ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROJECT PROGRESS
(Construction and Testing)
(Construction and Testing)
For Immediate Release
Contact: Lauren Keiser, Senior Period: 7/8March 5th, 2009
Tel: 732-872-2996
Cell Phone: 732-757-1100
Email: keiser.lauren@gmail.com
Systems Engineering II: TSA Architectural Modeling Project
Sandy Hook, New Jersey, 5 March 09
Lauren Keiser is currently a senior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology located on Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Ms. Keiser is an active member of many clubs, holding leadership positions in groups such as SCUBA Club, Key Club, the NJRTOC Program, Student Government, and Spanish Club. She also plays softball for Henry Hudson Regional on the varsity team. She began at the Marine Academy interested in marine biology, but throughout all of her technology classes, she became interested in engineering. Ms. Keiser is well versed in many subjects, and plans to study environmental engineering at university this fall.
The TSA Architectural Modeling Project is a design project put forth by the Technology Student Association. The project calls for competitors to create a set of architectural plans and create a professional grade architectural model. This year the design brief for the project is to design and model a free standing emergency medical clinic.
Introduction
Lauren Keiser, along with her two teammates Natasha Koncynski and Kelly Daniels, has been working on the design and drawings for her portion of the project over the past two and half months. Ms. Keiser has been responsible for the design and planning of the landscape, parking lot, and floor plan for the emergency medical clinic. She began construction of the actual model at the beginning of February.
Description
Mentor
Background
Each senior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology is required to have a mentor to assist them in their project. The extensiveness of this project called for Lauren Keiser to contact a local architect and ask for his assistance. There were many aspects of the project that called for professional expertise that Ms. Keiser simply would not have with a basic high school education. This called for her to reach out to local architects for help. Her mentor is actually located in her home town of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. This allows Ms. Keiser to meet with her mentor who can give her feedback on progress throughout the course of her project. Her mentor has over 40 years of experience working in the Metropolitan area, having completed numerous projects for both new and renovated structures for large and small scale residential, religious, institutional, and commercial clients. He is a prominent architect along the Jersey Shore and is responsible for many projects going on in Atlantic Highlands right now.
Assistance
Throughout the course of the project Ms. Keiser has needed advice on many specific areas of architectural design. Some of these areas include architectural dimensioning, site layout, maximum capacities, handicap regulations and limitations, ground slope, room sizing, and much more. These were the areas in which Ms. Keiser needed assistance. The availability of a mentor has proved extremely beneficial, allowing her to see firsthand the knowledge of a professional architect.
Project
Project Overview/Description
The purpose of the TSA Architectural Modeling Project is to have the competitors design and model a freestanding emergency medical clinic. Ms. Keiser along with her teammates began by first creating a list of specifications and limitations necessary to the idea of the project, which was to create an efficient medical center. The project entailed creating detailed drawings to act as a guide for the creation of the model. Drawings were done using either Google Sketch UP, or Architectural AutoCAD.
Final Solution Design
After careful review of the three alternate solutions created at the beginning of the projects, our final design was chosen. The final floor plan is a design that employs two wings. The right side of the building is dedicated to patient space, including all exam rooms, trauma unit, patient restrooms, and the radiology space. The left side of the building is employee space only, containing the offices, billing space, conference room, employee restrooms, and the break room. This ensures that the patients are only gives access to areas that are safe. It also allows for an efficient medical clinic. Ms. Keiser was responsible for the design of the floor plan.
Along with the design of the floor plan, Ms. Keiser was also in charge of designing the landscape and the site surrounding the actual building. She designed the parking so that employee space was on the side of the building, separate from the main parking area, to ensure that employees would have a place to park. The main parking is off the main road, and located at the front of the building. The emergency ambulance entrance is off a side road, located off the rear of the building. This gives the ambulance direct entrance to the trauma unit. Ms. Keiser also used the landscape to her advantage, by using the position of the trees to make the facility more energy efficient.
Work Done
During the first month and a half of the project, Ms. Keiser spent her time drawing up the final solution, and creating a set of very detailed and clearly labeled drawings. These drawings allowed for her teammates, and those evaluating the project, to clearly visualize the clinic. These drawings were used as the basis of the model and subsequent construction. Once the drawings were finished, Lauren was able to begin construction with her teammates. Lauren has been working on the model of the site and landscape. This work includes modeling the parking lot, the walkway surrounding the building, the rear ambulance entrance, and the grass. The model must be completed by March 18th. Ms. Keiser must begin to finish all of her detailing work, to make sure that the model is as realistic as possible.
Expectations
The model of the final solution should accurately display the floor plan and how the interior of the facility is set up. It should show how the site is laid out and the purpose of all aspects on the model. The model should depict all of the materials, and give a sense of the designer’s direction. The final product should be able to be presented to a group of peers and evaluators and properly depict all aspects of the design and clearly show what is meant to be modeled. Materials should be accurate, and the scale should be appropriate throughout the model.
Technology, Math, and Science
Throughout the course of her project Ms. Keiser has learned much about how technology, math, and science are used in the field of architecture and building construction. All of the design of the emergency medical clinic was done using computer aided design programs. The two programs she used were AutoCAD and Google Sketch UP. These programs allowed Ms. Keiser to accurately design the floor plan and to lay out the site in a 3D model. By using Google Sketch UP she was able to accurately display textures, colors, and any other visual designs that needed to be displayed. AutoCAD allowed her to create a professional and accurate floor plan. Ms. Keiser was able to understand how large a role technology plays in the design and planning of a building.
Math and science also played major roles in the development of this project. Mathematical calculations had to be done to determine the room sizes for flooring and painting. Specific rooms also had to meet handicap regulations. Calculations were also done to determine materials, and parking lot size. Calculations were also used by her teammates to determine roof size and foundation depths. Science was also used in the design of the site using landscaping to help increase the efficiency of the heating and cooling systems.
Summary
Lauren Keiser, along with her teammates, has dedicated much time and effort to the design of the emergency medical clinic. All of the necessary developmental work and drawings have been completed at this point in the project. Months of planning and design have cumulated in the construction of the model which is now taking place. Construction is to be completed by March 18th for Ms. Keiser and her teammates.
