Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

• CAE-1 Aghayere - Center for Black Culture

  Jayla Garvin, Lulu Obinwa, Abby Debebe, Daniel Ramut, Ali Mohammad
  Advisor: Dr. Abieyuwa Aghayere, Professor Jeffery Fama

  At the start of the pandemic, there were multiple discussions with President John Fry about the black organizations and students at Drexel needing a space to study, have events, and build a community. Currently, the space provided is only a floor in the rush building. We have decided to create a multi-story building for the Drexel Center for Black Culture near or on campus. The main purpose of the Center for Black Culture is for Black Drexel Students, faculty, and staff to have a place on campus to call home where they can learn, study, grow and build up the Black community. The audience is geared towards Black students, organizations, faculty, and staff on campus but is open and welcome to all. The most important aspect is to make sure we integrate as many assets of Black culture and creativity as possible while complying with IBC 2018 and Drexel University Building System standards.

• CAE-3 SEPTA-Yards Building Design

  Joseph DiMarco, Brandon Hensyl, Christopher Kierce, Madeleine McCoskey, James Murray
  Advisor: Dr. Abieyuwa Aghayere

  The SEPTA Yards Building Design project is located on an irregular-shaped parcel within Drexel and SEPTA property just north of Canaris Hall (east of 32nd Street). The goal of this project is to create a multifunction building (commercial and residential) that optimizes the given space for Drexel University Real Estate and Facilities and SEPTA employees. The proposed building will cantilever over an existing SEPTA rail yard to maximize usable space. The cantilever requires structural and geotechnical considerations to ensure minimal deformation, provide support for uplift, and ensure the axial demand of the building is safely met. This project will include structural, mechanical, and water resource engineers, along with construction management procedures throughout the duration of the project. Structural design, load analysis, and documentation will be provided for the structural aspects of the building. The geotechnical portion will investigate deep foundation design, to resist the uplift forces caused by the cantilever and to meet the axial load demand of the building. The mechanical design will consist of analyzing and selecting an energy-efficient insulation for the building envelope, along with heat gain/loss calculations for the HVAC zones. The stormwater management aspect will focus on urban water reuse, as well as design considerations for the green spaces and sustainability. Finally, building costs and timelines for the design and construction phases of the project will be determined based on typical construction management techniques.

• CAE-4 Philadelphia Renewable Energy Solutions

  Olivia Szabo, Galen Steven-King, Brenda Dluhy, Lux Ezell, Cole Rooney
  Advisor: Dr. Shannon Capps

  The former Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) site in South Philadelphia is set to be redeveloped. This site was home to the largest oil refinery on the east coast for over one hundred years. The refinery released copious amounts of hazardous pollutants into the soil, groundwater, and air. This project plans to renovate the site into a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and community focused location. The 1,300-acre site has been divided into a commercial logistics center, an integrated road network, a recreation public park, a forested park, and a constructed wetland. The project also proposes plans for environmental remediation of the site, climate resilience and renewable energy. The group designed preliminary remedial systems, locations, and costs to make the site safe for future use. The team also conducted stormwater modelling to ensure that runoff from the site is managed without contributing to combined sewer overflow or river flooding. Renewable energy systems were modeled and designed to deliver clean power to the entire site. Additional planning went into making a park in the northern part of the site to inspire community engagement and create access to forested areas. To replace the economic engine that used to exist on this site, a layout for a logistic center with large warehouses, mid-rise waterfront office buildings, and a road network was designed. The result was a cohesive layout for the 1,300-acre site that used each aspect of the design to complement the other elements of the development.

• CAE-5 Revitalization of South Christopher Columbus Boulevard

  Jeremy Bottrel, Michael Galanaugh, Evan Giordano, Kyle Mietkowski
  Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Cheng

  Currently, Columbus Boulevard is underutilized, unsafe, and inaccessible. By increasing walkability, bike infrastructure, and public transit, Columbus Blvd will have its traffic mitigated and the value of the regional property will increase. With the additional traffic from new apartment complexes currently undergoing construction, and the proximity to businesses and waterfront trails, a means to alleviate future traffic will be necessary. Existing problems associated with intersections along Columbus Blvd are inadequate crossings, lack of signaling and road markings. There are also abandoned railroad tracks wasting valuable space in the center of Columbus Blvd that could be utilized for better transportation purposes. Designing new bicycle crossings at Washington Ave allow pedestrians and cyclists to access the river trail more easily and safely. For Dickinson St, the addition of stoplights and redesign of the pavement markings will better facilitate traffic flow. At Morris St, safety and traffic concerns are addressed through the addition of a crosswalk and adjustment of the bike path for safer traveling. At Swanson St, the development of new sidewalks prevents trucks from interfering with oncoming traffic from Columbus Blvd. The Delaware River Trail will see the development of new recreational spaces and playgrounds to Philadelphia Parks and Recreation safety standards to attract visitors and deliver an appeal to surrounding local businesses. Design plans for the railroad tracks not in service include the introduction of a trolley line, track removal in favor of an isolated bike path in the roadway median or for extra vehicular lanes.

