🏗 Build Your Own LEGO Beaver!

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Happy Halloween Fellow Engineers! 🎃

First up, we’re diving into Saudi Arabia’s mega-cube—the Mukaab, a structure so massive it could house a bunch of Empire State Buildings. Plus, we’ve got a classic boat-over-traffic bridge from Belgium, a folding bridge in London that maybe folded a bit too well, and yes, the special LEGO Engineering Beaver is here!

Let’s dive into it 👇

🎉 Huge Thanks to Everyone Who Entered This Week’s Giveaway! 🎉

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for (refresh buttons officially retired until next week)… 🥁

Congratulations to George! 🎊 You’ve snagged a Steam key for Mad Smartphone Tycoon! If your name’s George, check your email for your prize.

If you missed out, don’t worry—I’ll be giving away more keys every week, so keep an eye out and jump into this week’s poll for another chance to win! 👇

👷‍♂️ Truss Me, I’m an Engineer…

Saudi Arabia’s Giant Cube Starts Construction!

Here we go! Saudi Arabia has officially started construction on the world’s largest structure—the Mukaab. Picture a gigantic cube standing 1,300 feet tall in the heart of Riyadh. For reference, this thing could fit twenty Empire State Buildings inside. It’s basically a self-contained city with 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms, restaurants, green spaces—the works—all within a quick 15-minute jaunt from anywhere in the building.

The Mukaab isn’t just an engineering feat; it’s part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, set to boost the economy, create over 330,000 jobs, and bring in a hefty $51 billion. They’re going big on tech too, using AI and immersive digital displays on the outside to make it feel like you’re walking into a sci-fi novel.

It’s also inspired by local Najdi buildings. They’re even throwing in some natural riverbed vibes with “wadis” flowing around the structure. I know, I know, it’s nice when architects actually add something functional.

Oh, and to the folks who remember, I featured the Mukaab in the newsletter before, in my very first edition, and if you need proof of my dedication, I’ve already beaten them to it and built my own version in Cities: Skylines and Timberborn.👇

⚡ Cool Links

🤯 Folding Roll Out bridge at the Saint-Pancras basin in London
On the rare occasion that engineers and architects team up, you get London’s Saint-Pancras folding bridge—a marvel of design... until it stopped working 15 years in. Guess that’s what happens when they go heavy on the architecture and light on the engineering!

🧼 Someone created a Beaver Recovery Spa in Timberborn!
Someone set up a Beaver Recovery Spa in Timberborn—a real zen retreat. Meanwhile, my beavers are out here pulling overtime in a log-chopping dystopia.

👾 Join My Real Civil Engineer Discord!
If you haven’t joined my Discord yet, what are you waiting for? Dive into our community, chat bridges, roast architects, and debate if concrete is ever overkill. Plus, Twitch subs and Patreon members score exclusive bonus roles! Join us—your inner engineer will thank you!

Build Your Own Engineering Beaver!

I’ve got something exciting to share!

Here’s your chance to build your very own fellow Engineering Beaver! This guy’s got his hard hat on, ready to chew through logs and... sit on your desk looking ridiculously adorable. Thanks to SET ME UP, we have a full LEGO parts list and instructions for you to recreate this Timberborn-inspired legend at home. You can visit Lego’s Pick a Brick to buy the bricks needed!

The PDF with the full guide is available to download below—no excuses now! Reply to this email with your creations and I’ll feature them in an upcoming email!

You can find all the exact parts using the Brick IDs below for easy copying:

Brick IDs:
6256435, 6172383, 6335388, 4558954, 6157554, 6187572, 4225201, 306826, 6172936, 6275806, 317626, 6329607, 4224792, 4211288, 4221744, 4504376, 4211242, 4225469, 6062574, 4211150, 6069984, 4211222, 4211199, 6201911, 4211202, 4211152, 4211220, 4211189, 4504376, 4188771, 4620693, 6399998, 6195183, 307024, 6168644, 306924, 4558172, 6099363

🐕‍🦺 Paddy’s Corner

How we spend 90% of dog walks...

A lookat how we spend 90% of dog walks: me, aiming to kick a tennis ball perfectly, and Paddy sprinting after my attempts. The video may suggest otherwise, but trust me, I’m a football legend—just, you know, with the occasional "strategic miss."

👾 Indie Game of the Week:

Saddle up, strategy fans. Thronefall 1.0 just dropped, and it’s the indie strategy game you didn’t know you needed.

Build your base by day, fend off hordes of architects by night - what’s not to like! It’s a great mix of strategy and simplicity.

Grab it on Steam here! 🏰

Check out my full playthrough, where I take on the final boss. Watch it below to see how I do!

It’s time for a Bridge Review!

Today we’re taking a look at Belgium’s Sart Canal Bridge—and this one’s a bit of a twist because it’s a bridge for boats. That’s right, they’ve gone and built a massive concrete trough 73 meters in the air just so barges can cruise right over traffic. It’s like a giant water slide for shipping, and honestly, it’s giving me all sorts of “could’ve just dug a tunnel” vibes.

Let’s give credit where credit’s due. To avoid that “giant concrete canal” look, the engineers spaced its columns 36 meters apart—pretty bold, considering it’s holding up 4 tons per square meter. They built it with two curved side walls reaching 7.1 meters high, cast as one piece to cut down on joints and leaks. Definitely a win on efficiency points.

Not much architectural fluff here, and that’s a big plus in my book. They kept it straightforward, concrete-heavy, and practical—no unnecessary “artistic touches” just because an architect got bored.

Final Score: 7.8/10. Not too shabby, Sart Canal.

🏗 r/realcivilengineer Spotlight

Thanks to u/teefnoteef for submitting this sewage geyser. Maybe they need to invest in a poop dam for infinite power?

🤔 Thoughts from an Engineer