Building the Next Engineers - [re]fractal

[re]fractal—Appearing to be complex, but in fact deceptively simple, [re]fractal is formed of components with varying geometry and made realizable through small‑scale connections and simple structural details. The primary characteristics are a reflective and refractive material that is also reusable.

A fractal leaves an overarching impression of complexity. As the scale is amplified it reveals intricate details that add richness to the whole. The same approach was taken for the pavilion; as the design was developed from student concepts to a physical structure, the pavilion was formed through the connection of individually unique but standardized componentry. Each individual connection detail or structural module is simple in isolation, but when aggregated create a more complex whole.

FOREWORD

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is essential to a functioning and prospering society. It provides dynamic, exciting, and rewarding fields to work in. However, like many industries in a changing world—AEC faces some headwinds. There is a disconnect between the number of engineers required, and the number that are completing their studies and entering the job market. The young engineers and architects that have historically entered the field are not fully representative of society. Better representation is crucially important because the profession does not want to miss any talented young people. Every person with the motivation and training is needed, and welcomed, to move society forward through engineering. We want everyone to experience the fun and rewards of the profession.

Engineering of the built environment is also a profession which is currently undergoing historic changes (computation, automation, changing design criteria) but may be experienced as ‘a marathon rather than a sprint.’ This is particularly true for young individual architects and engineers working as part of a big team on large long term projects. Sometimes this delays young practitioners in experiencing the excitement of, and opportunities to learn from, the construction process.

Numbers, diversity, and engagement of young practitioners; we need more people to take interest in the profession from high school through college, we need them to be more representative of the population to not miss any talent, and we need them to continue to learn and be engaged.

These are all metrics that are crucial for us to improve on for the health of the structural engineering profession and the AEC industry in general. It is important to focus on investing in activities which advance the art, science, and practice of structural engineering. These are the same goals that Scale Rule has been working towards since its establishment in London, UK, in 2015, and we were excited to support them in their first partnerships with US institutions to take their previously successful design‑build workshops with high school students and young practitioners and adapt them to the different market of the US.

With financial support from the SEI Futures Fund and in close partnership with Hofstra University on Long Island, this project team organized and executed a really fantastic first US project. From the workshop photos, concept designs and final construction, it is clear that this project was completed by passionate young people and young practitioners. Here at the SEI Futures Fund we are always excited to support new and innovative projects, and after seeing the outcomes of this pilot project in New York, we are hopeful about further developments in the coming years.

Jon Magnusson PE, SE, Hon.AIA, F.SEI, Dist.M.ASCE, NAE

SEI Futures Fund Board Chair Senior Principal, Magnusson Klemencic Associates

INTRODUCTION 01

Scale Rule is a collective of engineers, architects, and designers who like teaching, designing, building, and learning. Our goals are to promote diversity and public engagement in our built environment by encouraging better representation in the industry, and by encouraging community participation on new projects. We engage people from all walks of life in the design process, and provide opportunities for practitioners to be better informed about the people for which they design. Scale Rule was founded in 2015 in the UK when we completed our first design build workshop project with a high school in Clapton, East London. [re]fractal—the project completed for the 2021–2022 SEI Futures Fund pilot ‘Building the Next Engineers’—is our 11th iteration of the concept, but our first outside of England. The concept is built around tuition free two day team workshops aimed at middle and high‑school students. Participating students are invited to form teams and work together over a weekend to design a structure to meet a specific architectural brief. The weekend involves lectures about architecture and engineering topics—both technical and career‑based—and culminates in presentations to a panel of industry and academia judges. The winning design is developed by design practitioners and built with help from the students. Our aim is to use the fantastic experiences from this first US pilot project to develop a robust and repeatable workshop template. Our hope is that similar projects will be run independently by interested groups throughout the country. If you are interested in hearing more about the project, please reach out at hello@scalerule.org.

Dan Bergsagel Co founder of Scale Rule

WORKSHOPS

Building the Next Engineers workshops were held over two full days of a weekend at the Hofstra University campus in Hempstead New York, with 24 students from 13 different schools taking part. The goal of the workshops was to introduce the students to potential careers in the built environment, and to do this through a real design challenge: to design a pavilion for an entrance area to the Hofstra admissions building on campus.

