Placemaking in Irvington

During the Spirit and Place Festival this year, Health by Design sponsored a presentation by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) at the Indiana State Museum. UrbanIndy wrote an entry about the event, pointing out how the event fostered participation and collaboration.

Placemaking (@wikipedia) is about building plazas, city squares, and all kinds of pedestrian infrastructure that supports active streetlife. Placemaking is a great way for people to get involved in their community, because placemaking requires no special skills. Everyone knows what kind of spaces they enjoy, and there are no technical challenges such as fire safety or structural safety concerns that require specialized knowledge.

I don't want to minimize the difficulty of good design, because landscape architects, civil engineers, traffic engineers, and architects must be involved for a successful project. But in general, the public can and should be active in setting goals and design objectives.

I decided to apply what I learned from PPS to my own experiences with my neighborhood. PPS strongly advocates for public involvement in placemaking, encouraging residents to communicate what they know about their places. It is up to the public to speak up about what works, what doesn't work, and what they want their places to be like.

During the presentation, Ethan Kent (working for the Great Cities Initiative) asked all the participants to think about their local places. In particular, they ask people to use the power of ten to organize their ideas. So for my evaluation of Irvington (see earlier posts), I have come up with 10 ideas each category: 10 places that work, 10 places that fail, and the 10 best opportunities for change.


10 Irvington Places that Work:
These places are the reasons that people enjoy living in the neighborhood. They succeed on a basic level and inspire the residents to use the public space as a shared resource, building a community.

Pennsy Trail
This rail-to-trail linear park is brand new, but is a great addition to the area. (See earlier posts for more information)


South Audubon Circle
This park in the middle of a traffic circle is one of the neighborhood's most loved places. (See earlier traffic circle post for more information)


Washington St. Commercial Corridor
This stretch of East Washington Street is a functional and exciting commercial area, with a theater, local coffeeshop and Starbucks, library, old lodge building, several restaurants, and locally owned shops.


Michigan/New York Bike Lanes
The bike lanes make commuting on two wheels to downtown possible. (See earlier post) The intersection with Pleasant Run Trail and Ellenberger park makes for an interesting crossroads.


Historic Houses
Some of the best historic homes in Indianapolis can be found in the neighborhood. They are scattered throughout, rewarding exploration of the area. (See earlier post) Many of the homes create a sense of history and community, turning the narrow streets and sidewalks into comfortable neighborhood places.


Street Festivals
Twice a year, Irvington closes down a few blocks of E Wash St and has a party in the street. Thousands of people, local merchants, funnel cakes, kids, dogs, and a fish fry replace the internal combustion engines. (See Halloween post for more photos)


Ellenberger Park
This place is at the nexus of pleasant run creek park and the bike lanes heading downtown.


It has a great blend of functions and greenery, making it a cherished place within the community. Ellenberger park is a great example of something unexpected that fits in. Just like Central Park in NYC, a good stretch of green can make a great place when supported by the community.


Audubon Court Apartments
Recently renovated and opened to residents, this old apartment building has a unique style and wonderful street presence along Washington Street. The front porches and interesting features make this a place rather than just an address.


Bona Thompson Library
This structure from the old Butler University campus hosts many events and serves as a communal place nestled in the quiet residential streets. It is where the residents learn about local history, hold forums for discussion, vote, and keep treasures.


Irvington Branch Library
This building represents the city's commitment to the area. The library is one of the best and most useful buildings in the area, and it creates a place on its grounds that is used for all sorts of local gatherings and outdoor meetings. It's also a good location to sit and watch people walking through the neighborhood.


10 Irvington Places that Fail:
This section features a list of places that fail to provide for the interconnected needs of humanity. Some of them were designed for specific clients and serve their owners well, but a key element is missing. Public spaces must responsibly accommodate many different users. These spaces have been designed, but the designers failed to put the buildings in the context of the neighborhood.

