How to design a spaghetti roof structure

In this fun hands-on activity students are challenged with designing a spaghetti roof structure.

It should follow our Structural engineering starter and Structural engineering as part of a series of activities that explores structural engineering. The lesson has been designed to either reinforce or extend a leaner’s basic knowledge of structures by providing a real-life context. It is not intended to form an introduction to structures.  

This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the class teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3. It has been designed to support the delivery of key topics within design and technology (D&T) and engineering.

Activity: Designing and engineering a spaghetti roof structure

In this fun activity, students will explore structural engineering principles by designing and building a strong, lightweight roof structure using spaghetti. The challenge comes from having to use the smallest amount of spaghetti and glue possible to keep the structure light and strong.

One their spaghetti roof is built, students must identify which areas are in tension and which are in compression so that they decide which parts of their structure need strengthening.

Download our activity overview for a detailed lesson plan on structural engineering and how to design a roof structure.

The engineering context

Virtually every building needs a roof. Sometime the function of the room can be simple, it just needs to be strong and light so that it doesn’t fall down. Other times, more ergonomic considerations need to be taken into consideration such as weatherproofing, aesthetics, acoustics, insulation and fire resistance.

Civil engineers must also be able to identify areas of tension and compression in existing structures, such as older buildings or in buildings that are having renovation work done, in order to be able to make recommendations for that will strengthen and support the existing structure.

Suggested learning outcomes

This lesson will teach students how to identify the key features of a structural component. They’ll learn how to identify the various pressures that a structural element can undergo  and also be able to apply their knowledge to create solutions to given problems.

Download our activity sheet and other teaching resources

The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download (including the video), and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your class’s and your schools’ needs.

You can download our classroom lesson plan below.

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