Architectural Engineering Commons^™

Diversity, Inclusion And The Exceed Teaching Workshop, Allen C. Estes

Architectural Engineering

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Teaching Workshops are currently in their 20th year of existence and have been highly successful. There is a growing body of literature on creating a multi-cultural classroom that celebrates diversity, accounts for the global differences and experiences of students, and deliberately fosters inclusivity. This paper examines the content of the existing culturally inclusive literature and quantifies how much is already present in the current ETW curriculum. It then suggests how much more could be included if a deliberate effort is made to include diversity and inclusivity into …

E-Learning Tools To Facilitate Instruction Of A Large Enrollment Structural Engineering Course, Maelle Van Thienen, James Boon Piang Lim, Anahid A. Behrouzi, Pablo Garcia, Wyatt Banker-Hix

Architectural Engineering

A significant challenge in teaching large civil engineering courses is engaging and providing feedback to students in a meaningful and timely manner. This paper presents a solution that uses e-learning tool Xorro-Q in the successful instruction of a Structures II course of 250+ second year students since 2016 at a research-intensive university in New Zealand.

During the course, Xorro-Q has been utilized as an online practice-based learning tool where students can repeat questions without penalty and automatically receive detailed instructor-developed feedback (diagrams, text, or link to website/video) in response to specific incorrect answers. Additionally, Xorro-Q permits a variety of questions …

Interactive Physical Experiments In An Advanced Undergraduate Structural Dynamics Course, Charles D. Facciolo, Anahid A. Behrouzi

Architectural Engineering

This paper describes a number of physical models and hands-on lab activities incorporated in an advanced undergraduate structural dynamics lecture and laboratory course pairing offered within the Architectural Engineering department at California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo. These course modifications were designed and implemented in the Winter 2018 quarter to enable students to:

-Collect acceleration data during free or forced vibration tests using a smartphone accelerometer application to generate data plots in Matlab; -Conduct free vibration tests on various single-degree of freedom (SDOF) systems to investigate effects of varying mass, stiffness/height, material type, and damping type (pendulum or …

Exposing Undergraduates To Design, Fabrication, And Large-Scale Experimentation In A Structural Steel Design Course, Jenna Williams, Mark William Wright, Michael James Deigert, Anahid A. Behrouzi

Architectural Engineering

During Fall 2017, Spring and Fall 2018 quarters, various hands-on design, fabrication, and large-scale experimental projects were incorporated into a 10-week undergraduate structural steel design course offered in the Department of Architectural Engineering at California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo. Through these projects students investigated one or two unique steel lateral force resisting systems (LFRS) consisting of either: special moment frame (SMF), special concentric braced frame (SCBF), and/or buckling restrained braced frame (BRBF). Students completed design calculations per the American Institute of Steel Construction steel building and seismic codes, visualized their final design using AutoCAD software, constructed and …

Investigation Of Grout - A Comparison Of Standard Grout Mix To Self-Consolidating Grout Mix, Rachel Garcia Chandler

Architectural Engineering

Masonry is a major structural material for low rise buildings, however the design of masonry buildings is rarely taught as a formal course at most universities. As part of the educational experience and to become familiar with the specifications and testing procedures for grouted masonry, a student run experiment on varying the water to cement ratio of masonry grout was conducted. The purpose is to report on the effects of changing the water-to-cement (W/C) ratios in a standard grout mix. The typical W/C ratio is approximately 0.80:1.00. In order to show the effects of increasing water in a grout mix, …

Cable Suspended Structure-Antanas Panavas, Roger Pena, Dean Seydel Becker, Tracy Destiny Doan

Architectural Engineering

This project is based on a roof system designed by Antanas Panavas. The design of the structure is a cable supported roof system that includes nonprismatic glulam beams. The structure itself is a self stressed system that has never been constructed and is still in the analysis stage.

Project included analysis of the structure and a detailed process of how to model cables using SAP2000.