Old Pennsylvania Railroad Commercial Area
The loss of railroad commuters made businesses move to E Wash St during the early 20th century. Some of the old buildings are still here, but there was no effort to preserve the original storefront area and newer buildings make it look like a suburban development. (See earlier post)


Indy East Motel
In its final years of operation, this motel became a state-sponsored halfway home of sexual offenders, instigating a powerful reaction from local residents. The neighborhood fought a long battle to close this motel, knowing that a closed business would be more welcome than a haven for crime. The empty property is the legacy of a property owner who cared more for money than the welfare of his community. (see story on Indy.com)


Commercial Corridor east of Arlington
Just another photo showing the banal, repressive, and dangerous streetscape found in most communities in the US. Complete Streets anyone?


Dilapidated Apartment Buildings
When rents are low, the apartment buildings suffer from disinvestment and the residents are forced to live in substandard housing. There are several apartment buildings along E Wash St that have neglected the opportunity to create spaces, in contrast to the Audubon Court mentioned above.


Parking Lot for Plasma Center
This one place inspires more hostile feelings amongst residents than anywhere else in the area besides the old Indy East Motel. The original buildings were demolished (aside from one blighted corner building). The new building does not address the street, but the parking lot instead. Combined with the suburb-style pharmacy across the street, it feels out of place. I have no problem with the business, but the space it created is just plain weird.


Washington Street as Urban Highway
Too many lanes, no accommodation of bicyclists, and no reason for being oversize. This road is way overdesigned for traffic. Seriously, how would any area ever accommodate street life with a high speed highway splitting it in two? The accelerating cars speeding down Wash St prevent any street conversations or even talking on the phone while enjoying a snack at Starbucks.


How many East-West highways are necessary on the East-side of Indy? We have I-70, Michigan/NY (1-way streets), E Wash St (US-40), and Brookville/English. WTF? Further east of Irvington they even added lanes to US40, now with 7 lanes of traffic and no median, crosswalks, or consistent signal spacings. The photo below was taken at 5PM, I don't see why we needed this expansion in any case. If you ever needed evidence of no intelligent life on the planet, this would be it.


Excess Greenscaping, Parking Lots, and Low-Profile Buildings
The low price of real-estate during the second half of the 20th century invited sprawling architecture and parking lots in place of the historic and more energy efficient multiple story buildings located on the street front. It also meant that the local roads stopped feeling like contained places that comfort and support pedestrian life.


Asphalt Road Conditions
Another problem with the streets-as-places model in the neighborhood is the patchwork asphalt roads. On one hand it does slow traffic, but on the other hand it makes it appear that the neighborhood does not care for its own infrastructure. The city-dictated maintenance schedule is to blame, so locals have to live with a public eyesore on their doorstep for many years.


Sidewalks with Utility Poles
Why does this happen in the US?


Bell Telephone Building
The destruction of this beautiful building's facade went beyond a mere loss of historic character. The loss of windows meant that the street lost its status as a watched and cared for place.



10 Best Opportunities for Change in Irvington:
This section is a compilation of my ideas for the neighborhood. They are not official, and I have never submitted them for consideration in any capacity. But the whole point of the exercise is brainstorming, so I hope they get people thinking about ways to improve Irvington, or even inspire people to think about their own local places.

The United States deserves better places, and starting locally is the best way to make that happen. Look around you and start thinking about placemaking and the opportunity we have to recreate our public spaces.

Washington Street Corridor Streetscape
This is a project that will be completed within 2 years. Placemaking is the main purpose, so it should be a great project for the neighborhood.


Extension of Pennsy Trail in Each Direction
Another planned project, but with unknown completion time. This one is important because it will add another reason to be in Irvington and also link many of the favorite places together.


Convert Bonna Street into Linear Market
Currently, Bonna Street is a narrow, non-continuous street paved with a combination of bricks, asphalt, and concrete. The adjoining green space is the future location of the Pennsy Trail extending to Ritter, but is being used as nothing more than a parking area right now.


I propose restoring the brick pavers, extending the Pennsy Trail, and using the street for temporary markets and festivals. This would encourage commercial activity to return to this area, adding additional storefronts to the Historic Irvington area.

