Final Reflection

I definitely struggled a lot with the Revit Program. I had to work really hard to understand how to access all of the different features. My structure evolved through the project because of the sheer amont of space I had to work with. My original design gave way to much space to rooms like the Utility Room so I had to adjust my rooms to distribute the space more adequately. If I had another chance to do this project I would definitely not procrastinate as much, but I would also focus more on big picture stuff and less on details. All of the details combined with my limited Revit experience really slowed down my progress. Through this project I have learned that being a civil engineer is more difficult than it seems because of all of the rules and guidelines that are placed upon them. I don't really think civil engineering is for me. It was fun but I can't see myself doing this for the rest of my life.

ADA Guidelines

http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm

Project Site

Here is the site on which the Practice field would built. The field will face 224, and the parking lot will be in between the field and the road.

Soil Investigation

Soil Percolation:
The percolation test on the site of the building showed us that water did not run into the soil very efficiently. We waited for five minutes and saw no change in the level of water.

Soil Type:
The other soil tests all pointed to high concentration of clay. Because of the clay, which causes water not to be absorbed as well, we may need to provide a larger-than-normal retention pond to shuttle away the excess.

Commercial Project Description

I decided to design an indoor field for the Norwell Marching Band to practice in. This building is needed because right now the band practices on the parking lot behind the school. The yard lines are starting to fade and the lot is sweltering in the summer time. Additionally when there are home football games people drive through the parking lot with no concern for the students practicing. An indoor band field will allow the band to practice more efficiently, and without the danger of being run over by cars. Preliminarily I would say that this building would cost about 7 million dollars.

Site Plan

Commercial Structure Renderings

Commercial Project Bubble Diagrams and Sketches

Heat Loss Calculations

Q = AU(delta)T
A=area of material U=1/R-value of material (delta)T =temperature differential

Temperature
summer: 72
winter: 20
Wanted: 70


Total area of walls
18743 ft^2

Total area of windows
5985 ft^2

Total Area of doors
All of my outside doors are glass so I just counted them in with the windows.


Take each area and divide it by the R-value for the material.

Walls: 2037.28

Windows: 6650

Multiply by the temperature differential. (outside temp during summer-desired temp, and then the same time for winter temp.)

Winter: 50 degrees

Summer: 2 degrees

Add these values together and add a blog entry showing the BTUH for each material and the total BTUH for the structure.

Winter: 434,364 BTUH

Summer: 17374.56 BTUH

Commercial Project Sheets

Structural Calculations

Live loads
Snow 20 psf
People 20psf
Furniture 30 psf
Other 10 psf

Dead loads
Assume 90 psf

Total 170 psf

Use A36 steel (36000 lbs)

Beam loading
total load*tributary width

170 psf * 10 ft= 1700 lbs/ft


Determine Allowable Bending Stress.
2/3*steel yield strength

2/3* 36,000 lbs = 24,000 lbs


Determine Maximum moment
loading*length of beam squared divided by 8

21,250 ft-lbs

Determine Section Modulus Required for Bending.
Max moment divided by allowable bending stress

.737 in^3

Determine allowable deflection
length of beam divided by 360


.333 in

Pick a recommended beam in MD Solids.
Determine actual section modulus, and deflection based on your beam.

SM= 14.9

AD= .128

Landscaping

1. Reviewing the material about Xeriscape, list the seven fundamental Xeriscape areas that must be considered when designing a landscape.
plan and design
create practical turf areas
select and group plants appropriately
improve the soil
mulch
efficient irrigation
maintain the landscape.

2. Describe/define what the term “Xeriscape” means. (http://www.xeriscape.org/).
Combining those seven properties to make magnificent landscaping

4. Answer the following questions in your journal:
OK

5. What part does shade play in water resource management and human comfort?
Shade can be nice to rest under for people. Also it blocks the sun from hitting parts of the ground which allows more water to be used before it evaporates

6. How can it be incorporated into landscape design efficiently?
Large trees create a lot of shade and also help make landscping more impressive

7. When is it appropriate to provide shade and when is it not appropriate?
Some smaller plants (i.e. flowers and shrubs) can thrive in the shade whereas others need direct sunlight.

