Designing in a crunch
Lindsey Oyler
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: News
Locked in a room for 18 hours, the Design Build team of the Engineering Department labored over blueprints for a health care facility.
After the long day, SIUE finished second at the Great Lakes Regional Competition, which pitted SIUE against area schools in designing an ambulatory care facility.
Chair of the Department of Construction and team coach Chris Gordon said construction design is complex when designing for a health care facility, and the students had little time to prepare for their task beforehand.
"The team designed a two-story ambulatory facility," Gordon said. "Each year the competition focuses on a different type of design."
Gordon said the department has participated in this competition in the past and has always done well, despite not taking home first place yet.
"It's a fantastic opportunity," Gordon said. "It's not just to take a day to have fun in design. The experience is the real reason to do it."
The assistant coach and assistant professor in construction management Marcelo Azambuja said that the team was only given main specifications, and the team had to come with a design themselves while "locked in a room for 18 hours."
"The panel of judges gave basic requirements at 6:30 a.m. that day," Gordon said, "and the team completes their architectural goals for the budget and schedule and are able to verify questions throughout the day."
Teams then turned in their proposals, which are their designs addressing the requirements, by midnight that night and have until the next morning to give a presentation on that proposal, according to Gordon.
"We wanted students to get experience in the industry," Azambuja said. "They learned all the things involved."
However, a cash prize for the winning team's department was an extra incentive in addition to the experience. The overall proposal and presentation of the care facility was a large reason to the team's second place finish.
"Each team member received a piece of hardware - a glass trophy," Gordon said. "Also the department got a check for $750 for fund activities so it goes back to the student body."
After the long day, SIUE finished second at the Great Lakes Regional Competition, which pitted SIUE against area schools in designing an ambulatory care facility.
Chair of the Department of Construction and team coach Chris Gordon said construction design is complex when designing for a health care facility, and the students had little time to prepare for their task beforehand.
"The team designed a two-story ambulatory facility," Gordon said. "Each year the competition focuses on a different type of design."
Gordon said the department has participated in this competition in the past and has always done well, despite not taking home first place yet.
"It's a fantastic opportunity," Gordon said. "It's not just to take a day to have fun in design. The experience is the real reason to do it."
The assistant coach and assistant professor in construction management Marcelo Azambuja said that the team was only given main specifications, and the team had to come with a design themselves while "locked in a room for 18 hours."
"The panel of judges gave basic requirements at 6:30 a.m. that day," Gordon said, "and the team completes their architectural goals for the budget and schedule and are able to verify questions throughout the day."
Teams then turned in their proposals, which are their designs addressing the requirements, by midnight that night and have until the next morning to give a presentation on that proposal, according to Gordon.
"We wanted students to get experience in the industry," Azambuja said. "They learned all the things involved."
However, a cash prize for the winning team's department was an extra incentive in addition to the experience. The overall proposal and presentation of the care facility was a large reason to the team's second place finish.
"Each team member received a piece of hardware - a glass trophy," Gordon said. "Also the department got a check for $750 for fund activities so it goes back to the student body."
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