Birdsong Sculpture
The Birdsong sculpture has been developed as part of the Amble Bird 'Waalk' in Northumberland.
Project Overview
The Birdsong sculpture has been developed as part of the Amble Bird 'Waalk' in Northumberland. The Birdsong sculpture was one of twelve within the ‘Bord Waalk’ and represented the sound waves that are echoed along the Northumberland coastline.
The structure is constructed out of slender steel hollow sections to form a moment frame. This is to support a suspended art piece depicting birdsong sound constructed in steel, suspended with stainless steel.
It was necessary to design the structure to satisfy lateral stability requirements and for the required robustness for its setting of a public space to resist overturning.
Initially the art piece has been designed and verified to determine the forces that are acting through the cable to be transferred into the steel frame and so locations that these impose an action onto the frame can be confirmed.
Further, the welding required to join the hollow sections together to form the suspended piece can be verified based on the loading introduced through wind actions.
The tension forces in the cables are inputted into the hollow sections which will produce biaxial bending in the sections to be resisted by the slender members, and further, to be resisted at the end span of members where moment connections are required so that a mechanism does not develop due to the frame being constructed with only pin ends. To resist win within the suspended sculptures, 6mm fillet welds are required over the full perimeter.
Awards: ISructE Structural Artistry Award Winner
Public Sculpture – Structural Design
Aether & Hemera (Artists), The Home Engineers (Structural)
Structural Engineering Services, Steel Connection Design
Project Challenges
The key challenge was ensuring that the slender steel frame could safely resist the complex forces generated by the suspended sculpture.
These included wind loading acting on the suspended elements, tension forces from the supporting cables which created biaxial bending in the hollow steel sections, and the need to provide robust moment connections at the ends of the members to prevent structural mechanisms from forming.
In addition, because the installation was located in a public space, it needed to meet strict requirements for durability, robustness, and lateral stability.
The Solution
We carried out detailed analysis to verify the forces acting through the suspension cables and their transfer into the steel frame.
This included confirming the loading positions on the frame, checking biaxial bending in the slender members, and designing appropriate moment connections at key junctions.
To resist wind loads and maintain the integrity of the suspended artwork, we specified 6mm continuous fillet welds along the full perimeter of the hollow steel sections.
These solutions ensured that the artwork could be safely displayed without compromising the delicate and expressive form envisioned by the artists.
The Outcome
Birdsong is both a striking piece of public art and an award-winning example of structural artistry.
The sculpture has become a landmark along the Amble coastline, celebrating nature while demonstrating how engineering and art can combine.
The project was recognised with the IStructE Structural Artistry Award.
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