Architectural Engineering Commons^™

The Art Of The Climbing Wall, Gavin P. Day

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The aim of my thesis is to share the intricacies of climbing wall design, and the building blocks of art, science, and philosophy that go into the work. I will also be detailing my journey of learning through mentorship, trial and error, and my own experience with climbing. All of this culminates in a redesign of the current climbing wall at ETSU’s Basler Center for Physical Activity. While there is limited information on climbing wall design theory, insight is given through industry standards, competition regulations, and interdisciplinary design philosophies

Take Heart School, Quentin John Porter

Architectural Engineering

Journeyman International, also known as JI, is a non-profit organization that groups together design and construction students with organizations looking to build humanitarian projects around the world. This pairing is beneficial for both the organization because they get free design and construction expertise, as well as for the students who get real-world experience. The Take Heart School is a planned school and grounds for the region of Migori Kenya. Take Heart Africa is a fair trade store with all profits going to help the impoverished communities of Kenya. The three-acre site will have a school with eight classrooms, offices, a …

Health + Efficiency House: A Take On The 50x50 Glass House, Eva Wieczorek, Krystal Bacon, Kaylee Hernandez, Jennifer Long, Moises De La Cruz, Elle Gallmann, Jurgis Vaišvila

Architectural Engineering

Under the guidance of Professor Edmond Saliklis and Professor Meredith Sattler, four Architectural Engineering students joined forces with three Architecture students from both Cal Poly and Vilnius Technical University in Lithuania. The portfolio exemplifies a complete reimagination of Mies van der Rohe and Myron Goldsmith's 50x50 Glass House as if it were designed today in Palm Springs, CA. The work completed in this interdisciplinary studio includes historical context, abstract creation, architectural and structural design all relating back to the Glass House.

Glass Structures Redesigned - Summit Road Glass House, Destiny Marie Calderon, Alexander Ameri, Jake Baldauf, Joseph Guzman

Architectural Engineering

During the virtual Winter Quarter of 2021, three Architectural Engineering students teamed up with an Architecture student in a interdisciplinary studio for their senior project. Inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his contributions towards modern architecture, the team set out to redesign his well known 50x50 Glass House that was never built. They called it the Summit Road Glass House. Keeping true to Mies's vision, structural limitations such as no diagonal bracing, the prevention of walls touching the roof, and the elimination of traditional columns at the corner were considered greatly in terms of gravity and lateral design. …

The Ranger Station, James Alexander Whittall, Edgar Francisco Rivera Macias

Architectural Engineering

ARCE 415 Senior Project. The Ranger Station is a conceptual project inspired by Mies Van der Rohe's 50x50 House. The first part of the project is a fire lookout located in Big Sur, California. The Ranger Station brings together form and function, creating an architecturally unique structure that fulfills the requirements of a fire lookout. Once completed, the lookout structure was reimagined in a dystopic future.

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 …

Wine History Project Moving Pavilion, Rachel A. Jakel

Architectural Engineering

Two potential projects presented to the Wine History Project as a moving pavilion for their exhibits.

Interdisciplinary Studio Pavilion [Isp] 2019, Albert J. Gutierrez

Construction Management

Historically Cal Poly’s motto has been ‘Learn by Doing’ and the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) is one of the leading examples of this. Many students gain valuable hands-on and real-world experience through collaborative projects and assignments. Through this learn by doing philosophy and collaborative learning approach Cal Poly construction management, architecture and architectural engineering students worked together in 8 separate studio teams to design and construct a portable pavilion for the Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County. Acting as a client they requested that we design a portable pavilion space that will be used to …

Aei Student Design Competition: Value Engineering & Design Build, Vincenzo Paolo Guidi

Construction Management

The Architectural Engineering Institute puts on a yearly student design competition that features interdisciplinary teams from colleges across the country. The project for the competition was the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical and Performing Arts on the Hope College campus in Holland Michigan. The main challenges in the problem statement address acoustics, using mass timber, and add alternative roof top space. Through a collaborative process, our team created a proposal that addressed the challenges and why we were the best fit for the job. I worked with a fellow construction management student, Shannon Wheeler, to produce our portion of …