New Plaza outside Irvington Branch Library
While the Irvington Branch Library is great as it currently stands, the front sidewalk area is not wide enough to support the impromptu community meetings. In fact, there is no outdoor plaza anywhere on E Wash St corridor that would help groups meet and greet. I have seen lots of activities like bike-rides, rain-barrel workshops, political rallies, and similar events in Irvington. Providing an open location, freely available to anyone that would accommodate 20-50 people would add a key place for the community.


Connecting all Schools Together with Bike/Walk Lanes
The many public, private, and charter schools within the neighborhood can be converted into special places by reducing the need for parking lots and drop-off areas.


Harvested Rainwater Sprinkler Park
Community swimming pools are expensive. They also require a lot of built infrastructure. And then there is the concern that pools may be a waste of potable water. In response to these concerns, I propose adding a Sprinkler Park at Brown's Corner Park.


The concept is to make it an educational center that explains where recreational water comes from and how the pumps receive power. If no sun is shining and no rain has been falling, then the sprinkler park would not run. This would teach users that water and power are renewable resources, and it's not just a matter of flipping a switch or turning a faucet.

Because the sprinkler park would have no standing water, it would not require lifeguards or attendants of any kind. The sprinklers would only operate during certain hours, and be freely available. No chain-link fences required.

Greenscaping and Bio-retention area for Irvington Square Mall
This parking lot has *way* too much paving and parking spaces. I have never seen the lots filled, which creates the impression of failed businesses. In reality, it's just too much parking capacity. I propose adding some green elements that tie into the trail. Adding some storefronts along E Wash St would be a great idea too, but I don't know if the property owners want to add even more square footage to this sprawling commercial area.


Brick Paving along Historic Streets
Brick street paving is a great way to restore historic authenticity to neighborhoods. It also slows down traffic significantly and forces through-traffic to other areas. Pavers also turn impermeable surfaces into permeable ones, reducing stormwater quantity and recharging aquifers. Irvington has more brick streets than any other neighborhood in Indianapolis, but we can always improve the situation by adding more.


My favorite neighborhood with brick streets (aside from Irvington) is German Village in Columbus, Ohio. (see photo) Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, PA is another great example. (see photo)

Transit Center and Landbanking
Indianapolis is moving towards a regional transit system. It may be 20 years off, but Irvington should start planning for a neighborhood transit center now. It is likely that the B&O lines will be used to run a rail system or a streetcar along E Wash St will be used. (See MPO RTS Study Map here) Either way, the neighborhood should begin thinking about how to accommodate mass transit and for a regional transit system.


In the meantime, a local transit center can be established near the main commercial corridor. Some people think they are just expensive bus stops, but they are much more than that. They are not a waste of money, they are a visible commitment to public transit in the city. Such buildings would be the best possible marketing tool for IndyGo - a stable and sure place for passengers to gather with clearly posted schedules. One great recent example is the Rosa Parks Transit Center in Detroit (see Arch Tracker page).


The neighborhood must be ready to propose a viable solution that will fit into the larger transit system plan. That will guarantee the neighborhood an important position on the transit line and allow Irvington to help develop the solution.


24hr Communal Television Plaza for Public Viewing
This is probably my most radical proposal. Instead of prohibiting gatherings and preventing loiterers, I would try to encourage it. Set up a plaza for free public use, one with a large television (or several televisions). Instead of people watching 5 hours of television at home every day (Nielsen average for US viewers), people could watch their shows or sports events in a communal setting. This has been very successful for large events like the Olympics or World Cup Soccer, so why not apply the lesson to public spaces year-round?

Public safety is often a concern in these places, but statistics prove that these places are safer than less traveled ones. People are generally civil and obey regulations when other people are around. The spaces that need additional regulations and monitoring are the places that nobody visits. We must not be afraid to let people come together freely, because that is the essence of community.