Above: Students taking notes on a site visit during the workshops. The students were encouraged to create a pavilion that was thoughtfully integrated within its site.

PRESENTATIONS

The workshops included a series of short presentations from young practitioners about architecture and engineering in addition to a formal introduction to the design task for the weekend. The presentations covered the design brief, architectural and engineering sketching, sustainability and construction, and presentation skills. They were prepared to provide the students with an insight into the day to day of the various professions along with a ‘crash course’ in individual topics that would help them in developing their pavilion design during the workshop.

THE BRIEF

The students were tasked with designing a pavilion to be located within a 9000 ft2 area between Bernon Hall and one of the primary access parking lots to the Hofstra campus. This area is grassy, and features trees that form part of the Hofstra Arboretum. Interaction with the trees was encouraged, however direct contact to the trunk—or potential damage to the root network of the trees—was prohibited. The pavilion could cover a maximum area of 300 ft2 and sit no taller than 12 ft. In the first instance, the pavilion would be installed for no longer than one month, although design proposals that considered demounting and reconstruction were encouraged. The pavilion would need to be accessible to all users. The pavilion’s function was to act as a point of social interaction. The students were asked to think about who could use the pavilion and why, and what they might like to do there.

Left: Drawings and sketches by the winning team exploring their design intent.

Above: A practitioner discussing a physical model with a student participant and university tutor.

Above: The high school students had the chance to learn about the design process from practitioners who provided guidance and also assisted with model making and content generation.

Right: A team present their design to the studious jury.

DESIGN SESSIONS

Interspersed between these presentations were hands on design sessions where the students, working in teams of 3–4, could put what they had learned into action through sketching and model making. Each student team developed three concept designs on the first workshop day, before selecting one to further develop and prepare for presentation to the jury.

SITE VISIT

A key part of the design process is visiting the site where the pavilion will be built. The students walked the area and measured key reference points to determine where they wanted to situate their pavilion design in relation to structural obstacles, sight lines, and walking routes. This real visit to the specific site allows the students to understand the scale of the structure they are proposing in relation to the users and its surroundings.

The students presented their schemes like seasoned professionals—explaining the core concepts and details.

“At this year’s program we saw eight teams of high school students work and grow together. They created beautifully thoughtful designs for a temporary pavilion that will welcome first year students this Fall. The teams formed at the beginning of the multi‑day program and were responsible for developing concepts, testing solutions and presenting their designs to a panel of teachers and practitioners. Teams generated diverse, challenging and brilliant designs, including mobile structures, tensile forms, and the exciting winning proposal, a circular seating system to be placed around an existing tree, festooned with translucent panels designed to animate its site with light, color and movement.

Throughout the process, the teams were supported by enthusiastic college students and volunteers from New York‑based studios. We are delighted to be part of the Building the Next Engineers program. As architects and engineers, we recognize that our industry still struggles to provide the support and encouragement to young people of all backgrounds to join the profession we love. Our volunteer team can’t wait to partner again with another group of teenagers next year!”

Vincent Chang Deputy Chairman and North America Managing Partner Grimshaw

Above: The high school students who participated in the weekend workshop program.

Below: Scale models of the eight pavilion designs created by the teams of high school students.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

It is imperative that we as designers, engineers, and educators provide younger generations with the platform and resources they need in order to create more responsible spaces for the future. In an ever evolving industry, built upon finite material resources, it is our responsibility to think of a second life for the materials we use to create our buildings. How can we re‑use or re‑source industrial materials? Following the pandemic, material scarcity proved to be particularly problematic as supply chains collapsed and material surpluses quickly turned into material deficits. A small design build project does not purport to have the solutions to our global supply‑chain issues, but equally, in order to address these larger problems and look for opportunities to develop methods for material re‑use in our pavilion projects. This can help us to introduce these processes into our larger project work.

Above: The final digital model of [re]fractal generated by the design team.