8. Using the same website as in Question 3, list the criteria that should be followed when selecting plant material for a site.
You must choose plants that will be able to survive in the climate, type of soil, and amount of shade you put them in.

10. In your journal, list appropriate plant material for your site’s geographical area that addresses plant groupings, requirements, sizing, and species selection.
A lot of different types of plants can grow here. Tropical and Desert plants would have trouble but other than that plants that will survive here includes mostly everything else.

Viability Survey

1. The number of inhabitants of the structure: commercial or residential
100-150, Commercial

2. The ages and gender of inhabitants
Mostly High School Boys and Girls, some adults on occasion

3. Future plans to add onto the structure: future expansion
None, it will be perfect the way I design it.

4. A list of activities to be done with the structure (i.e., office use, office and living use, or storage only)
An office, a practice field, instrument and uniform storage, kitchenette

5. Entertainment habits
None

6. Desired number of rooms, minimum sizes, and types of rooms
12 Rooms
Practice field
Bathrooms
Big Ground Floor Practice Rooms (2)
Utility Room
Staircase
Uniform Room
Locker Room
Kitchenette
Office
Closet
Smaller Practice Rooms (3)

7. Kitchen with types of appliances desired
Refridgerator, a couple ovens/stove tops, microwave

8. Bathrooms with the number, size, and types of fixtures desired.
2 Bathrooms but they are huge. Just your average bathroom fixtures

9. Planned length of use of structure
To practice for marching band

10. ADA requirements
Parking, Bathrooms

11. Budget for structure
More money than anyone could ever want or need.

12. Style of structure
Stadium-ish

13. Special needs, i.e.: Handicap access
I'll throw in a ramp or two

Vocab 4.4

1. Arterial: a high or moderate capacity road below a highway that carries large volumes of traffic between urban areas.

2. Egress: a way out or exit, an exit ramp on an interstate

3. Feeder: a smaller road that flows into a larger road

4. Ingress: entering, an on ramp on an interstate

5. Transit Line: a line providing public transit

6. Curb Cut: a ramp leading smoothly down from a sidewalk to a street

7. Cut and Fill: the process of earth grading by excavating part of a higher area and using the material to fill in an adjacent lower area

8. Delta Angle: the change in angle of a curve

9. Freeway: a broad highway designed for high speed travel

10. Point of Reverse Curve: a point in a rail or road where a left or right curve is quickly followed by a curve in the opposite direction

11. Point of Tangency: point at which a tangent line intersects a curve

12. Sight Distance: length of the roadway ahead visible to the driver

13. Tangent Line: a straight line that just touches the outside of a curve

14. Vertical Alignment: a combination of tangent grades and vertical curves which defines the vertical location of a highway

15. Vertical Curve: a transition between two elevations

Essential Questions 4.4

1. Why did we exaggerate the vertical scale when we did the profile layout of the road?
So that we could see the shift in height in greater detail.

2. In what ways do engineers use design to control traffic differently on an arterial opposed to a feeder street?
Arterial roads are designed to hold more traffic and with less stops than feeder streets.

3. What are some of the factors you would have to consider if you were asked to design a new parking lot for your local library?
How many people will be using it simultaneously, how much space I have to build in.

4. How would the design of ingress or egress change if a building were to be used as a day care center instead of a senior center?
The amount and placement of the doors. Also the amount and distance of parking from the door is key.

Fire House Plan Questions

1. Determine the following information about the PLTW firehouse plan:
· What is the diameter of the existing water main?
6"

· What is the diameter of the proposed water service?
8"

· What is the elevation of the top of the hydrant?
301.79'

· What diameter pipe is used for the building’s sanitary sewer line?
6"

· Where is the gas meter to be located?
The middle of the south wall of the building.

