber was thread into place before using rope to lash the components together. As the final structural components were added and the bridge began to settle, the temporary lashings were replaced with hand-prepared wooden pegs. The pegs, seen in the bottom right, allow the structure to continue to settle while maintaining a rigid shear connection at each of the joints.

47Trunnels and ChiselFid (Marlin Spike)

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Throughout the construction of the entire bridge, no metal fasteners were used. Proper lashing techniques were applied in order to maintain the approximate structural form until the connections could be drilled and pegged with wood trunnels. Throughout all of the construction, Master Carpenter, Marcus Brandt, showed us the way or Dao of dealing intimately and effectively with the grain or qi of wood.

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Photo Credit Ryan Hulvat

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Completed Woven Rainbow Structure

Photo Credit Andrew Maier III

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Hole HawgChinese Hatchet

Fabricating Sub-decking: April 14-22, 2011

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Spirit Level

Schnitzelbank

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Beetle

Applying Decking: April 22-26, 2011

The application of bridge decking was a careful process that involved laying out all of our deck members to create the most level deck possible. The beetle hammer was used to drive four angled boards into place at the peak of the bridge. These pieces helped to drive out extra space created by any warped members as well as allow for future adjustments as the wood continues to dry out and shrink.

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Rawhide Mallet and Chisel

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Not even adverse weather conditions could hinder our progress, as the rain was diverted by the big blue tarp. Also, a small fire kept the pesky bugs away.

Full Page image or Word cloud?

Photo Credit Andrew Maier II

The Bridge Dedicationand Lehigh Qingming Festival

理海中国桥落成典礼2011年清明节

纪念19世纪第一批在理海学习的中国留学生们

April 28, 2011

建橋慶典理海清明節

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A Celebration of the Coming of Spring, the Chinese Ancestors that Came to Lehigh in the 19th Century, and all of the bridges – real and metaphorical – that link Lehigh and China

Shaman (Tom Bierowski) and his Acolytes

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Occurring 104 days after the winter solstice, Qingming is both a day in April to honor and remember the ancestors and a celebration of the coming of spring. The name Qingming means “clear and bright” and refers to the spring-like days on which the festival falls. With newly green grass, budding trees, and running water, Qingming marks the rebirth of nature and the beginning of a new planting season. During the Qingming festival, Chinese families visit and adorn the final resting place of the ancestors with flowers and offerings of tea, wine, paper money, and food. It is a time of celebration and happiness that signals the coming of spring with warmer weather and family outings. Like the traditional Qingming festival, a celebration of life that serves to reunite the Chinese family with ancestors and honor the arrival of spring, Lehigh’s Qingming will honor the ancestors of the original Chinese students who studied at Lehigh back in the 19th century and will celebrate Lehigh’s ongoing ties with China. The ceremony will include a joyous ritual procession with costumes and Willow tree branches that will help to dedicate the construction of a traditional Chinese “Rainbow-style” pedestrian bridge on the Lehigh campus. In the spirit of honoring both tradition and innovation, as well as the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to education, the dedication of the Lehigh Chinese bridge and the celebration of Lehigh’s own special Qingming festival will be a unique “bridging” of Chinese and American people, culture, and history. These festive events will, at the same time, celebrate the coming together of the university, the surrounding local community, and the world.

In England, Germany and parts of North America, the pre-Christian tradition of “wetting the bush” still survives. Acknowledging the forest’s sacrifice to supply the building material and to appease the old gods, the topping-off celebration culminates with the nailing of a pine bough to the highest point of the structure. Strong drink should then be drunk in quantity.

Photo Credit: Ryan Hulvat

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Photo Credit: Ryan Hulvat

The Shaman’s Invocation

“Looking at the good things all around us / smiling at the people that don’t believe / our happy ways may raise a question / there is no answer except in our dreams...” (Song Excerpt from “Happy Ways” by Joe Walsh)

And this now appears among us: a bridge.

The bridge, an ancient and enduring mode of transport that takes us from here to there, from where we are to where we’re going to be.The bridge is a ship that moves not an inch, yet enables the journey to continue nonetheless.

This bridge, like all others, was invisible at one time...A dream, a thing imagined in the mind, designed in the brain, and, at length, made visible and useful thanks to your very own hands.It is now a solid wonderment to take us from who we are to who we are going to be.

