The Trinity Trust Presented Calatrava Student Constructors

Feb. 1, 2012 - PRLog -- On January 23, more than 200 people attended the
world premiere film, Calatrava Student Constructors, at The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff.

Created by Emmy award-winning producer Judy Kelly, this 20-minute educational outreach film followed local public and private school students who were selected to become engineers for a day and to construct a 20-foot long replica of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge with cables and roads at The Trinity Trust office where actual models and maps reside.

In May 2011, Ms. Kelly first documented the students’ visit to the bridge site, where they met with City of Dallas Trinity River Project Director Rebecca Rasor, and VSL’s Cable Installation Manager Jim McTaggart. Upon their return to The Trinity Center, David Abbondanzio, Managing Director of the Study Center, taught the students using a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) framework.  

Kelly said, “The classroom and the model construction processes were captured in the film in the hope that students throughout the DFW area could learn how the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge works.  The most dramatic moment came when the false work was removed and the finished model, complete with the 8 foot high signature arch piece and all 58 cables, floated on its own—an engineering marvel.”

In between film screenings, an esteemed panel of engineering and construction representatives who built the actual Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, answered questions and provided insight as to its architecture and construction.

Melanie Ferguson, director of outreach and development for The Trinity Trust, moderated the panel discussion. She asked each of them their highlight of the project, some of whom have been working on it for more than a decade.

Bill Doreen, Williams Brothers Construction, said, “One of the emotional highs was the day when Cimolai (Italian steel company that fabricated the steel and welded most of it) dropped in the center section of the arch. When you think about it, 500 feet off the floor in 15 minutes, it was a testimonial to the Italian fabrication and engineering.”

L.C. Tubb, MICA Corporation, said, “My high was when we turned all the lights on that brought together the 5 or 6 years of work. It gave you a rush when you could look at the bridge at all angles and see it lit up. It’s going to be a wonderful view for Dallas.”

Duane Milligan, Texas Department of Transportation, said, “When we had finished assembling the arch, part of my job was to go up in a crane and inspect it from the top of the arch. That was definitely the best.”

Rebecca Rasor, Trinity River Project/City of Dallas, said, “It was both my high and low. When we first had the bridge bid, it was too high. But then we rebid it and getting that second bid, which was half of the original bid, was great.”

Charlie Quade, Huitt-Zollars, Inc., said, “My high was when the arch fit together. Seeing it go from paper to fabrication, the stay cable going up. It’s been a good project. This is a cable stayed bridge, and it’s the only one that VSL has built in Texas.”

Jim McTaggart of VSL—the company responsible for hanging the 58 cables—said, “Getting the last cable installed was the highlight for me.”

Through the generosity of the SMU Talented and Gifted program, a scholarship to the TAG program for summer 2011 was awarded to Simon Cohen, now a Booker T. Washington freshman, who recently spoke about his experiences at TEDxKIDS@SMU. Cohen said, “The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is like a dream.  When you look at it, the final version, it's breath-taking and it almost seems magical… but once taken through the step-by-step process, you can really understand the complexity, but also why it fits together so well.”

The Trinity Trust presented Calatrava Student Constructors in partnership with SMU’s Summer Youth Program of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, SMU’s Talented and Gifted Program and The Study Center, Inc.

Additional co-sponsors of the film premiere included American Council of Engineering Companies of Dallas; Dallas Architectural Forum; Dallas Center for Architecture; Dallas CityDesign Studio; Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce; The Real Estate Council; Texas Society of Architects/AIA; West Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

The star students included the following:
Roland Baumann, Dallas International School
Kalen Beacham, Greenhill School
Simon Cohen, W.B. Travis Academy
Ali de Jong, Ursuline Academy
Star Jackson, North Mesquite High School
Jaylin Knight, Agnew Middle School
Ricardo Mojica, Conrad High School
Gabrielle Munoz, The Hockaday School
Rubi Perez, Irma Rangel YWLS
Claire Richey, North Hills Prep
Angelica Sanjuan, Townview School of Science and Engineering
Rachael Shima, Bishop Dunne Catholic School

For those interested in sponsorship or underwriting the Calatrava Student Constructors film for educational distribution, contact The Trinity Trust at 214.740.1616.

About The Trinity Trust:
The Trinity Trust’s mission is related to activating the Trinity River Corridor and city pride for the 20 miles of green space that belongs to Dallas citizens. The Trinity Trust is charged with raising public awareness through community outreach and private funds that enhance the quality of the project and contribute to an overall distinct and dynamic urban design.
More information can be found by calling 214.740.1616, by emailing info@thetrinitytrust.org, or by visiting www.thetrinitytrust.org.

About the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration, Bridging The Trinity For The Love Of The City
The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, artfully engineered by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, is transforming our relationship to the 20 mile green space that belongs to Dallas’ citizens and is known as the Trinity River Corridor.  The bridge's signature arch and 58 cables mesmerize as they span the Trinity River and connect West Dallas with the heart of downtown.  The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge joins over a dozen downtown bridges, all overlooking the Trinity River that runs beneath them.

Bridges reinforce connectivity between neighborhoods and over rivers. The Trinity Trust hosts the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration Bridging The Trinity For The Love Of Our City, March 2-4, 2012.  More information can be found at http://www.mhhbridgecelebration.com/

Once the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge opens March 2012, the adjacent Continental Avenue Bridge will be transformed into a pedestrian plaza and park space connecting West Dallas with the Design District and downtown. The Margaret McDermott Bridge, replacing the I-30 Bridge, begins construction in 2012 as does the new Sylvan Bridge.