· What is the spot elevation in the front left-hand corner of the building?
300'

2. Why do you think red is the color used to depict electricity?
Because red is a hot color and electricity is also hot.

Parking Lot

Questions for Navy Guy

1) What kinds of things do you do on a daily basis.

2) Do you ever do anything that is out of the ordinary or do you pretty much have a daily routine.

3) Do you get to travel around a lot?

3.1 Essential Questions

1. How do you know when the design you’ve chosen for a site is the correct one?





If you have checked out the site and found that it will sustain your design, and if your design uses the space on the site effciently and follows all zoning laws.





2. As a developer for the site, how does knowing about past owners and the uses of the property help you develop the site?





Knowing who has owned your site in the past can provide insights into what types of things the site has been used for and what you might find as you dig. (including things that were buried, or the quality of the soil)





3. In what ways do the view of a site, its terrain, the solar aspects, wind, and sound influence site orientation?





Depending on what type of building you are creating you need to take into account these qualities. If you are building a recording studio you are going to want a site with little or no sound influence. There are other examples of buildings that require a certain environment as well. In addition the terrain, solar aspects, and wind can affect how large or what materials are used in your building.





4. How does knowing about current neighbors help you in developing a site?





Knowing your neighbors can be imperative to a perfect site. In some areas neighbors may oppose what your doing and try to stop you through petitions or violent protests.





5. What difference does it make if you do or do not abide by the regulations and requirements for developing and building property?





Well if you don't obey regulations your building might cost less but it also might be unsafe and kind of illegal.





6. What regulatory agencies should you know? Why is it important to work with them in preparing to develop property?





Well who you need to know kind of depends on where you are so you might want to check with the city to see what all you need. Normally you will have to know the zoning and building agencies.





7. Zoning is not a requirement in all localities. How does zoning help or hinder land development?





Zoning can help buildings and land development by telling what you can and can't build which helps people





8. The environment is affected when land is developed. How does an environmental impact study help or hinder a developer in preparing to develop property?




Well if you studied the environment you would be able to design and build a building that is both cheap and environmently friendly.






9. What do wetlands, covenants, and prior ownership have to do with site selection?




Well all of those things could affect building by creating tough envorinments and violating zoning laws.






10. How did completing a traffic analysis around the property help in providing information about the property?






You know where you can and can't build to keep traffic flowing well.




11. As an owner of the property, what issues were of concern to you and may affect the development of the property after you completed the viability analysis?




I would check and see what types of elevations there were to see where the most plausible place to build is.





12. What is the relationship of regulations to the viability analysis?



The more regulations there are the harder it is to find a viable plot of land.

6.4.1. Essential Questions

1. How do weight and applications of loads affect the design of a structure?



You need to know where the application of different loads occur so that you can design your building to be stronger.



2. What are the factors that determine if soil is suitable to support a structure?



It's ability to pack and how much weight it can hold safely without sinking.



3. How does the various load types, soil bearing capacities, and drainage influence the design of a foundation?

There are several different types of foundations and each one is specifically designed for different environments. All of the variations mentioned in the question can affect the decision on which foundation is used.

Zoning Laws

What you need to get an improvement location permit (Building Permit)
1. A drawing to scale of:
a. The property boundary with dimensions
b. All existing structures (improvements) with dimensions
c. All proposed structures (improvements) with dimensions and heights
d. All driveways or access ways onto the property with dimensions
e. All public right of ways (streets, roads, etc…)
f. All easements on the property with dimensions
g. LOCATION OF WELLS AND SEPTIC SYSTEMS (A PROPOSED WELL NEEDS TO BE FIFTY (50) FEET FROM A PROPERTY LINE)
A visual scale bar must be located on the drawing.
A north arrow must be located on the drawing.
The use of the existing and proposed structures.
$30 Improvement location permit fee in form of a check (payable to Area Plan Commission) or cash.