The Scale Rule design‑build

DESIGN PROCESS

The Scale Rule design build workshop projects aim to encapsulate a range of useful design processes that take place in the development of a typical project, from digital prototyping at small scales, to full size fabricated partial mock ups at 1:1. [re]fractal serves as an emblem of design and construction and its material complexities, executed through the collaboration of design practitioners that resulted in the completion of a temporary, habitable pavilion. The materials used in the construction were sourced to meet design ambitions, while also aspiring to facilitate deconstruction and reuse, as well as the potential for future recycling beyond the pavilion’s end of life.

The design team worked iteratively from completion of the workshop to construction of the finished pavilion. The goal was to ensure the initial concepts developed by the high school students were kept intact—while also creating a professionally constructed, materially conscientious, and geometrically innovative pavilion. The context of the site—a lawn adjacent to a university building—also provided the design team with some inspiration as well as limitations. The overall height of the pavilion was initially set to not detract from the surroundings, but also be approachable from a human scale. Further development would also start to vary the height in order to meet budgetary material constraints.

workshop projects aim to encapsulate a range of useful design processes that take place in the development of a typical project, from digital prototyping at small scales, to full size fabricated partial mock‑ups at 1:1.

Above: The progression of design iterations of [re]fractal.

Left and below: Various prototypes were produced to explore junctions and assembly methodologies.

DIGITAL DESIGN PROCESS & DRIVERS

In order to distill a variety of ideas into one singular concept prior to physical execution, the design team worked through digital modeling in Rhino using Grasshopper. Digital modeling was used to not only initially test massing, materials, and envision scale, but also to achieve optimization of connections, parts, constructability, and material feasibility. Through numerous exchanges of models, Grasshopper scripts, and images, the team was able to communicate ideas not only verbally but also digitally, and optimize structural load paths and construction feasibility.

Digital modeling not only increased overall efficiency of the realization of the pavilion, but the various methods and means of construction. The assembly instruction manual and production of workshop drawings were also generated rigorously as a result of the rules and logic that went into the parameters of how the pavilion was digitally created. This modeling allowed simple ‘how to’ guides to be created for all of the volunteers to be able to easily participate in the build.

Digital design was also complemented by the use of digital fabrication in the final stages of getting materials ready for construction. A special thanks goes out to the fabrication team at A05 Studio who completed the CNC milling of each of the plywood bases, and to Laird Plastics who completed the folding and cutting of the acrylic forms.

PROTOTYPE TESTING

Material samples were gathered for prototyping to help the team verify the practicality of their proposed construction details, and the feasibility of repeating them throughout the pavilion. The base module was also prototyped to look at connections between components and to ensure structural feasibility. The circular plan layout of the pavilion created an interesting challenge to set out the geometry and allow fabrication from simple individual modules. Resolving the geometry was only feasible through the interrogation of physical model connections.

In addition, base module connections were also tested at full scale, looking at corner connections of each of the plywood bases and starting to understand how they would fully support a full sheet of acrylic as well as a stone paver seat. Prototype testing proved to be successful as it helped the design team iterate connection designs and determine final material selections, and whether or not they would be feasible at the full scale of the construction.

Left: The team regularly met on video conference calls during the development of the design.

CONSTRUCTION

As the culmination of months of design, engineering and prototyping, the main focus of the build was to enable a clean and efficient translation of the design from concept into reality. The group of volunteers filled a broad spectrum of skill sets and backgrounds ranging from students to architects and engineers. With this in mind, the construction process was split into three parallel workflows with the intent that volunteers could self select where and how they could participate. The build had been anticipated to take the entire weekend, however the well‑organized and enthusiastic construction team—fueled primarily on pizza and unexpectedly good weather—completed the build on the first day while the sun was still high in the sky. There were some inevitable snafus requiring remedial cuts and screws unscrewed, but the design team’s three‑dimensional clash‑detection and sequencing had paid off.

450 CONNECTIONS

28 SHEETS OF PLYWOOD

24 PAVERS

12 SHEETS OF ACRYLIC

16 VOLUNTEERS

5 DESIGN TEAM MEMBERS

3 TEAM LEADERS

24 MODULES

1 PAVILION

CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE

To ensure the construction went smoothly on the day, the team prepared a series of graphical instruction manuals for each of the pavilion construction. A small number of hard copy versions were available on site, however the construction team were also able to access digital pdf versions via QR codes. This allowed everyone to stay informed of the planned construction sequence while minimizing printing.

