Steel Construction Teaching Aid

Steel Construction Teaching Aid is a sculpture that can be seen between the Engineering 2 and Engineering 3 buildings. It is used to teach Civil Engineers the various joints used in steel construction.



Inspiration
The first version of the Steel Construction Teaching Aid was produced by University of Florida professor Duane Ellifrit. His version was installed on their campus in March 1986. Word spread of the sculpture to other universities and versions of it can be found at over 120 engineering and technical schools in the United States and Canada.

Commission and Installation
University of Waterloo professor, Dr. Reinhold Schuster, is a friend of Ellifrit, and heard of his sculpture. He became interested in bringing such a sculpture to the Waterloo campus. The Canadian Institute for Steel Construction member M&G Steel donated the materials for the sculpture, and it was installed in its current location (between Engineering 2 and Engineering 3) on May 5, 1997. The sculpture is made largely of hot-rolled steel, with some cold-formed steel adorning the top of the sculpture. At the time of unveiling the statue had a plaque with the names of the sponsors, which was stolen shortly thereafter.

Repainting
The statue was repainted in Fall 2012. As well as getting a fresh coat of paint, a plaque was added to the sculpture. It is unknown how similar this plaque is to the original plaque.

As a teaching aid
Civil Engineering professors sometimes take their classes outside and visit the sculpture. It is used to help students visualize the various types of steel connections that are used as part of their courses.