A Disaster: TAMU Bonfire Collapse

This past November 12 was the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Texas A&M University's annual bonfire. A few weeks before their rivalry game with University of Texas, the large stack of logs fell apart while student workers were constructing it. The tragedy claimed the lives of 12 students and injured 27 others.


I grew up in College Station, TX, home of TAMU. I once lived very close to the site, and as a kid I would climb on top of my roof to watch the bonfire. That was a long time ago, of course.

At the time of the collapse, November 1999, I was a sophomore attending university in Pennsylvania. I first heard of the collapse when my advisor pulled me into his office and began asking questions about what happened. I assumed it was nothing more than a shifting of the foundation, as had happened before, requiring a rebuild. In fact, it was a true disaster that would test the very foundations of tradition in my hometown.

The event was a surreal experience for me, as I'm sure it was for many in my hometown. I remember seeing friends from high school being interviewed on television, and wondering how the town I viewed as the safest place in the world could ever be the site of such tragedy.

I was never involved in the bonfire, and I never knew much about its construction. As I learned more about it over the next few years, I was amazed at the recklessness of the university administration. The public, especially those in my hometown, assumed that the bonfire was a safe event because it was blessed by the public officials in charge of it. We had no idea that the students would be allowed to be placed in such danger on a routine basis.


This disaster, as is typically the case, was not a failure of engineering knowledge but a failure of organizational ineptitude. The administration had consistently turned a blind-eye to the bonfire construction process. It was a significant structure that should have been designed, verified, built according to law, and inspected on a regular schedule.

Instead, it was merely sketched out in advance, put up and pounded together with little respect for engineering principles, and tied together with ineffective materials by students who spent a whole semester skipping classes, drinking alcohol, and engaging in institutionalized hazing. TAMU's administration (and many local politicians) allowed this to go on because they were once part of this tradition, and felt the bonfire tradition was something too important to interfere with.


The tragedy was not that the bonfire fell (that was inevitable - it was going to happen at some point), it was that the TAMU administration did so little to protect their student body from an engineering disaster. I'm no fan of in loco parentis in modern colleges, but this was absolute negligence.

The University erected a permanent memorial at the site of the collapse. TAMU did undertake a full investigation and thus far have refused to continue the practice. I'm sure it is not easy for them to consistently deny the requests of alumni who want to start the tradition back up, but I do know that the memorial is clearly visible from the administration building and they need only look out their window to remember why it was cancelled.

I don't think any activity that has proven to be so dangerous should be reinstated. There is nothing that will ever convince me that student's lives should be put at risk. In the end, this disaster probably showed a lot of colleges and universities around the world that they need to take a closer look at their sanctioned events.

There are many ways in which students can show honor to past traditions, engage in creative challenges, and help foster a sense of community. But any activities resembling the Aggie Bonfire, a large structure capable of causing great harm, must be carefully managed by those in responsible charge.

2009 Irvington Halloween Festival

Halloween in Irvington is celebrated with a flourish. The old town's namesake, Washington Irving, is honored in several ways along with other traditional authors of the American Romantic period that Irvington embodies. Poems by Poe, stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and ghost stories from the neighborhood's past all play a big role in the Halloween Festival.

My favorite part is the Saturday Festival, during which time they close E Wash St and let the crowds overtake it. It's a wonderful reminder that streets can be a great communal place.


This year was one of the best because of the great weather and the calendar - the Saturday of the festival was the 31st this year! I enjoyed the event and definitely found some interesting things. We bought some art, had some of the fish fry, and ended up with a giant paella cookset.


In general, it was great fun and the costumes we saw were amazing. We didn't stay for the whole event, but I would have loved to have seen the kids and the pets parading down main street.

Several live bands were playing

Death ponders a new form of transit

St. George and the Dragon

Witch, of the canine variety

My favorite costumes (pregnant cheerleader, Bender, and mad scientist)

Advice for Young Engineers Looking for Work

It's a tough economy out there. Graduate engineers are in a better position than most people when looking for a job, but getting that first job is a hard task for anyone right now. But, even with all of the problems facing young engineers right now, they still have some options if they can't find their ideal position.

