Living Root Bridges and other Structures - Engineering and Design Overview

One of the wonders of North-East India is the technique developed by villagers to construct bridges and other structures out of living aerial roots of rubber (Ficus Elastica) trees. Most bridges and structures can be found in Meghalaya state, and lately root bridges were discovered in Nagaland state as well.

This film contains three parts:
Part 1 - 00:00 Introduction and quick tour.
Part 2 - 01:03 How does it work - A brief explanation how root bridges are made.
Part 3 - 02:57 Comprehensive tour of 13 bridges with structure analysis referring to civil engineering basic principles.
Part 4 - 10:33 Other structures - Root ladders and a root sitting platform

Specific links to the 13 presented bridges and their types:
03:05 - Nongthymmai - truss and suspension bridge
03:56 - Nongriat South - truss bridge
04:14 - Nongriat Double Decker - truss / lattice truss / suspension bridge
05:02 - Nongriat East - truss / suspension bridge
05:48 - Myntheng - arch / beam bridge
06:29 - Mawlynnong vicinity I - truss bridge
06:46 - Mawlynnong vicinity II - truss / lattice truss / suspension bridge
07:14 - Kudeng Rim I - truss / lattice truss / suspension bridge
07:55 - Kudeng Rim II - truss / suspension bridge
08:17 - Kongthong I - beam / suspension bridge
08:44 - Kongthong II - double arch / beam bridge
10:04 - Nyahnyu I - beam bridge
10:22 - Nyahnyu II - beam bridge

Special Thanks:
Dr. Rosa Frances, Patrick Rogers, Heprit Kynta, Ian Khongmen, Roy, Syngkrem Family

Additional information and still photos:
http://guyshachar.com/en/2016/living-...

Soundtrack:
"Angevin - Thatched Villagers", "Deliberate Thought", "Bumba Crossing" by Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/.... http://incompetech.com/