# Caisson Method Examples
**The caisson method has been used in some of the most ambitious construction projects in history. From 19th-century bridges to modern offshore platforms — wherever builders needed to work deep below water level, the caisson provided the solution.**
## Historic Examples
### Brooklyn Bridge, New York (1869–1883)
The foundations of the Brooklyn Bridge were built using pneumatic caissons. Workers laboured dozens of metres below the East River in pressurised chambers. Many suffered from caisson disease (decompression sickness), a phenomenon not fully understood at the time.
### Eads Bridge, St. Louis (1874)
The Eads Bridge across the Mississippi was one of the first bridges to use pneumatic caissons for founding the piers on bedrock — more than 30 metres below the river surface.
## Modern Applications
### Oosterscheldekering, Netherlands (1986)
During construction of the Oosterscheldekering storm surge barrier, prefabricated caissons served as foundations for the barrier piers. These concrete caissons were built in a dry dock, floated to the site and sunk into position.
### Offshore Wind Turbines
In the North Sea, suction caissons are used as foundations for offshore wind turbines. They are placed on the seabed and drawn into the soil by applying suction (negative pressure).
### Quay Walls and Harbours
In modern port construction, caissons are used to build quay walls. The concrete caissons serve as both foundation and retaining wall.
## Related Terms
– Caisson method
– Foundation
– Sheet piling
– Groundwater level
– Storm surge barrier
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