Is this bridge a dream? Nay!

From here on in, it is just the lack of a bridge that is life’s only illusion.Children of the mist, it is time.

It is now time to cross over!

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Chinese firecrackers sound the Way across

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Crossing over with stone in hand

The Lehigh Chinese BridgeWe, the Bridge Builders, say let them pass.

理海中國橋

The ancient Chinese tradition of Feng-shui, 風水, – the art of siting human life and constructions auspiciously within the cosmos – begins with understanding the presence of the Dao in nature and in humanity. . . .

The true learning of Feng-shui begins when we acknowledge our place in the universe, not a dominant place, but one that has its role in the scheme of things. This recognition and acceptance allow us to perceive and work in harmony with the energies present in the natural and built environments. - adapted from Eva Wong

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Photo Credit Tom McMurtrie

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Woodworker Ch'ing carved a piece of wood and made a bell stand, and when it was finished, everyone who saw it marveled, for it seemed to be the work of gods or spirits. When the marquis of Lu saw it, he asked, "What art is it you have?"

Ch'ing replied, "I am only a craftsman - how would I have any art? There is one thing, however. When I am going to make a bell stand, I never let it wear out my energy. I always fast in order to still my mind. When I have fasted for three days, I no longer have any thought of congratulations or rewards, of titles or stipends. When I have fasted for five days, I no longer have any thought of praise or blame, of skill or clumsiness. And when I have fasted for seven days, I am so still that I forget I have four limbs and a form and body.

"By that time, the ruler and his court no longer exist for me. My skill is concentrated and all outside distractions fade away. After that, I go into the mountain forest and examine the Heavenly nature of the trees. If I find one of superlative form, and I can see a bell stand there, I put my hand to the job of carving; if not, I let it go. This way I am simply matching up `Heaven' with `Heaven.' That's probably the reason that people wonder if the results were not made by spirits."

- Chapter 19, Part 10 - Chuang Tzu/Zhuangzi (Burton Watson translation)

The Dao of the Chainsaw

Photo Credit Andrew Maier II

A Tribute to our Fearless Leader

Marcus Brandt

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Missing: Drew Mayer

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At the outset, I greeted the opportunity to do this project at Lehigh University with some trepidation. I usually teach young folks on a one-on-one basis on a job site. In a studio setting, with a dozen hormone-addled students barely out of their teens, I feared it would be something akin to herding cats or trying to nail Jello to the wall. Rather than just letting them get their feet wet, I rowed them out to the middle of the lake and tossed them in. It got their attention and after a bit of sputtering, they started swimming. We worked in the woods harvesting trees, played in the water and mud to build the foundations, and saw the skills needed and dangers faced with moving heavy things. They all got pretty adept with the drawknife, Schnitzlebank, hole-hawg, ax, adze, chisels, beetles and mallet. They learned steam bending, deck caulking and how to pay pitch into a seam. They put up with me yelling at them when they were doing something dangerous or backwards. They suffered my stories and bad jokes. They learned not to give up and to pull together despite the long odds, rain, mud and chill. For me, I knew we had achieved something wonderful when, on the last day, with everyone waiting to cross the bridge, I looked up from the work at hand and saw all the students like busy beavers getting the last touches of the bridge done using skills that they didn’t know they had six weeks earlier. I’m indebted to the Professors and Administrators that made this project possible. I’m in awe of the students and will be following their future progress with interest. -Marcus Brandt, East Greenville, PA, May 2011

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Glossary: The Terms and Tools of a Fluent Chinese Bridge Builder