There are a few employers of graduate engineers that are always hiring, including:

• Work for a related industry or employer
• Graduate School
• Military Service
• Development and charitable organizations
• Go live at home and help the family
  

Other Work
The first option makes an explicit assumption that not everyone will get their #1 choice for a job. This is not really a problem, though. There are still plenty of jobs available in the market, but some graduates will have to expand their concept of engineering.

Many firms that do not receive national press, have poor presence on the internet, and do not recruit at schools actually do very important engineering work. They are more difficult to find, but they can provide a new graduate with their important first job.

Another strategy is to apply for jobs in a related industry or employer. There are many companies that make products, components, or sell services directly to engineering firms. These companies prefer hiring engineers because they understand clients better. Just remember, becoming an engineer is a long process and engineering experience can come in many different forms in the first few years of employment.

Graduate School
Personally, I graduated during a recessionary period after the Dot.Com market fiasco. This was also a time when fewer entry positions were open. I was totally unprepared for this event and didn't even know what part of the country I wanted to live in after graduation, and I certainly didn't know where to apply for jobs.

Eventually I decided that graduate school was a good option for me. This decision must me made early in the final year of school, or else it is unlikely that all of the paperwork and testing can be completed on time. Graduate fellowship positions are extremely competitive when the job market is at a low, but sometimes it is worth the additional debt to continue classes anyways. The tuition costs can be paid off later with a stronger resume and a better job.

Military Service
Military service is also an option. I know several friends and classmates who chose to join the military after graduation instead of looking for a job. It's a hard decision for anyone to make because of the risks and consequences, but engineers can be a valuable asset in the military.

Experience in the military is a great way for graduate engineers to differentiate themselves when applying for a job. Here in the US, most employers are cognizant that honorably discharged soldiers make some of the best employees and get great training from Uncle Sam. On the other hand, military service is incredibly hard even during times of peace, so the decision should not be made lightly.

Development Organizations
Another option beyond military service is finding a position with peacemaking and development organizations. The Peace Corp, Americorp, Teach America, and similar programs can provide a great way to give back to the global community with engineering skills. These programs also carry risk and consequences, so they must be carefully considered before any decision is made.

Moving Back Home
One final option for many graduates is to return home and live with their family. This is a very common action in times of economic hardship. Single family homes typically have an elastic capacity to absorb grown children, pets, married couples and their children. All of the empty apartments, rental houses, and foreclosed homes are good evidence of this happening. The last time this happened on such a large scale was the Great Depression, which forced many families back together.

Moving back home was also part of my strategy for graduate school. I was fortunate enough to grow up down the road from a state engineering school that accepted me for grad school. Not everyone will fit into that circumstance, but many people have families, relatives, or close family friends near engineering colleges.

Most people are often more than willing to have a long-term guest in their house to help out friends and family. The lower costs can make a big difference, as my stipend would have put me well below the poverty line but my free rent gave me the opportunity to eat things other than Ramen.

The Big Picture
Whatever choices graduate engineers make, there are a few key points to remember. The first is that most graduates should find jobs that will support their application to become a Professional Engineer (PE). This means that the job should be managed by an already licensed PE or should be academic in nature. The NCEES licensure page has additional information. Graduate engineers should *never* assume that their job is applicable unless specifically noted.

Also, the first few years after graduation are a time of continuing education. Indeed, this is true for the entire career of most engineers. Engineers must make every attempt to continue learning, studying, and asking questions. As noted in the beginning, not every engineer will find their #1 job waiting for them upon graduation. This is not the time to despair and abandon one's goals. Instead, work hard to develop into the type of engineer that will qualify for one's ideal job.

Whatever the future may bring, graduate engineers must take the initiative to learn from coworkers, stay active in the community, join professional groups, read books, play softball and sports whenever possible, and maybe even tackle some collaborative design challenges with other engineers and architects.

