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What are structures?

A structure is an object made from many parts.

Buildings and bridges are examples of structures.

When making a structure, it鈥檚 important to use simple ways to make it strong.

An illustration of a young girl in overalls smiling with both hands raised.
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Video: Strengthening structures

Join Aaron in the workshop as he explains some simple ways to build strong structures.

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What are structures made from?

Structures can be made from many different materials. Here are a few examples.

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, A row of terraced houses, Houses Houses are made from bricks. Bricks are made from clay that is baked in an oven to make it hard.
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Strong foundations

Buildings need to have strong foundations. A foundation is the bottom part of a building which holds up the top part.

Strong foundations can be made by building wider and thicker walls at the bottom of a building. These are called buttresses.

Buttresses can be made from stone, brick or other strong materials.

A wall supported by three buttresses
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Strong shapes

Bridges and tall buildings are often made from frame structures. Materials are put together to make shapes, such as squares and triangles.

When building structures, it's important to remember that triangles are stronger than squares.

Using triangles in a structure to make it stronger is called triangulation.

To make tall buildings and large bridges, materials are often arranged into triangles.

The Forth Bridge. Formed from many beams - triangle shapes are seen it its design as it stretches across the water supported by some towers.
Image caption,
Can you spot the triangles made by the beams in this bridge?
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Brick bonding

Houses and castles are usually made from bricks or stones.

Brick bonding describes the way bricks or stones are stacked and arranged to make a structure strong.

A common type of brick bond is a running bond.

This is when bricks or stones are stacked in layers and the joints overlap.

A brick wall. The bricks are stacked in a running bond and mortar sticks the bricks together.
Image caption,
Can you spot the pattern made by the running bond?
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Find the structure

Can you find the different structures in these pictures?

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Key words

Brick bondingThe way bricks or stones are stacked and arranged to make a structure strong.
ButtressA wide wall structure used to strengthen and support a building.
Frame structureA frame structure is made of different strong parts joined together.
FoundationsThe bottom parts of a building which hold up and support the top part.
LayersWhen materials are stacked on top of each other they form layers.
OverlapTo cover the edges or joints of materials when layering.
Running bondA type of brick bonding where bricks or stones are stacked in layers and the joints overlap.
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Quiz

Find out what you know about structures in this true or false quiz.

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More on Structures

Find out more by working through a topic