Adze - a tool used for smoothing or carving rough-cut wood in hand woodworking.Axe - a tool used to split or shape woodBand Saw - a power tool which uses a continuous band metal blade with teeth along one edge to cut various wood pieces Beetle - a large mallet with a circular wood or plastic head, with rounded endsCaulking Iron & Mallet - tools used to drive oakum fibers into joints between deck boardsChain Saw - a portable mechanical sawChalk Line - a tool for marking long, straight lines on flat surfaces leaving a chalk residue on woodChinese Firecrackers - a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a noise or visual effectChinese Hatchet - a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade used to cut and split wood Chisel - a tool with a shaped cutting edge for carving or cutting a hard material such as woodChop Saw - a saw used to make accurate crosscuts and miters in a workpieceClamp/ Bending Jig - a device used to hold and shape material to a specific shapeComealong - a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wrapsCrosscut Saw - a saw that is specially designed for making crosscuts, that is cuts perpendicular to the wood grain direc-tionDraw Knife - traditional woodworking hand tool used to shape wood by removing shavingsFathom - an approximate unit of length related to the length of two outspread armsFengshui - A Chinese system of auspicious site determinationFid (Marlin Spike) - a conical tool made of wood or bone for working with rope and canvas in marlinespike seamanshipHoe - an ancient and versatile agricultural tool used to move small amounts of soilHole Hawg - an electric drilling device that maximizes torque while minimizing the required strength to resist twisting mo-tionJapanese Hand Saw - a saw that cuts on the pull stroke allowing it to have a thinner blade and efficient cutting abilityJointer - a woodworking machine used to produce a flat surface along a board’s lengthKnots - Bowline - an ancient and simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope - Clove Hitch - consists of two opposed half hitches made successively around an object - Gasket Coil - a knot used to attach a line to a rod or bar - Two Half-Hitches - for securing the end of a rope to a fixed object - Square - an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object - Square Lashing - a binding to secure two spars at 90 degrees to each other, consists of wrapping turns around the spars and frapping turns between the spars, tightening the wraps - Two Half Hitcher - a binding knot or hitch knot that consists of an overhand knot tied followed by a half-hitchLaser Cutter - a technology that uses a laser to cut materialsLaser Level - a tool combining a spirit level and plumb-bob with a laser to display an accurately horizontal or vertical lineOakum - a preparation of tarred fibre used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbersPeavey - a logging tool consisting of a handle, hook and spike that allows the woodsman to pry, push and rotate logs Peg Die - a standardized hole, usually made of metal, used to produce a large quantity of pegs of consistant diameterPike - Long pole with sharp iron spike at one end, used to extend reach during the raising of structuresPizza - a tool used to lure students to the work sitePocket Knife - a folding knife with one or more blades that fit inside the handle that can still fit in a pocketPortable Band Saw - see band sawPlumb-bob - a weight that is suspended from a string and used as a vertical reference linePry Bar - a tool consisting of a metal bar which provides increased leverage when moving rocks

Pulleys (block and tackle) - used to change the direction of an applied force or realize a mechanical advantagePulp Hook - a traditional logging tool consisting of a metal hook and handle designed to reduce stress on users forearmsQuark Plane/ Moulding Plane - a specialised plane used for making the complex shapes found in wooden mouldingsRadial Arm Saw - a cutting machine consisting of a circular saw mounted on a sliding horizontal armRakes - an horticultural implement consisting of a toothed bar fixed transversely to a handleRawhide Mallets - a mallet that consist of rolled-up rawhide used for carpentry workRelish - The wood beyond a timber joint that takes the strain of the jointRip Saw - a saw designed to cut with the grain of the woodRopes - a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connectingRouter - a woodworking tool used to rout out (hollow out) an area in the face of a piece of woodSawzall - a type of saw in which the cutting action is achieved through a push and pull reciprocating motion of the bladeSchnitzelbank - a German workbench that to harnesses the users body weight to stabilize element being worked onScot’s Derrick - lifting device composed of a mast and a boom from which a large load can be lifted and moved into placeShims - a thin and often tapered or wedged piece of material, used to fill small gapsShovels - tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materialsSlick - a large paring chisel used in timber work to slice off wood and make joints fit correctly; never struck with a malletSliding T-Bevel - an adjustable gauge for setting and transferring anglesSnicker’s Candy Bar - The “S” vitaminSpirit Level - an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal (level) or vertical (plumb)Spokeshave - a tool used to shape and smooth wooden rods and shaftsSquares - a lay out template featuring two steel rulers set at 90 degrees to each otherSteam Box - a long, sealed container used to steam wooden planks for the purpose of making them easier to bendSteam Generator - device used to create steam by applying heat energy to waterStone Chisels - a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge for carving or cutting a hard stoneStone Hammers - a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object or to aid in the shaping of stonesTable Saw - a woodworking tool consisting of a circular saw blade, vmounted on an arbor, that is driven by an electric motorTape Measure - a flexible form of rulerTar - used to help preserve wooden deck from rotTrunnell (Tree Nails) - a wood peg or dowel used to fasten pieces of wood togetherTwibble - a tool which combines an axe with an adze, excellent for helping to remove roots within the groundWedges - see shims