Above: The design team developed a construction manual that documents every step along the assembly process. This allowed for streamlining of tasks and a near seamless build day.

THE BUILD

Early preparation started at 8am on the day of the build, with the full team on site by 9:30am. A team of 16 helpers, a meticulously laid out instruction manual, a range of tools made available by Hofstra University, and some ‘just in time’ delivery and material pickup allowed work to start promptly. The construction sequence lent itself to on site trial assembly and flexibility. Some quick adjustments of CNC milling to accommodate additional tolerance ensured all the pieces went together perfectly in the end. As the base came together

at the site location, the team came to the conclusion that relocating the bench to encircle a different tree would improve pavilion visibility and access.

Above left: CNC routed plywood elements were joined as modules to form the base.

Above right: Steel struts were connected to the bent acrylic sheets to provide structural support.

As the team finished the individual module bases they were taken from the staging area out to the build site. Due to the intricate puzzle piece nature of the base components, the order of the assembly was a critical factor. The plywood bases were the first to be placed starting on the pavilion’s northeast side and progressing counterclockwise in order to slot each module into the one that preceded it. A group was designated to identify and deliver each base piece to be installed at the appropriate time to insure that each of the 26 unique modules was given proper placement within the base.

From here the paver stones were brought in to serve as both seating and surcharge for structural stability and resistance to wind. To account for the natural undulations in the site and to help secure the modules, the stones were then shimmied and clamped with L brackets at each corner.

Above left: Large pavers were used to double up as ballast to weigh down the structure and to act as a seating element.

Above right: One side of each of the acrylic sheets was fixed to a steel strut to form a ‘flag’. The bases of these steel strut flags were then bolted to the plywood base. The free end of the acrylic flags were then bolted to the next steel strut, to form a continuous faceted surface. Finally, once installed, the protective layers on the acrylic panels were removed.

Coordinating and converging multiple workflows into a single pavilion.

Right: The tasks on the build day were broken up so as to have teams spread across various tasks which could operate in a staggered sequential manner.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

By midday all of the construction streams began to converge. The team that had been working on the acrylic panels was beginning to finish their modules and transport them from the staging area to the build location. In the reverse order to how the plywood had been laid down, we began placing the acrylic modules in a clockwise fashion starting from the south east side of the pavilion. Though the sequencing wasn’t as critical for this stage, assembling the acrylic panels in this way allowed for more direct access to the drill holes and connection details on the base which were important for the panels accuracy and stability. As each of the modules was positioned and secured it simultaneously strengthened the connection between each of the plywood bases and added a final level of security locking the paver stones in position. To allow for real world tolerances we opted to wait to drill the holes that connect one acrylic

panel to its neighbor until after they had both been secured to the base. This ensured several inches of play between the modules allowing the pavilion to conform to the site rather than requiring the site to be a tabula rasa.

To preserve the clean face of each acrylic piece, the opaque protective wrapper was left intact until the pavilion was finally completed. The team waited in suspense, unsure of how the colored panels would look once the opaque covering was fully removed!

Around 5pm, to much surprise, the pavilion was nearing completion. In a group effort, the team removed the opaque adhesive sheets from the acrylic, and as the sun set, rays of light began to refract the many colors of the pavilion onto the surrounding site—successfully amplifying the design intent, before the end of the build day!

IN USE

THE PAVILION

In plan, the pavilion is circular, almost fully enclosing a 300 square foot area. It is centered around one of the trees on campus, following the design of the original student concept model. The circular plan shape is formed of a series of rectangular pavers, each arranged at a slight angle to the next, to form a curve. Each paver forms two seats, separated by the central acrylic sheet. The pavers are supported on a series of interlocking plywood fins. The fins extend beyond the seat to form a stable base for the bench; the higher the acrylic sheet the further the plywood fins extend to resist overturning. An opening in the ring allows for visitors to enter the pavilion, circulate around the tree, and find a seat. As you approach the pavilion, there is a variation in height created by the folded acrylic wall. Each square base supports one single large sheet of acrylic, which is bent on an obtuse angle, providing stiffness, as well as allowing each component to gradually start to rotate, creating the circular enclosure in plan.