• CAE-6 Green Restorative Community Space

  Varsha Ajith, Sadeel Eidda, Khadija Koita, Aarohaa Satyal
  Advisor: Dr. Eugenia Victoria Ellis

  The Green Restorative Community Space is a restoration project that aims to create an enriching community space that will foster collaboration and innovation for non-profit organizations within West Philadelphia. Our client, the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, is interested in making the existing building located at 3512 Haverford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104, an extension of the Dornsife Center. The design services focused on for this project were site development, building envelope, structural redesign, green infrastructure and building energy efficiency. Sustainable solutions for all aspects of this retrofit were of utmost importance and influenced the design process. The new community center facilities were dictated by community needs and the goals of the Dornsife Center. Some of the new spaces include a hoop house that can support the growth of fresh produce, a full kitchen with adjacent dining facilities, accessible roof space with extensive green roofs, a central atrium space to maximize daylight gain, and modernized gym and pool spaces. Structural analysis was performed with the AISC 7 and IBC 2018 guidelines. The updated energy consumption was compared to the baseline model using EQuest and design decisions were based on HAP modeling to present the client with a budget for each application. This building which was originally a Philadelphia Public School has historical significance within the region and our goal is to create an impactful design with this building that meets equitable, economical, and environmental goals for the community.

• CAE-7 CHOP/HUP Traffic and Access Evaluation

  Emma Youngs, Mary Diane Boquila, Natalia Dzietczyk, Rebecca Davidoff, Valerie Melecio
  Advisor: Dr. Patricia Gallagher

  The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) located at 3401 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) located at 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 are experiencing a significant amount of traffic. The goal of this project is to alleviate the traffic congestion around the area that is caused by the limited access points and high traffic volume. Girl Boss Inc. proposes to design integrative, multifaceted traffic mitigation solutions around the CHOP and HUP areas. Evaluation of the traffic and access points in the area was performed using crash data and traffic counts to determine the appropriate solutions to the problem.

  The integrative, multifaceted solutions include road widening, bike and bus lane addition, a parking garage near the CHOP area, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) solutions, and pedestrian improvements. The road widening will be done along Civic Center Boulevard and South University Avenue to accommodate more vehicles and bikers. The parking garage will be built on the existing CHOP parking lot located at 3400 Market Street to accommodate more employees, patients and visitors. The ITS integration will include digitized signs and a CHOP/Bus Flex Lane. The digitized signs will replace the existing, inconsistent signage located on Civic Center Boulevard, and the CHOP/Bus flex lane will service buses, emergency vehicles, and patients getting to the hospital. The pedestrian improvements will be located on the intersection of 33rd Street, 34th Street, South Street, and Spruce Street. These solutions will reduce traffic congestion and improve public safety.

• CAE-8 Redevelopment of Philadelphia Public School Building: Science Leadership Academy at Beeber

  Cynthia Phun, Joshua Perez, Anna Chen, Kelly Anne Ryan, Isabelle Coupet
  Advisor: Dr. Patrick Gurian

  The School District of Philadelphia requested redevelopment services for the HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems, stormwater management, and electrification of the Science Leadership Academy (SLA) at Beeber building. The objective was to improve learning spaces that will benefit SLA students’ productivity and wellbeing using sustainable engineering practices. A Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was created to analyze the benefits of popular GSI methodologies. Ultimately, a bioretention basin was the best green infrastructure alternative because of its natural hydrologic process, possible use for educational purposes, and its capability to reduce total runoff in acre-feet for a ten-year storm by 11.5%. SLA Beeber also lacks a dedicated cooling and ventilation equipment which can exacerbate disease and affect students’ performance and health. After generating a simulation model developed by the University of Colorado Jimenez, the best design was a ventilation rate of 8.02 ACH in tandem with mask-wearing limited the probability of infection in classrooms to 0.31% when used with the newly designed HVAC system. This system uses active chilled beam displacement induction units to heat, cool, and ventilate classrooms and offices; modeled by EnergyPlus for the purpose of estimating annual energy consumption of the newly renovated school. In addition, a borefield design and sizing determined by ASHRAE software is provided for the vertical bore geothermal ground loop heating system. Finally, the ample updates were accompanied by new electrified facility: an upgrade to a 2,000 A, 480V/277V service entrance switchboard. The total estimated construction cost for the renovation is $31,734,000.

• CAE-9 Collaborative Corners: 34th and Market Street Student Hub and Campus Reinvigoration

  Dan Brown, Kassandra Sloan, Amanda Grogin, Katherine Wade, Andrew Howe, Daniel Inglis, Jezreel Abelo, Carlos Gutierrez, David Wood
  Advisor: Dr. Abieyuwa Aghayere and Dr. Simi Hoque

  Drexel University (the client), a private research university in Philadelphia, PA, is continuing to ‘tear down the silos’ and provide opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration between students, professors, and researchers. Intersection Design (the project team) has developed a building complex titled Collaborative Corners that embodies this mission with an architecture and landscape design that provides spaces for interaction and connection. The building further advances this objective with integrated and coordinated design development level structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil engineering systems as well as an in-depth construction timeline and budget.