Wood Plane - a tool for shaping woodWoodmizer Sawmill - mill for cutting large logs with speed and accuracy into planks

Marcus-ism’s

A Good Keen Eye - visual acuityFakeology: n. The study and practice of getting a task done when you aren’t exactly sure how you are going to do it. Essential elements of Fakeology are a substantial bag-o-tricks to draw upon, unbridled Chutzpa and a streak of cussed orneriness. For famous Fakeologists see: Crew and Mission Control of Apollo 13. A Pair of Red Suspenders - sure cure for plumbers crack

Henry Luce Foundation Helena Kolenda and StaffLehigh University Office of the President and Provost – Alice Gast and Patrick Farrell College of Arts and Sciences – Anne Meltzer and Staff College of Engineering – David Wu Office of Interdisciplinary Studies – Sherry Buss, Paul Hauspurg, Terry Harnett, Susan Scrima, and Staff Asian Studies Program – Nikki Tannenbaum Art, Architecture, Design Department – Lucy Gans and Emeritus Professor Tom Peters Chandler Ullmann Design Labs – Brian Slocum and Shop Monitors Religion Studies Department – Chava Weisler and Marian Gaumer Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering – Stephen Pessiki and Clay Naito Environmental Initiative – Frank Pazzaglia and Dork Sahagian Office of International Affairs – Mohamed Al-Aassar and Debra Nyby Global Studies Program – Jack Lule, John Jirik, and Staff IDEAS/Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts, and Sciences – William Best ArtsLehigh – Silagh White and Artist in Residence, Ryan Hulvat Digital Media Studio – Steve Lichak and Staff Advancement Office – Kathryn Humphreys, Matt Mattern, Ann Neitzel, and Hope Wesely Harrison Campus Planning and Facilities – Tony Corallo and Staff Office of Media – Jack Croft, Tracy Long and Staff Office of Research, Alan Synder and staff Office of Student Affairs – John Smeaton and Staff Core Competencies Committee Lehigh University Police DepartmentTongji UniversityShanghai Jiaotong UniversityUniversity of Science and Technology in BeijingStudents Digital Bridges Course - with Special Thanks to the Qingming Festival Group Rachel Giampa, Hau Yu Hin, Li Yishuang, Cao Tingyun, Zhu Yujuan, Kong Di, Sun Hanlin, Geng Xinyue, Samuel Loughrey, Anthony Palacio, Eric Simpler, Xin Tianyou, Allison Kowalski, Guo Chuanfeng, Idelis Matias, Chunyue Li, Jin Yinhua Summer Cohort 2010 Robert Asselin, Hau Yu Hin, Alli Kowalski, Jesus Luna, Andrew Maier, Tom McMurtrie, Jean-Philippe Panier, Lexi White Summer Cohort 2011 David Crowley, Estafania Perdomo-Calero, Daniel Shi, Rachel Giampa, Michael Moore, Thomas McMurtrie, Drew Mayer, Kathryn StevensShaman, Shamaness, and Blind Spirit Beast: Tom Bierowski Loly Kinney Woofy

Acknowledgements

The symbolic stone mound marks the site for the future pavilion. The current Bridge Studio has already had a remarkable impact

on the students and instructors involved with the Chinese Bridge Project. The future success of this studio is made possible by

the dedicated guidance and generous sponsorship by our much appreciated supporters.

Spring

Design Staff for Bridge BookletAndrew Maier - Editor-in-ChiefRobert Asselin - Asst. EditorLexi White - Asst. EditorTom McMurtrieAlex GaultMike Moore

PhotographersRyan HulvatAndrew Maier IIIRob AsselinTom McMurtrieLexi WhiteDongning WangTony ViscardiNorman GirardotAndrew Maier II

Valley GraphicsJimmy Bucchin and Sandy Yoder Photo Credit Andrew Maier III