Conspiracy Theories in the Realm of Structural Engineering

As a structural engineer, I get a lot of questions regarding the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. People want to know if there is any validity to the claims of demolition by explosives. As with anything in life, there are no certainties, but I find the claims of conspiracy to be very unlikely. Consult the NIST website on WTC collapse (and final report here) if you want to see the official accepted course of events based on thousands of hours of research and analysis by disinterested scientists and engineers. For other opinions, consult Structure Magazine's archives and search for WTC articles (like WTC 7 and WTC 5).

Just as with the moon landing conspiracy and the Obama is an alien conspiracy theory, providing evidence to debunk the myths does nothing to dispel the rumors. People believe what they want to believe, despite having the ability to reason for themselves. Thus, I don't think any logical argument or presentation of evidence will change anyone's minds, so I am not going to present one here. For a good, logical refute of the arguments, see Rolling Stone's "The Low Post."

However, I do want to discuss the ethical implications of these beliefs among the structural engineering and architectural community. If someone has not yet decided what happened on any of these occasions, just be aware that spreading conspiracy theories will have a negative impact on one's career. Basically people will think they are crazy or stupid, neither of which are positive characteristics for an engineer.

An important ethical implication that must also be considered is that the many engineers that have been closely involved with the original design and investigations are essentially being accused of mass murder. Or covering up for mass murderers. These engineers have absolutely nothing other than the highest respect for human life, throwing them into the same category as history's greatest villains will not win any points.

In fact, a recent debacle at the White House showed that indicating support for these ideas can create professional problems many years down the road. The Green Jobs adviser for the Obama Administration was forced out because of support for 9/11 conspiracy theory. This is a good lesson for all of us to learn. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

UPDATE: IND International Airport

Structure Magazine just published their steel focus issue, which features an article on the new IND airport terminal building. The article was written by the structural engineers and adds to the information I presented in my own post on the IND airport.

"Gateway to the Circle City"

Also, I took some newer photos of the terminal and wanted to post them along with some closeups of the tensile membrane structures. So without further ado here are the terminal and concourse photos:

A view of the concourse from the parking structure

Terminal A from the South

The bridge link between the concourse and ground transportation center

View of the canopy structure and departing flight dropoff

As mentioned above, I also got some photos of the membrane structures for those of us who love that kind of thing. These were designed and built by Geiger Engineers.

Central canopy over parking corridor

Underside of the canopy

Canopy framing details

Vehicle ramp corkscrew canopy

Corkscrew transition and central hub behind

Edge connection details

My contribution to the Airport was the PARCS building (where they eat your money) - my firm did the building and foundation structural design, Geiger did the canopy design

Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS) Building

BRIC Construction

The fast growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) need complex infrastructure solutions and they need them fast. There is a great opportunity for engineers who know how to meet those needs. Considering that these countries are the next dominant world powers based on current global development trends, we had better begin brushing up on our Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin/Cantonese, and Hindi.


A lot of engineers in the US feel threatened by overseas competition. I don't. I feel that our ethical obligations to "build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others" mean that we shouldn't put up unfair barriers to outside competition. I encourage honest competition, if we can lower prices and maintain safe structures then everyone benefits. Competition for important jobs always inspires creativity.

Let's not try to hold back our engineering friends from the BRIC countries, I say we welcome them and start working together to solve humanity's great problems. But seriously, I expect great things to come out of these countries in the next few decades. Russia and Brazil are scheduled to host upcoming Olympic games, China just hosted one itself, and India has been widely acknowledged as one of the new world powers.

These countries are still working through some difficult issues like guarantees of democracy, freedom of the press, and human rights issues, but their own ascension to the world geopolitical stage is not unlike the US or similar countries. It took the US many many years before we met our goals of a society based on equal rights (still an ongoing process). It's important to look at where these countries will be in 30 years, not necessarily where they are right now.