Building Homes And Hopes In Bangalore, India, Sherry S. Saroufeem

Construction Management

Habitat for Humanity Global Village is an organization that continuously sends volunteers to work on construction projects around the world. My team and I were chosen to go to a village in Bangalore, India, where we dug and poured home foundations for three families in need. Given the opportunity to combine my love for construction and my passion for helping those in need, I was certain that this was the senior project for me. I wanted the capstone of my college educational experience to reflect a hands-on approach, where I had the opportunity to make a difference and see an …

Transfused Architecture: Ascent Of A Developing World, Sandy Ferrier

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Because there is a lack of adequate health care facilities in developing countries, there is a substantial amount of unrealized, optimal health gains and effective, architectural interventions which are not fully realized. With 80% of its population living below the world poverty line, Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western hemisphere. The United Nations Development Program’s 2014 report shows the extents of poverty at 75% mainly in the rural areas of Haiti. Only 25% of households benefit from adequate sanitation, thus people become more susceptible to infections and diseases. Reoccurring natural catastrophes have also dented the country's …

Solar And Rain Catching Canopy. Urban Oasis, Afolabi Ibitoye, Langston Clark, Elena Zimareva, Evan Banks, Alexander Aptekar

Publications and Research

The Urban Oasis is designed to work within existing “pocket parks” in New York City as a combined rainwater collector, personal electronics charging station and resting designation for New Yorkers. Intended to not only lessen the demand on the city power grid by using renewable energy to charge devices, the urban oasis is also intended to mitigate grey water overfill in New York’s combined sewer system and, in general, serve as a model for responsible environmental stewardship in urban areas.

The important technical aspects of the canopy specifically analyzed were:

a) how much rainwater could the canopy be expected to …

Portland Pub, Calvin Roth, Veronica Franco, Tunmi Da Silva, Eli Cordova

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Center For Farm And Food System Entrepreneurship, Community Design Center

Community Design Center Project Reports

The average age of the American farmer is 58. Since communities are not reproducing the next generation of farmers, universities are establishing training centers to model new concepts and technologies in farming. The Farmers Training Center is both an immersive program in the rhythms of farm life and a public facility for hosting gatherings that celebrate value-added food products. Part of the University of Arkansas’ farm operations near campus, the center is the public face of agriculture where farmers and the public meet. Student farmers learn by farming, from organic vegetable production in fields and greenhouses, to machine repair, marketing, …

New Beginnings Homeless Transition Village, Community Design Center

Community Design Center Project Reports

More than three million Americans experience homelessness annually. Emergency shelter capacity is limited while local governments are unable to provide even temporary housing. Informal housing involving interim self-help solutions are now popular adaptive actions for obtaining shelter despite nonconformance with city codes. Unfortunately, most informal solutions have resulted in objectionable tent cities and squatter campgrounds where the local response has simply been to move the problem around. Our homeless transition village plan prototypes a shelter-first solution using a kit-of-parts that can be replicated in other communities. Village design reconciles key gaps between informal building practices and formal sector regulations, creating …

Willow Heights Livability Improvement Plan, Community Design Center

Community Design Center Project Reports

Willow Heights is a 43-year old public housing complex owned by the Fayetteville Housing Authority (FHA) within the federal public housing portfolio administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The school’s design center was commissioned by a local foundation to study an alternative to the FHA’s plan to sell the downtown Willow Heights complex to a developer of high-income housing, necessitating relocation of low-income residents to another complex outside of downtown. Using equity as a driver of decision making, the studio introduced scenario planning to organize reluctant stakeholders in considering transformations to the five-acre complex.

The Unlv Student Parking Crisis, Jason Kyle De Lara, Joshua Ramos, Amanuel Ketebo, Michael Murphy

Math 365 Class Projects

It is often a struggle for students to find parking on the UNLV campus. Some have related it to finding a needle in a haystack. The number of students attending UNLV has steadily increased overtime. It is possible in the future there may be more students trying to find parking then there are parking stalls. If students are paying for parking permits it is expected that they have a place to park.

Bridge Build, Andrew Little

Student Scholarship

Bridge build design that includes not only a building process, but a research paper to make the best build possible as well.

