Architectural Engineering Commons^™

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 …

On The Inference Of The State Of Turbulence And Mixing Efficiency In Stably Stratified Flows, Amrapalli Garanaik, Subhas K. Venayagamoorthy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Scaling arguments are presented to quantify the widely used diapycnal (irreversible) mixing coefficient Γ = ∈PE/∈ in stratified flows as a function of the turbulent Froude number Fr = ∈/Nk. Here, N is the buoyancy frequency, k is the turbulent kinetic energy, ∈ is the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy and ∈PE is the rate of dissipation of turbulent potential energy. We show that for Fr≫1, Γ ∝ Fr^-2, for Fr∼ O (1), Γ ∝ Fr^-1 and for Fr ≪ 1, Γ ∝ Fr⁰. These scaling results are tested using high-resolution direct numerical …

Incentivising Multidisciplinary Teams With New Methods Of Procurement Using Bim + Blockchain​, Alan O'Reilly, Malachy Mathews

Conference papers

This paper researches a potential method of incentivising AEC industry professionals to design to better than NZEB standards. Analysing the potential of a purposefully designed local microgrid storing excess energy generated by solar technologies embedded within the building envelope; the microgrid excess output is measured and recorded using a (Post Occupancy) “Blockchain” application and measured against the data provided at design stage on a (Predictive) “Blockchain” database. This paper researches how energy output predictions at design stage, by multidisciplinary teams, may be enhanced by BIM + Blockchain Technology. The paper researches the potential of a digital twin (predictive versus post …

Policy Alternatives That Provide California School Districts With The Policy Options Necessary To Develop Facilities To Enhance Student Learning Opportunities And Optimize Financial Resources, Brett Mitchell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop policy alternatives by the years 2019 to 2025 that would assist state policy makers, legislators, and advocates in adding definition to California school facility development and funding.

Methodology: This study involved descriptive statistics using a Delphi study method. Within the theoretical framework established for policy analysis, this Delphi study was inclusive of the knowledge and expertise of an expert panel that was nominated through peers. The Delphi panel consisted of 24 experts knowledgeable about statewide school facilities policy in California. The Delphi study was comprised of 3 rounds of electronic questionnaires …

Resurrecting A Fallen Angel: Architecture Remediating Pollution In Mexico City, Karen Rios

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Mexico City's population of over twenty-one million inhabitants makes it the second largest city in the world. Consequently, air pollution levels in the capital are outrageous.

The following proposal is not an attempt at fixing the city's pollution issues but, rather, presenting an innovative solution to be adopted throughout the city. The thesis aims at solving the contamination crisis' physical and psychological aspects.

That is, a combination of architectural intervention and community involvement will help slow down the rising pollution levels in a once beautiful city. Perhaps starting at a micro scale and spreading throughout the city.

Application Of Effective Noise Control Strategies In Speech Perception Testing Rooms, Samuel H. Underwood

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This project examines experimental methodologies, common test practices, and identifies relevant acoustic metrics to determine effective noise control parameters and strategies for implementation in a new speech perception testing room in Lincoln, Nebraska. The nature of speech perception testing demands that the experiment facility be as quiet and non-disruptive as possible to ensure that auditory stimuli is not interfered with. Influences of ambient acoustic conditions, like background noise and reverberation time, interfere with speech perception testing by introducing new variables that are often difficult to account for if left uncontrolled. A room-in-room chamber (sound booth) is often a best-case practice …

Idea, Form, Reality – The Implications Of Natural Ventilation Strategies On Public Buildings In Temperate Maritime Climates, Michael P.G. Haslam

Masters

Natural ventilation is one of the prime form givers in environmentally responsive architecture – in its detail and its architecturally charged form of stacks and voids. It facilitates our understanding of a response to natural systems – not just in how it responds visually to warm and cool air but also in the adaptive approach to thermal comfort. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impacts and implications of natural ventilation strategies for different typologies of public and commercial buildings. This is with the aim of attempting to define a vocabulary of ventilation techniques and details that are …

Automated Generation Of Daily Evacuation Paths In 4d Bim, Kyungki Kim, Yong-Cheol Lee

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Spatial movements of workers and equipment should be carefully planned according to project plans. In particular, it is crucial for workers’ safety to prepare emergency evacuation paths according to changing construction site configurations and construction progress. However, creating evacuation paths for all crews for each day can be an extremely labor-intensive task if it is done manually. Consequently, in most construction projects, evacuation plans are not provided to managers and crews throughout the entire construction. Even state-of-the-art technologies do not suggest ways to generate evacuation paths according to changing progresses presented in 4-Dimensional Building Information Model (4D BIM). This research …

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 …

Explorations Of Acoustic Trends In Data Logged In K–12 Classrooms, Kieren Smith

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The classroom environment influences the ability of children to learn. To ascertain the effect of indoor environment parameters on student achievement, a large-scale project was launched, collecting time-logged data from 220 k-12 classrooms in the eastern Nebraska region for six days each. Data were collected from a variety of disciplines, including acoustics, lighting, indoor air quality, and thermal comfort. This thesis focuses on the acoustic parameters, looking first at how overall classroom values--including average sound levels and room reverberation time--influence student achievement. Using structural equation modeling, the average sound level during times with speech present was discovered to have a …

Design And Fabrication Of Automatic Single Axis Solar Tracker For Solar Panel, Ghazanfar Mehdi, Naveed Ali, Shafquat Hussain, Asad A. Zaidi, Ahmer Hussain Shah, M. Mustafa Azeem

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Sun energy is a considered to be one of most promising sources to address the world energy crises. Photovoltaic cell is one of the prominent sources of energy. The most important factors that affect the efficiency of solar cells are cell temperature, maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and energy conversion efficiency. The optimization of these factors improves solar cells efficiency for more reliable applications. This study associated by means of the designing and manufacturing process of single axis tracker device by using photo voltaic conversion panels. This solar tracker system assures the conversion optimization of electricity from the source of …

Fractal Dimension As Objective Function In A Genetic Algorithm For Application In Architectural Design, John Charles Driscoll

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

One of the goals of The Green New Deal Resolution reads, “upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification.”

How can this realistically be done given the sheer number of buildings in the United States? This presents a ‘wicked’ problem that calls out for a systems approach. This is also, in essence, a design problem. As data scientists we are used to using models to analyze data but there is another aspect to these models that can be used not to …