A caveat remains, however. As the people living there acquire more wealth and seek the luxuries that the US and Europe currently enjoy, then the efforts at preventing climate change could be thrown into disarray. It is important that we get this right, because the BRIC countries represent 40% of the human population! The way to do this correctly is for the US and developed countries to start making serious policies regarding climate change. The time is right for developed countries to save the world, and it is our responsibility because we have been the cause of most of its problems through our centuries of industrial experimentation.

BRIC presents us an opportunity to start a meaningful dialogue about the future of the human condition. It is not just an opportunity to open their markets and sell them gasoline cars, it is an opportunity to raise the quality of life of every person on the planet in a meaningful, and sustainable, way. We have the capability to meet the needs of all people while still preserving a viable future for our later generations.

The BRIC economies have shown off the human ability for innovation. From the bus transit system of Curitiba, Brazil to the speeding bullet trains of China, these countries have no fear of modernizing their transportation systems. Of course, the traditional neighborhoods in these countries are some of the most efficient and low-impact styles of living, so we need to encourage BRIC to retain them. Let's not export our worst product - suburban sprawl. What we need are ways of accommodating the wants and desires of the middle class with the realities of a world under threat of climate change.

In this sense, the Western countries can continue to develop green designs that will deliver safety under environmental hazards, comfortable climate controls, and continued transit solutions. Working together, BRIC and the US/Europe can accomplish more than working alone. In support of these goals, I am including translation tools for this website. I may speak only one language, but I think if we listen carefully we find ways to understand each other.

(UM LUGAR DO SENTIDO) Portuguese

(भावना की जगह) Hindi

(MECTO SENSE) Russian

(地方的感觉) Chinese

Another Structural Engineering Genius!

The McArthur Fellowship program has named another structural engineer recipient. This is great news because engineers will have a large role in solving the problems of modern society, just as they have helped improve human conditions for the past several hundred years.


This is the second year in a row a structural engineer has been named. See earlier post (Structural Engineer awarded McArthur Fellowship) as well. Will there be an SE three-peat? We will have to wait until next year to find out, but all you SE's out there need to keep working hard!

2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge

I am happy to announce I finished my earlier project on time and submitted it for consideration in the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. I have spent nearly every spare moment on this project for the last two months, so I am very happy to complete it. I think it turned out well, too:

TENSILIGHT: Concentrating the Power of Community for a Sustainable Future

Project Summary:
TENSILIGHT is a tensile fabric structure with a dished rooftop that collects rainwater and concentrates solar energy. It is designed to help small communities transition from a petroleum based economy to one that accommodates growth in an era of limited resources. The goal is to create enduring communities by partnering with an NGO that will provide education in organic agricultural practices.

I had to work quite hard to find examples of this type of structure built previously, I was able to track down an expired patent for a similar idea (USPTO 4,608,964). I am not trying to claim originality for all the concepts involved, but I do think this would be the first time these concepts have been brought together.

My brother is considering sustainable agriculture projects in both central America and Western Africa. Obviously anything near the Sahara makes you think about using solar resources, and I think it would be fun to develop this project for nomadic or semi-nomadic people. A rapidly redeployable instant infrastructure. That is what originally inspired the ideas of tents (fabric structures) and solar power combined with rainwater harvesting.

We chose to focus on Guatemala because it worked out better on the timing. They needed the water collection more than the power, and that is probably the easiest function to accommodate. Overall, both locations offer a good opportunity to focus our ideas.

We chose to develop this idea as a community center in rural communities, but I think it would also have merit for other uses in developed countries. A quick check of the latest USGBC LEED program shows that it could help a project qualify for up to 23 pts when used as a parking structure, so it would be a good option for several different types of projects.

The best part of this project was the opportunity to work with my family (see Group info) to develop the ideas and see the different talents and viewpoints that each person contributed. I am hoping to continue developing our ideas past the initial design and into implementation. All three of us enjoy our work, but I think this was somehow more enjoyable because we allowed ourselves absolute freedom to create.

If anyone has comments on the design, please post them here. The rules of commenting are in this earlier entry, but otherwise post whatever you want. This design is still in the early stages of development, so criticism or suggestions could be very helpful.