A 9m tall wooden spire exhibited at Ecobuild showcased their skills – and improved their teamwork and timber knowledge in the process.
Designing and making the spire, a fifth scale model of the internal wooden scaffolding at Salisbury Cathedral, had taught the students to work together in teams and to understand materials, construction techniques and logistics, said Peter Christian, who is responsible for enterprise and research development.
"It’s hard to teach those sorts of skills in a university but Kingston has a real ethos of learning through making," he said.
The spire was made on the ground in three 3m sections and then erected using the counterbalance method.
"The students were going to use a cherry picker to erect it but this would have cost £4,000, so they came up with an alternative solution," said Mr Christian.
The exhibition was good experience for the students, he added. "More than 160 students have been involved and it’s great for them to be linked to an international event and to feel part of the industry we’re in.
"It’s also good for us to exhibit alongside these big companies and it will help us pick up research links."
The timber for the spire was supplied by James Jones & Sons and Price & Myers was the structural engineering consultant.