The acrylic panels vary in color, in line with the students original ideas, but also allowing differing perceptions as you look into or out of the pavilion’s transparent walls. Earlier concepts also envisioned reflectivity and varying opacity, but with material constraints, the team decided to keep the concept simpler and proudly multicolored. It was the aim that all the materials would have a second, third or fourth life. The pavilion was conceived as temporary, with an initial lifespan of one month—so reusability and recyclability of the selected material was a critical consideration in material investigation and sourcing. Fasteners and connections that are reversible and reusable were used, favoring bolts instead of adhesives, so that materials stayed as true to their original composition as possible. Following installation of the pavilion, it was agreed by Hofstra that the materials would be demounted and stored for reassembly each year by a new student team. This is perhaps the most appropriate way of ensuring longevity and continued value from the materials.

An opening in the plan allows for visitors to enter the pavilion, circulate around the tree, and find a seat.

Above: The team completing a final inspection of the pavilion to check that all the fasteners are securely tightened, and enjoying the afternoon light through the acrylic.

The [re]fractal pavilion successfully encapsulated the original design intent, to create a pavilion with a kaleidoscopic quality.

COLOPHON

Building the Next Engineers was made possible by the SEI Futures Fund in collaboration with the ASCE Foundation. asce.org/SEIFuturesFund

Additional time and logistical support has been provided by the excellent facilities and administration staff at Hofstra University, and the New York City offices of schlaich bergermann partner and Grimshaw.

PROJECT ORGANIZATION

Dan Bersagel, Edward Segal, Chris Obayda

WORKSHOPS

Participating students came from the following high schools

Baldwin High School, Comseqogue High School, Freeport High School, Hauppauge High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Malverne High School, Mary Louis Academy Catholic School, Oceanside High School, St. Anthony’s High School, Sewanhaka High School, Uniondale High School, Ward Melville High School, West Hempstead High School

Organizers

Ryan Barnette, Matt Carsello, Xaever Mand, Lola Sheppard, Justine Verhaeren

Tutors

Enridchell Emile, Nicholas Fine, Amelia Kenna, Kassandra Melendez, Thomas Milani, Jeffrey Moser, Lillian Moy, Michael Ramirez, Brandon Santos, Malena Spencer, Mehnaj Tabassum

Judges

Dr. Lynn Albers, Vincent Chang, Edward Segal

DESIGN

Core Team

Ryan Barnette, Xaever Mand, Jeffrey Moser, Lola Sheppard, Justine Verhaeren

Construction and Deconstruction

Copyright © Scale Rule 2022

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Ryan Barnette, Henry Benitez, Dan Bergsagel, Zhjari Cameron, Matt Carsello, Xaever Mand, Thomas Milani, Jeffrey Moser, Lillian Moy, Kevin Naska, Chris Obayda, George Paraskevas, Edward Segal, Lola Sheppard, Rudi Starossek, Maddie Symons, Mehnaj Tabassum, Gianluca Tredici, Justine Verhaeren, Beatriz Xavier, Justin Zitzlsberger

PUBLICATION

Text

Ryan Barnette, Dan Bersagel, Lola Sheppard

Editors

Ryan Barnette, Dan Bersagel, Xaever Mand, Edward Segal, Maddie Symons

Graphic Design

Maddie Symons

Photography

Ryan Barnette, Matt Carsello, Xaever Mand, Chris Obayda, Edward Segal, Maddie Symons, Beatriz Xavier

Printing

Prestone Press

SUPPORT

Suzanne Fisher SEI Futures Fund

Various Administrators and Staff

Hofstra University

Michael Hollander Laird Plastics

Conor Coghlan A05 Studio

Dr. Jakob Bruhl United State Military Academy at West Point

SPONSORS

Grimshaw: grimshaw.global

Hofstra University: hofstra.edu

sbp: sbp.de

Scale Rule: scalerule.org

SEI Futures Fund: asce.org/SEIFuturesFund