Architecture Commons^™

Tanzanian Concrete Masonry Walls, Edward J. Kaminski

Architectural Engineering

Walls that replicate masonry walls used in Tanzania are constructed and tested. The results from testing was compared with the respective predictions made using code guidelines from ASCE 7 and TMS 402.

Making Commuting Satisfying For The Employees By Allocating Them To The Proximate Jobsite, Yoo H. Kim

Construction Management

Building a structure is a long process and it is the construction manager’s job to verify and be prepared for any curve balls that can occur. However, construction managers can often get busy and get carried away by their responsibilities and inevitably pay less attention for employee's life after work. For my Senior Project, I have put together a website that can be used by the construction managers to allocate work not only based the skillset but also based on proximity. The name of the website is ✦Proximate and it uses Google Earth Outreach (free tool) to make allocation possible. …

Recycling Cigarettes Into Concrete, Jonathan R. Rosete

Construction Management

The objective of my senior project is to find a solution for the growing amount of improperly disposed cigarette butts on our planet. To accomplish this, I created and tested concrete cylinders mixed with different amounts of used cigarettes. It is my goal that we will be able to recycle cigarette butts and incorporate them into our everyday concrete use. By adding cigarettes to our mixes, I also understand their will be concerns with its potential strength. However with this in mind, it is my intention that these current mixes will only be used for non-structural concrete. In the following, …

Analyzing The Safety Effects Of Edge Lane Roads For All Road Users, Marcial F. Lamera

Master's Theses

This thesis acts as one of the first studies that analyzes the safety effects of Edge Lane Roads (ELR) for all road users. This is important since ELRs can be a solution to many issues, such as alleviating congestion, increasing multimodality along roadways, and reducing maintenance costs. ELRs in both North America and Australia were observed. Starting with the North American ELRs, the following study designs were employed to estimate the safety of ELRs: (a) yoked comparison where each ELR installation was matched with at least two comparable 2-lane roads to serve as comparison sites and (b) an Empirical Bayes …

Investigation Of Modeling Strategies For Slender Lightly Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls, Jenna Marie Williams, Tracy Destiny Doan

Architectural Engineering: Graduate Reports

A large number of pre-1980’s non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) structures in California utilizing RC shear walls to resist seismic lateral forces have been identified as deficient by industry practitioners. These non-ductile wall systems are typically lightly reinforced and lack adequate boundary element detailing. Analytical studies suggest these walls are susceptible to brittle, compression-controlled failure modes due to damage from concrete crushing and bar buckling. Furthermore, poor behavior of lightly reinforced concrete walls was observed in many recent earthquakes, for example in Chile (1985), New Zealand (2010/2011) and Mexico (2017). This has generated concern among engineers in high seismic regions around …

Wine History Project Pavilion, Douglas Mcarthur

Architectural Engineering

The Wine History Pavilion Project is a continuing endeavor of Cal Poly students working on an exhibitive, traveling structure for the San Luis Obispo community. The project started during the 2019 Fall Quarter in the interdisciplinary Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Studio and has progressed to the detailed design stage for its eventual fabrication and installation. This report discusses the detailed design stage that 4th year Architectural Engineering student, Douglas McArthur, worked on.

Folded! High-Rise, Alejandra Bravo, Riley Joseph Denis

Architectural Engineering

The authors of this report are undergraduate Architectural Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. This report documents their experience in an interdisciplinary studio of high‐rise building design and the process by which they produced a schematic design of a high‐rise residential building in San Francisco. It will address the organization of the studio, the development of concept as well as form and structure, the studies and structural analyses, as well as the review process and the competitions the final proposals were entered in, and include some final takeaways from each Architectural Engineering group member.

Analysis Of Burning Wood In The Transient State And The Application To Structural Design, Roberta Veliz, Kimberly Guzman

Architectural Engineering

Determining the extent of the contribution of exposed timber on compartment fire dynamics in open floor plans is a complex process. Designers traditionally used compartmentalization design methods which create spaces where flashover is likely, given the fuel load and ventilation conditions. However, due to the large geometric dimensions and spread of fuel, fires in open floor plans are more likely to remain as localized or traveling fires. As such, an understanding of not only ignition potential but also flame spread is critical to characterizing the contribution of exposed timber. An integral step in characterizing the potential contribution is through an …

The Aloe: High Rise Schematic Design And Analysis, Tony Duc Nguyen, Lilliann Lan Lai

