Detroit is mid-build: bridges, batteries, and blocks.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, Factory ZERO's EV lines, and neighborhood-by-neighborhood housing retrofits are all live engineering projects happening in Detroit right now. This unit runs the full NGSS engineering design cycle — define, develop, optimize — on real local problems.
NGSS Standards Addressed High School
- HS-ETS1-1 Analyze a major global challenge to specify criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2 Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems.
- HS-ETS1-3 Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints.
- HS-ETS1-4 Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints.
NGSS Standards Addressed Middle School
- MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution.
- MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints.
- MS-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify features that can be improved.
- MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed solution.
Bell-Ringers
Project one at the start of class. Each has a click-to-reveal discussion note. More formats (Notice and Wonder, CER, Fact or Fiction, and more) are in the Bell-Ringer Bank.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, is a cable-stayed bridge instead of a simple beam bridge. Given that it needs to span a wide shipping channel without support piers in the water, why might engineers choose a cable-stayed design?
Discussion notes
A Detroit homeowner wants to lower winter heating bills in a century-old house. Insulation costs money upfront but saves money over time. What criteria and constraints would an engineer need to weigh before recommending a retrofit?
Discussion notes
Detroit automakers converting factories from gas engines to EV production have to redesign the entire assembly line, not just swap one part. Why can't they just replace the engine-building station and leave everything else the same?
Discussion notes
Engineers weren't allowed to put a support tower in the middle of the river while building the Gordie Howe International Bridge. What's one reason a bridge builder might not be allowed to put a support piece in the middle of a busy river?
Discussion notes
A homeowner wants to keep their house warmer in winter without spending too much money. What are two things (criteria) they'd need to balance when picking an insulation upgrade?
Discussion notes
Building electric cars needs different parts than gas cars — big batteries instead of gas tanks and engines. Why would a car factory need to change more than just one machine on the assembly line to build EVs instead of gas cars?
Discussion notes
Labs
Build the Bridge: Engineering a Model Span
Teams design and build a model bridge from limited materials (craft sticks, string, tape) to span a fixed gap and hold as much load as possible without a mid-span support — mirroring the real constraint faced by Gordie Howe International Bridge engineers over the shipping channel — then test, measure failure points, and redesign.
Retrofit Detroit: Insulation Design Challenge
Teams model heat loss through different wall assemblies using a small temperature-controlled or ice-cube test box, then compare insulation materials on cost vs. performance to recommend a retrofit package for an aging Detroit home.
People Mover Route Optimization
Using a simplified map of downtown Detroit, students optimize a transit loop for a given set of stops, balancing total distance, ridership access, and cost constraints against competing route options.
Simulations
Bridge Truss Load Tester
Adjust span, truss depth, and member strength, then load the bridge until the first member fails.
Launch Simulation →Energy Forms and Changes
PhET Interactive Simulations — model heat transfer and insulation, directly supporting the retrofit design challenge.
Open Simulation →Forces and Motion: Basics
PhET Interactive Simulations — explore load, friction, and force before testing a bridge design.
Open Simulation →Gordie Howe International Bridge Progress
Windsor–Detroit Bridge Authority's public project site — real engineering milestones, specs, and construction photos.
Visit Site →Project Ideas
Vacant Lot Redesign
Choose a real or hypothetical vacant Detroit lot and design a proposal — urban farm, pocket park, stormwater garden — that balances community need, cost, and environmental benefit.
EV Charging Network Plan
Design a public EV charging station layout for a Detroit neighborhood, weighing grid capacity, walkability, and equity of access across income levels.
Stadium Engineering Teardown
Pick one feature of Ford Field or Little Caesars Arena (retractable roof, sightlines, acoustics) and explain the engineering trade-offs behind its design.
Mini Bridge Challenge
Using only paper and tape, build the lightest possible bridge that can still hold a toy car across a fixed gap, and explain your design choices.
Insulated Box Challenge
Build a small insulated box out of household materials that keeps an ice cube from melting the longest, and explain which material worked best and why.
Redesign a Bus Stop
Sketch a redesigned bus stop that adds shelter, seating, and accessibility features, listing the criteria and constraints (cost, space, weather) you considered.
Show What You Know: Exit Ticket
Three quick questions to close the lesson. Answers are hidden until you click. Use Project Mode to display them full-screen.
Using the Gordie Howe International Bridge as an example, give one criterion and one constraint for the design problem.
Answer
A truss bridge fails first at its bottom chord in tension. Name two design changes that could raise its load capacity.
Answer
Why do engineers test a design, change it, and test again instead of testing once?
Answer
You are redesigning a bus stop. List two criteria and two constraints.
Answer
Why is it useful to test a design more than once?
Answer
Describe a trade-off a homeowner faces when choosing wall insulation.
Answer
Engineering, built on Detroit
The Gordie Howe International Bridge and the century-old Ambassador Bridge sit a few miles apart, giving students two real bridge designs to compare for load path, materials, and constraints.
Detroit's ongoing push to renovate and retrofit its housing stock — rather than only building new — makes constrained, real-world design trade-offs (cost vs. performance vs. preservation) part of everyday city life.
Detroit's EV manufacturing transition is a live, citywide systems-engineering project, with visible local stakes in jobs, training, and infrastructure.
Detroit's stadiums and arenas are full-scale case studies in structural, acoustic, and crowd-flow engineering that students can see and visit directly.
Who works on this in Detroit?
Real roles and organizations in and around the city where this science is part of the job.
Civil / structural engineer
Designs, builds, and inspects bridges and roads, such as the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
Manufacturing engineer
Redesigns assembly lines and processes to build electric and gas vehicles safely and efficiently.
Building energy / retrofit engineer
Models heat loss and recommends insulation and system upgrades that cut energy bills.
Mobility engineer
Develops connected, automated, and electric vehicle technologies and the infrastructure they need.
Transportation planner
Optimizes routes, stops, and street designs using ridership data, cost limits, and safety criteria.