Topology And Form Finding Via Genetic Algorithms, Michael Goldenberg, Nick Coburn

Architectural Engineering

The following presents an approach to early applications of the Galapagos program as a means to optimize structural forms. The process was conducted with Rhino’s Grasshopper program, the structural analysis plug-in, Karamba, and the genetic algorithm solver, Galapagos. This topological form finding process was based on flexible parameters that modified brace and column locations, and diaphragm size and positions.

This process worked by having Galapagos modify a parametric model which had initial randomly generated variables for the genomes. After structural analysis, Galapagos was tasked with changing the form in order to minimize overall displacement of the structure. Being an evolutionary …

Axial Testing Of Makeshift Buckling Restrained Braces, Daniel T. Item, Corey Huang

Architectural Engineering

The testing of lateral force resisting systems is a concept that is very open to discussion and optimization. We seek to find the bounds of different materials as they act in a buckling restrained brace system in hopes of providing new methods of design for future structural engineering communities. By balancing budget, customization, and material availability we are able to determine what factors may benefit, or lack to benefit, the system at hand.

Timber-Strong Design Build Senior Project, Corbin S. Morisada

Architectural Engineering

The 2019 Timber-Strong Design Build Competition was developed by the American Wood Council, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc, and APA - The Engineered Wood Association to cultivate timber design, building, and sustainability experience for students. Participating students gained exposure to performance analysis, construction management, building practices, and project bid preparation while practicing as a design construction firm. In the process of this hands-on experience, students were expected to procure all building materials and tools themselves.

The Timber Strong senior project consisted of participating in the Timber-Strong competition, then re-purposing the structure for use as a playhouse in a pre-school. The intent …

Bridge House Restoration, Adam Mcpherson Pruitt, Ben Christopher Sykes, Samantha Sophia Solow, Christopher Ryan Levy, Severin Bechtel Elste

Architectural Engineering

Bridge House was severely neglected for years since its creation. Our team’s primary objective was to rejuvenate the structure and once again make it a priority destination for the public when visiting the Experimental Structures Laboratory. With this goal in mind, we replaced the plywood barricades with guard railings designed and fabricated by the team to complement those installed on the structure by the previous group. With the elimination of the plywood barricades, the Bridge House could once again be a sense of pride in the rich historical landscape of our Cal Poly community.

In addition, our team hoped to …

A Structural Approach To Architecture (With An Emphasis On Thin-Shell Forms), Ansel Man

Architectural Engineering

This portfolio includes various projects I have focused on throughout this quarter in ARCE 453 as well as a deep dive study into thin-concrete shells. The overall theme of the portfolio and of this class revolves around how we, as engineers and architects, can achieve a better balance between our two fields of study. I delve into how architecture can be approached from a structural, rational point of view; how a structure's form can be optimized by studying its funicular geometry; and ultimately, the irreplaceable importance of form when designing a structure.

Reduce, Reuse, Reengineer, Neil Ryan Robertson, Anthony James Beers

Architectural Engineering

Our senior project is a research exploration of renewable energy. We recognized there is a major need in the world for the advancement of green power sources. For our project, we wanted to go beyond what we have learned in our Cal Poly architectural engineering classes and to use some of our own creativity to investigate the possibilities of renewable energy from a structural perspective. The guiding question we asked ourselves was, “as architectural engineering students, how could we shift our world to use more renewable energy?” To start our journey off, was the original inspiration from the work of …

Retrofit Of Concrete Moment Frames With Masonry Infill In High Seismic Zones, Patricia Francis Pope, Madeleine Rasmussen, Zorana Tat

Architectural Engineering

Seismic events happen all throughout the world and each country has a slightly different way of handling the design of structures subjected to seismic forces. The goal of this project is to provide citizens of the Philippines with an effective way to retrofit their potentially unsafe buildings in the event of an earthquake. However, this retrofit manual will be able to help globally in other third world countries that have similar building techniques. In order to achieve this type of solution, we had to come up with options that took into account the lack of access to tools, materials, and …

Form Finding Architecture, Anna Eliza B. Sy

Architectural Engineering

More often than not an engineer takes an architects idea and tries to make it structural sound. However, an engineer can also use his or her analytical tools to determine the shape of a building. This is a portfolio of various exercise that explores using the load flow and internal forces of a structure to determine and improve its architecture. SAP2000 is the primary program used for analysis. The topics covered are: the Mueller Breslau Method, Trusses, Three-Hinged Arches, Castiglione’s Elementary School, Fisac's design for the Jorba Laboratories, and Otto's Institute for Lightweight Structures.