Architectural Engineering

The authors of this document are architectural engineering (ARCE) undergraduate students from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). They joined the 2020 Skyscraper Collaboratory as part of the ARCE course 415: Interdisciplinary Capstone Project. This course emphasizes the analysis and evaluation of interdisciplinary challenges associated with integrating the design and construction processes to deliver a project with respect to the design, quality, and performance expectations for a client or presented criteria. The course was taught in collaboration with industry partners and associates from the global architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Instruction …

Piazza Di Ulivo: Arce Patio Redesign, Sophia Kim-Oanh Ha, David Colman

Architectural Engineering

Piazza de Ulivo was Phase 1 of a multi-quarter initiative to redesign and bring life to a patio space adjacent to Engineering West (Building 21) in Spring of 2020. Located within the central courtyard of Engineering West (Hasslein Garden), the patio space previously contained a senior project pergola that collapsed and has been removed. The remaining elements from this previous structure were an inverted moment frame consisting of five concrete columns and beams joining them. Additionally, a wooden bench with concrete pedestals remained under the shade of the existing olive tree. Desire within the Architectural Engineering (ARCE) department for the …

A Case Study On How Insulated Concrete Forms Can Prevent Structure Loss During Wildfires, Charles Myron Ackley

Construction Management

ICFs are a building material with unique thermal insulating and non-combustible properties that have shown great potential at protecting a structure during a wildfire. To prove the hypothesis that ICFs can effectively prevent structure damage or loss during a wildfire, an analytical case study on an ICF home that survived the Camp Fire was conducted. The goal was to understand how ICFs unique thermal insulating and non-combustible properties protect structures from wildfires and how this assembly system can be a lot more effective than a traditional frame structure. Additional objectives for the project included highlighting the growing threat of wildfires …

Case Study: Google’S Unique Canopy Styled Construction, Ray A. Cuevas

Construction Management

In today’s rapidly changing world, builders are pushing to implement more sustainable practices and incorporate innovative techniques to integrate green practices into their structures. One of the latest examples of this push towards sustainability is seen in Google’s new headquarters, Charleston East located in Mountain View, California. Combining their widely known mission to provide a positive work environment for their employees with their passion to be more environmentally friendly, Google has set out to create a Living Building with LEED Platinum certification. In order to accomplish this Google has collaborated with Bjarke Ingels Group, Heatherwick Studio, and Hathaway Dinwiddie. The …

Construction Of A Sustainable High-Tech Greenhouse, Miguel A. Sadler

Construction Management

The purpose of this project is to assess the feasibility for farmers to upgrade from conventional farming methods to using sustainable, high-tech greenhouses. For all intensive purposes, the values presented in this paper are based off the assumption that a farmer already owns their land and can use this paper as a reference to see what it would look like if they wanted to make the upgrade to high-tech greenhouses. To assess the viability of this project my partner and I set out to complete all the preconstruction activities that a project team would need to complete for a potential …

Mass Manufacturing 8x20 Tiny Homes For Low Income Housing In Slo, Tyler James Morales

Construction Management

The United States housing prices have been on the rise for years. This increase has led to an extremely large number of citizens in this country who are unable to afford their rent, much less buy a home. One of the many potential solutions to this problem are tiny homes. Tiny homes have been around since the 1850’s but have just recently been thrusted back into the spotlight. Today Tiny Homes is more than a style of housing but a movement to return to simpler times and simpler lifestyles by living out of a much smaller home. Our project goal …

The Relationship Between Bim And Electrical Prefabrication, Donald J. Lipsey

Construction Management

Recently, with the help of Building Information Modeling, prefabrication has become popular amongst electrical subcontractors. This report dives further into the relationship of the two counterparts and analyzes what allows the relationship to be successful. Currently, little information has been published regarding how Building Information Modeling and electrical prefabrication play off of each other. This report serves to provide information to electrical subcontractors that are either looking to start prefabricating or further their prefabrication methods. Analytical methods used consist of online research combined with interviews from three different people at three different electrical subcontracting firms. All interviewees hold different job …

Construction Of The Slo Botanical Gardens Foot Bridge - Interdisciplinary Project, Connor N. Layman

Construction Management

In the Winter quarter of 2020, a project based senior project was sought out by a Cal Poly Construction Management student, and he was connected with the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens (SLO BG). SLO BG is a non-profit organization located on 150 acres in the El Chorro Regional Park. After meeting with the SLO BG staff and exploring their many needed projects, the student and the staff mutually concluded that he would build a bridge and accompanying stairs which resided on a well-traveled trail on the property. He successfully developed the project schedule, budget, recruited an architect for design …

Cal Poly Rodeo Observation Deck, Timothy Smith

Construction Management

This senior project was designed to help continue the winning tradition that the Cal Poly Rodeo program established in 1939 with a new observation deck for the practice arena. The major steps taken to complete this project were design, fundraising and construction. The total area of the deck is approximately 1,100 square feet and includes connections to an ADA approved ramp and multiple staircases. This is a landmark project for the Cal Poly Rodeo program and will assist them in keeping the winning Mustang tradition alive.