The Ginkgo Shell, Mark Luzi, Karla Santos, Josh Cannon, Erika Davis, Nora Villanueva

Architectural Engineering

The overall concept for this outdoor concrete shell structure, located in Furstliche Park in Inzigkofen, Germany, is derived from an abstracted ginkgo leaf. Drawing on inspiration from a poem about the two parts of the ginkgo leaf becoming one, we took the approach of combining both the natural and built environment into one cohesive piece. To connect the two, it was imperative that we place the shell on the site as to have the smallest impact. With a small portion of the overall site used, the unoccupied space further enhances the natural environment. Creating a literal design connection between the …

Offshore R+D Facility, Philip A. Marble

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Design a Research + Development facility that merges with a functional Oil Rig. This center will house both a Marine Research Center and Oil rig Research + Development center. Both of these facilities will be in a separate structure than the Oil Rig but will have a connection back to the Living Quarter.

Uncovering The Mystery Of Machu Picchu, Barbara Cardona

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

If mysteries were ranked, Machu Picchu would be on the top of the list. This Incan site, destination for millions of tourists, archaeologists and researchers each year, is one of the biggest enigmas of Incan culture. Its mesmerizing view has prompted hundreds of unanswered questions about this civilization. Incan culture revolved around cities, built without reference to the world beyond. Although the Incas were incredible architects and inventors, they lack written records, shrouding their culture in mystery for many years. While research has illuminated some facets of Incan culture, a significant question still remains: what purpose did Machu Picchu play …

Portfolio [Mother's Bridge], Sara Lack, Melvin Fuentes, Damon Williams, Emma Barraza

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Clothedral, Jacob T. Holmes, Andres Munoz, Sam Tenreiro Theis, Marta Blachowicz

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bau, January 17-21, Munich, Jim Roche

Other resources

This bi-annual five-day event is one of the

leading and biggest trade fares of architecture,

materials, building systems and craft skills in

the world. Held in the huge Messe München

Trade Fair Center in eastern Munich and

stretching over 17 gigantic halls each the size

of a football pitch, it offers a truly rich display of

the latest innovations in building technology.

The Freeman Performing Arts Center, Community Design Center

Community Design Center Project Reports

The Freeman Performing Arts Center marks the threshold between prairie and civic life. This small agricultural community of 1,300 has an outsized Anabaptist music tradition recognized nationally. The 37,000 sf hall-type building unifies a miscellaneous collection of public buildings and landscapes at the southwest corner of the town’s one-mile grid. The center’s massing projects an ascending system of familiar gable roofs, which absorb the fly tower into a composition reflective of pragmatic building forms. The principal face of the building is a translucent curtain wall that illuminates interior massing—a beacon on the prairie. A thru-Porch celebrates transitions between the prairie’s …

Research And Study Of Fashion And Costume History Spanning From Ancient Egypt To Modern Day, Kaitlyn E. Dennis Miss

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Through a generous donation to Morehead State University, research has been conducted on thousands of slides containing images of artwork and artifacts of historical significance. These images span from Egyptian hieroglyphs to the inaugural dress of every first lady of the United States. The slides are in the process of being recorded and catalogued for future use by students in hopes of furthering academic comprehension and awareness of the influence of fashion and costume history through the ages. Special thanks to the family of Gretel Geist Rutledge, faculty mentor Denise Watkins, as well as the Department of Music, Theatre, and …

Plastic Fantastic: The Fiberglass Boatbuilding Industry In Holland, Michigan, Geoffrey D. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Plastic Fantastic: The Fiberglass Boatbuilding Industry in Holland, Michigan is a chapter concerning the use of fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) to build boats starting in the 1940s. In the 1950s boat builders discovered that fiberglass would allow them to design boats that would lead to new boat sales and increased profit margins for years to come. This technology steadily spread throughout American boat manufacturing plants, including Holland, Michigan, placing the town among the leaders in the industry.

2115 Broad Mixed Use Site Development, Garrett Finkelstein, Peter Inman

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

2115 Broad, Nick A. Gasparini, Norberto Larios

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.