Pedestrian Bridge In Tanzania, Maja Sagaser, Karina Rosales

Architectural Engineering

This senior project originated to address the need of the community of Same, Tanzania. There is a deep and wide ravine which floods, making the path many adults and children take to the Majevu Primary School increasingly difficult and dangerous. This report encapsulates all of the steps taken to complete an approved final design for a footbridge to be constructed over this ravine. It includes the project overview, the architectural and structural design process, as well as the important considerations. There are also structural drawings that include plans, elevations, and details.

An Exploration Into Structurally Rational Architecture, Bridget M. Healey

Architectural Engineering

This project is a series of small explorations into modern examples of structurally rational architecture. Each investigation looks at different methods of analyzing or designing structures that combine aesthetics and economy.

Characteristics Of A Viscous Damper: Finding The Damping Coefficient, Roman Lara Iv, Tiffany Wang

Architectural Engineering

The authors of this report are undergraduate Architectural Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. This report documents the implementation, design, and experimentation of a damper with unknown properties. This experimentation data will be used to find the damping coefficient of a viscous damper alongside damping characteristics. Using knowledge from previous courses, this report focuses on dynamic responses through an assumed viscous damper. Through forced oscillatory motion testing with specified frequency and amplitude using the seismic shake table and equipment, compactDAQ instrumentation, and damper, values can be pulled from the data experimentation, which can be used …

Damage Detection Of Identical Structures, Garrett M. Peterson, Kira Deguchi

Architectural Engineering

This study is concerned with measuring the vibrations of similar (and seemingly identical) structures, and attempting to detect damage in the structure by identifying outliers from the data. Furthermore, this study attempts to provide a logical conclusion surrounding the MPIT software by correlating each modal analysis program with MATLAB results from testing. Light poles around Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo are the subject of this study because the variability in structure among adjacent poles is hypothesized to be insignificant. A biaxial accelerometer device was mounted to each light pole and used to collect data. Initial tests were completed on six …

Bihongora Library And Community Center, Nicholas M. Dekker, Elyssa L. Adams

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Rubagabaga Village : Empowering Villages Center And Agricultural Training Center, Jenna M. Williams, Julia R. De Hart

Architectural Engineering

By partnering with non-profit organizations such as Journeyman International and Empowering Villages, undergraduate students can engage in senior projects that have far reaching humanitarian impacts. Journeyman International is well known for creating powerful teams of students who tackle design challenges in developing countries. This paper details the work of two architectural engineering students from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo on a design for the Empowering Villages Center (EVC) and Agricultural Training Facility (ATF) in Rubagabaga Village, Rwanda. The EVC and ATF project was proposed by Empowering Villages, an organization that aims to bring electricity and socioeconomic growth to …

Same Polytechnic College Campus Main Core, Bryce Daniel Gagner

Architectural Engineering

My senior project will be to continue moving forward the campus core of the Same Polytechnic College. We started with the main campus core because it can act as a small school where some classes can be taught while the rest of the construction will be completed. With the land boundaries almost finalized and a solid design for the campus, we can now start a structural design and cost estimation. These will be the main steps to begin construction of the campus.

Steel Test Set-Up For Non-Ductile Concrete Shear Walls, Colin S. Ridgley

Architectural Engineering

The purpose of this project was to provide a robust test set-up for the thesis work being conducted by graduate students, Jerry Luong & Rory de Sevilla. Their research aims to evaluate the feasibility of using fiber-reinforced polymer wraps and splay anchors to retrofit non-ductile concrete shear walls through a series of tests on reinforced concrete walls.