Construction must begin 180 days after receiving an improvement location permit.
Construction must be finished 2 years after receiving an improvement location permit.


Table 9-15, Lot Sizes & Setbacks and Height Restrictions
(1) A setback shall be the distance between the right-of-way of a public way or a property line to a principal and/or accessory structure. A right-of-way of a public way shall take precedent wherever it overlaps the property line.
(2) Heights shall be measured from the highest section of the structure to the average land elevation of the parcel on which said structure is built.
(3) If a proposed Minor Subdivision is located more than two hundred (200) feet from an existing Public Way, a twenty five (25) foot wide access strip that is contiguous with an existing Public Way and the proposed Minor Subdivision shall be deeded with proposed Minor Subdivision to allow for two-way traffic onto and off an existing Public Way.
(4) A platted lot in a Major Subdivision or PUD may be located behind other platted lots if a twenty five (25) foot wide access strip that is contiguous with an existing Public Way is platted with said lot and if proposed lot has been approved in writing by the local legislative body under whose jurisdiction the Major Subdivision or PUD is to be located.

6.3.1 Questions

1. If a beam bends in one direction, what is the effect on the column?

Depending on where the column is in relation to the beam it will be stretched or compressed.


2. If a column compresses too severely, how does that affect a beam?


The beam might be lowered which would crack the celing and might deplete the structural integrity of the building.


3. In the design of a column and beam system, what are the geometric and physical principles that must be considered for safety and sustainability of a structure?

You need to think about where most of the buildings weight is going to rest, and also the length of your beams. If your beams are too long or all of your builings weight is resting on one point the stability of your building will be in jeopardy.

4. What information is provided in column schedules? What additional information is needed in designing a column and beam bracing system?

A column schedule would tell you how many columns there are as well as what kinds of columns are being used. You need to know the type of footings you are using and what type of beams are being used so you can decide how much support is needed.

Frostlines

The lower the average winter temperature the greater the frost level.

Essential Questions 6.2

1. How are trusses able to span large distances?

Trusses can span large distances by supporting each other and distrubuting the weight back out to the edges.

2. What do I have to understand in order to use mathematics to predict truss strength?

Yes, you have to be able to find how much force is on each component of the truss system. Which is some pretty complicated math.

3. How are different roof styles and pitches related to different architectural styles?

Different architectural styles often use different types of roofs. For example in the southewestern US a lot of the roofs are flat whereas in the eastern US they have peaked roofs.

4. What is the effect of different materials on the strength of a rafter or a truss?

If you use a stronger material it will obviously hold more weight making a roof stronger, but you have to be careful because stronger materials often weigh more which will add weight to the columns.

Structural Frame

Essential Questions 6.1

1. What is structural engineering?

Structural Engineers work on creating the support system of a building. Including girders, beams, and columns.

2. How does the design of a structure impact how loads are dispersed?

The design of a building can affect load dispersion by placing columns and girders in different places around the building.

3. In what ways are wind, snow, and dead and live loads similar or different?

They all put pressure on the building, what is different is that some of the loads last longer. For instance a dead load will be there as long as the building but a wind load can come and go in a day.

4. How does the use of mathematics help in understanding about the forces and loads on a structure?

Mathmatics helps us to find out exactly how the forces are distributed around a building. Because of that we can design, safer and more sturdy buildings.

5. How do you determine what loads are applied to a structure?

You find out what the structure will be used for so you can assess the live loads, and where the structure will be built so you can assess snow, wind and earthquake loads.

6. Where would you locate a load table to assist your design process?

I would put it on the structural blue prints so that it would be right there as you were building your structure.

Essential Question Unit 5.3

1.How are the interior and exterior traffic flow patterns related? As a designer, why should you consider them when preparing a floor plan?
When designing a restaurant floor plan you have to keep flow patterns in mind because customers and waiters have to be able to move freely about the restaurant sometimes carrying large items.

2. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1997 provided clear guidelines for universal accessibility. What accessibility issues are important with a project?
You have to follow the ADA guidelines while designing restrooms and stairs.

3.What factors determine the functionality of a room and its size, shape, and location?
The flow of traffic through the room, how well the room does what it needs to, and where the room needs to be in relation to the other rooms that it interacts with.

4.In preparing a floor plan, what is the purpose and value of floor plan symbols?
Floor plan symbols are used to save space so that you don't have annotations that are crossing each other.

5.What is R-value and how is it determined?
The R value is determined by looking at the heat efficiency of the material in question.

6. Where would you find air leakage, and how could it be prevented?
Most air leakage happens around windows.

7. What is a vapor retarder? How is it used?
A machine that helps prevent water vapor leakage. They are used to keep humidity out of houses.

8. What is a BTU and how would you calculate the BTUs needed for your building?
A BTU is a measurement of how heat effecient your house is. You calulate BTUs by using the R-values and the area of the diifferent surfaces in your building.

Renders

Door/ Window

Section View

Plumbing Sheet

Floor Plan Sheet

Elevation Sheet

Electirc Sheet

Lakehouse Questions

1. As a designer, in what ways did you try to influence your client?
I tried to get him to request things that I new how to do well.


2. How did making the sketches when working with your client help the design process?
Making sketches helped me to visualize how I was going to design the house, because I could ask for his input as I figured out the realtive size and shape of the room.


3. What relationship do the various drawings and renderings have to each other?
The majority of the rooms are basically the same. I had to make some adjustments because of size limitations.


4. How did the existing plot plan limit your design?
The existing plot made me rethink my house, and get rid of unnecessary space.


5. What are some of the things you would do differently? How would you change the process to accomplish them?
I would spend more time on the house and use more generic furniture instead of wasting time finding the perfect piece.


6. What impact will the property have on the surrounding area if it is developed?
With a house next to the lake roads are sure to follow, and with the roads more houses, and stores will come.


7. How do you know if your design is ready for implementation?
The design is plausible, and the client has approved it.


8. How does the use of software and other tools aid in the development of an idea?
The software really showed me the actual size of things, which made me adjust sizes of rooms to fit the furniture better.


9. What design ideas would you incorporate in your vacation house versus your year-round house?
A vacation house doesn't need as much stuff in it as a year-round home. So things like furnaces can be left out.


10. What is something you learned today that you did not understand or know before?
It is much harder to fit everything in a 500 square foot house than it seems.

Design Sketch

Bubble Diagram

Shed Activity Questions

1) I think that the thing im going to have to remember is how to change the dimensions of things. I change my mind a lot so I'm going to have to change dimensions around a lot.

2)There isn't a whole lot left to do with the designing of the shed because if you add mush more it wouldn't really be a shed anymore. That being said I would like to be able to mess around with it to maybe make it look a little better.

Playhouse Activity Questions

1) I answered the first question on the same post as the sheet for the playhouse

2) If I had more time i would change the design of the house to make it more unique. I spent a lot time on putting furniture in the house, thus my playhouse is basically just a box. Also because none of the furniture was included on the sheet my playhouse looks pretty lame right now.

You have to remember what kind of crowd you are designing for. A playhouse should be more designed for efficiency rather than aesthetics, because people are more concerned with having fun then they are with how well designed the house looks.

Questions for a Civil Engineer/ Architect

1)Do you enjoy your job?

2)Do find your job exciting or is it mostly just routine work?

3)How much time do you spend designing buildings as compared to overseeing the construction of buildings? Are there other types of civil engineers who spend different amounts of time doing those jobs than you?


1)How much time do spend designing private structures as compared to public ones?

2)Do you design more for efficiency or for aesthetics?

3)About what percentage of your time do spend designing?

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