Interdisciplinary Studio Pavilion [Isp] 2019 – Silicalion, Theodore Kenitchi Powers

Construction Management

The subject of this paper is an interdisciplinary project in which teams of two or three architecture, one construction management, and one architectural engineering student were tasked with working together to design a portable wine pavilion for the Wine History Project (WHP). The mission of the WHP is to preserve the history of wine culture and vineyards in San Luis Obispo County. Each team chose a theme of nature upon which to base their project’s design. The author’s team, Silicalion, used the Venus flower basket as inspiration for its design. The resulting design is a series of cells that form …

The Emma Family Backyard Deck – Thousand Oaks, Ca, Christopher Walter Farkas

Construction Management

This paper outlines the planning, design, and construction of an 80 square foot deck/outdoor patio. The main purpose of this project was to assist an elder couple fund and construct a new deck in their backyard. Due to the current world pandemic, COVID-19 the Emma Family was practicing social distancing and adhering to the State and County wide stay at home order. The project plan was to design a deck for Emma family in the design, construction it and receive funding. The deck was a rectangular 8’ x 10’ and raised 6” off the ground. In addition to the deck …

Residential Seismic Retrofit Cost For Home Located In Tustin, California, Sara Clark

Construction Management

Seismically retrofitting a residential home not only protects the homeowner, but also helps them prepare for the future. Needless to say, many older homes are not up to the 2018 International Residential Code. As a result, many owners are uninformed about how much it will cost to retrofit their home and what changes will have to be made. The solution for this is determining a cost per square foot ratio that will help homeowners calculate an estimate for the retrofit of their home. Additionally, it is important to break this cost down into what specific changes need to be made. …

Potential Of Existing And Proposed Bicycle Facilities To Link Multiple Origin And Destination Needs For Non-Motorized Travel In San Luis Obispo, Sheridan Nansen

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of linking multiple origins and destinations for efficient non-motorized travel in San Luis Obispo, California. The city currently has seventy-five miles of bicycle infrastructure with the intention to add thirty-five more miles to create a more functional bicycle network and foster an increase in bicycle trips taken.

Many cities in the United States are following their European counterparts in the push towards more sustainable forms of transportation by promoting bicycling, walking, and the use of public transit. Recently, we have seen an increase in both local and national legislative efforts …

Bike And Pedestrian Safety Planning: Excelsior/Outer Mission District, Alexandra Lee-Gardner

City and Regional Planning

San Francisco’s Outer Mission and Excelsior districts host a vibrant community of small business owners and residents from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. The neighborhood is known for its diversity and sense of community. However, lack of adequate infrastructure and high-speed roadways has created great safety concerns within the community. In the last five years, the Excelsior/Outer Mission area had 828 collisions, nine of which were fatal (Transbase, n.d.). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has identified nearly 14 miles of streets in the project area that are on the City’s high injury network, meaning collisions there are highly …

Prefabrication And The Labor Shortage On The Central Coast, Brenden Ryan Napier

Construction Management

The labor shortage has affected every aspect of construction all over California, however the central coast has been hit especially hard. The central coast’s location between the two major developmental hubs presents challenges such as relocating employees and finding skilled craftsman. One potential method that has been shown to increase productivity and cut costs is to prefabricate. Prefabrication can improve working conditions and increase worker safety while streamlining schedule and reducing environmental impact. While these benefits are certainly possible in larger cities that have the manufacturing grunt, this paper aims to understand if prefabrication is a viable way to alleviate …

Housing And Community Development Project In Siem Reap, Cambodia, Gerald F. Charette Iii

Construction Management

Habitat for Humanity Global Village is an international organization that gathers materials and volunteers to build homes for less fortunate villages in more than 70 different countries. The team I applied for was chosen to build a house for a family of four in a village near Siem Reap, Cambodia. I chose this as my senior project because it combines my interests in construction and humanitarian work, as well as giving me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of a different country’s construction means and methods. I felt that that the best way to showcase the material that I have …