Four key constraints governed the design of the test set-up. First, the wall can be cyclically, laterally loaded to develop data for comparison with theoretical analysis methods. Second, the wall can be axially loaded to simulate interaction effects and prevent a sliding failure …

Mòn Briyè Primary School Journeyman International, Leah E. George, Devin R. Williams

Architectural Engineering

Journeyman International (JI) is a non-profit organization that pairs emerging professionals in the architectural, structural engineering, and construction management industries with humanitarian projects in underdeveloped countries overseeing the design and construction process. The Mòn Briyè Primary School is a JI project led and funded by The 610 Project, an Alabama-based non-profit organization dedicated to the sustainable success of developing Haitian communities through education. This primary school will be located in Mornes Brieux, Haiti and consists of three buildings: one classroom building for first to fourth grade, one classroom building for fifth to eighth grades, and one building for administration. The …

Tilt-Up Concrete Wall Anchorage Design: A Trial And Error Process, John W. Lawson, David L. Mccormick

Architectural Engineering

Concrete tilt-up buildings are a common subset of a class of building referred to as rigid-wall-flexible-diaphragm (RWFD) structures. Common diaphragm types are plywood, oriented strand board, or metal deck. Masonry wall buildings with flexible diaphragms are also examples of RWFD buildings. Tilt-ups have performed poorly in past earthquakes, with the primary weakness being the anchorage between walls and roof. In the seismically active western United States, design was governed primarily by the Uniform Building Code (UBC) until the advent of the International Building Code (IBC). Before the 1973 UBC, it was common practice by design engineers to use the nailing …

The Timber Buckling Restrained Brace Frame, Jessica Resta

Architectural Engineering

With the increasing awareness on the topic of earthquake resistance, efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly solutions in the structural field are on the rise. The purpose of this report is to investigate the Timber Buckling Restrained Brace (TBRB), a new lateral-resisting element made of steel and lumber, applicable in residential and small commercial units. In addition to the TBRBs’ materials being readily available, the braces are easy to manufacture, reducing overall costs of production and transportation. The brace, made partly of wood, has also a low environmental impact when compared to other lateral force resisting elements like concrete shearwalls or …

Architectural Engineering Institute: 2019 Student Design Competition - Jack H. Miller Center For Musical Arts, Mark W. Wright, Logan D. Wright

Architectural Engineering

The 2019 Student Design Competition is an annual interdisciplinary competition for students in Architectural Engineering (AE) programs around the nation. The central focus of the project was exploring interdisciplinary workflow and collaboration between the disciplines of the built industry. The 2019 Cal Poly design team, Sotto Voce, consisted of 3 Architecture, 2 Architectural Engineering, and 2 Construction Management students. The team was given a set of architectural drawings of the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College in Holland, Michigan and tasked with finalizing the design. The primary design challenge, to create an innovative venue and community …

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 …

Structural Reconnaissance Findings Of The 2017 Mexico City Earthquake, Rachel Garcia Chandler

Architectural Engineering

The author of this document is an undergraduate student at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) who was deployed to Mexico City to participate in reconnaissance efforts October 27^th to November 4^th, 2017 as part of a larger group of academics and professionals. The work was funded through a National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant #1811084 “The Effects of the 2017 Central Mexico Earthquake on Reinforced Concrete Buildings” with the overarching objective of collecting data on reinforced concrete building damage for understanding and further improving the seismic performance of these structures and the resilience …

Clt Shearwall Dovetail Connection, Alexander Eduardo Esser, August Messano

Architectural Engineering

As cross-laminated timber has become an increasingly popular construction material, its use as a shear wall element has also demanded attention. Primary obstructions to the use of CLT shear walls have been the lack of an economic connection type that does not compromise the structural integrity and has the robustness that CLT shear wall panels deserve. Dovetail connections provide a great option for the connection of CLT shear walls. With more experimentation, the optimal dovetail geometry can be further developed. The small-scale testing done in conjunction with this report proved that very deep pins and tails will result in bearing …