  Collaborative Corners is a 220,000 square foot building complex located on four lots at the intersection of 34th and Market St: 3401 Market St. (35,650 sf), Drexel University’s Lot C (27,460 sf), 3440 Market St. (35,420 sf), and 3400 Market St. (26,660 sf). Aligning with the client’s goals, the building complex hosts a new home for the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, an expansion of the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, a new student hub with study spaces and lounges, and a new makerspace with classroom, workshops, and research spaces. Collaborative Corners seeks to equitably serve all its visitors and occupants through the integration of design elements including extensive interior and exterior public spaces to facilitate connection, exposed engineering systems to act as teaching aides and inspiration, and LEED Gold certification to help address climate change and provide healthy spaces and amenities.

• CAE-10 Highway Overpass: Vine St. Reclamation Project

  Daniel Bolton, Shane Carey, Rosa-Maria Diez, Nathan Herbert, Keith Rupp
  Advisor: Dr. Abieyuwa Aghayere and Dr. Simi Hoque

  The 142 Design team designed a multi-use building and structure that caps a section of I-676 between N. 11th and N. 12th St., a recessed highway that runs through the Callowhill neighborhood of Philadelphia. The building includes a public park on an accessible green roof, two commercial restaurant spaces, and a 22-unit residential transitional housing program for those dealing with housing security and homelessness. This provides a positive societal impact on the area’s residents while also providing a positive environmental impact by improving the local microclimate, improving urban biodiversity, reducing urban stormwater runoff, and reducing noise pollution from the highway below. The engineering design includes a variable refrigerant flow HVAC system and a responsive lighting system to create an energy-efficient design and ideal indoor environment. Low-usage water fixtures and a rain collection system for greywater use reduce the amount of potable water usage. Finally, a robust structural design using sustainably sourced materials ensures the safety of the building occupants and drivers below. The result of this intensive design process is a sustainable, LEED-certified building that positively affects the environment and surrounding community.

• CAE-12 Graffiti Pier Park

  Nicole Davis, Jessica Drager, Julia Kovach, Anthony Lawrence, Gianna Monaco
  Advisor: Dr. Joseph Hughes

  The Delaware River Port Authority has commissioned a 180-acre park redevelopment in the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, named Graffiti Pier Park. This will be constructed on the presently abandoned site of the former Reading Railroad coal pier. The objective of this project was to create a recreational green space that is accessible to everyone in the community and will provide features that the location currently lacks. This redevelopment included: a visitor center, small cafe, athletic fields, hiking trails, an event venue, and recreational water activities. The team focused on the structural, transportation, and water resource aspects of the design. The visitor center was designed as a two-story structure with bathrooms, offices, event space, an information desk, gift shop, and rotating art exhibit. The cafe was designed as a simple one-story structure with a kitchen, counter space, and seating area. Access to Graffiti Pier Park is available via public transportation as well as a 300 space parking lot. The parking lot and access roads are made of pervious asphalt to allow for proper drainage. Green stormwater infrastructure was incorporated into the site to capture stormwater and assist in drainage. Because the site is located on the banks of the Delaware River, climate change effects were investigated. The rise of the river level was calculated throughout the park's life to determine the areas of the site that would flood. Our project also represents our commitment to sustainable design by meeting net-zero energy and water goals.

• CAE-13 Remediation PFCs

  Timothy Schauder, Kelly McNicholas, David Evan Dixon, Rebecca Manthorpe, Gwen Yaeger
  Advisor: Dr. Joseph Hughes

  The Willow Grove Naval Air Station (WGNAS) located in Horsham, PA, is a Superfund site that has Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) contaminating the site. In 2011, PFOA and PFOS were found in drinking water wells on site and in the neighborhoods surrounding the military base. The contaminated public wells were capped off site and additional remediation efforts are still required for the soil and groundwater on site. For the purposes of past remediation, the air base was broken up into 12 different sites. Site 5 is the fire training area and has the largest concentration of perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) on site. The groundwater leaving Site 5 goes into the surrounding communities drinking water and private well water.

  PFAS are contaminants of which there is limited data about successful remediation technologies. Due to this, a systems management approach allows for multiple treatment technologies to be employed allowing the individual strengths of the approaches to be combined. The different technology options this group has decided to incorporate into the design are carbon injection barrier, soil mixing/stabilization, permeable reactive barrier, and phytoremediation. Carbon injection barriers and permeable reactive barriers both work below ground as a form of in situ containment. Soil mixing and Stabilization provides some immediate removal of contaminants and can provide stabilization for the new development. Phytoremediation measures will account for removal of residual PFAS contamination. All of these options will work concurrently to manage the PFAS concentration levels in the groundwater flowing off of Site 5.

• CAE-14 Traffic Analysis at 31st & Spring Garden St

  Zoe Bennett, Abby Corrato, Lazar Lazovic, Paul Pullia
  Advisor: Dr. Liang Chung Lo

  There is a recurring traffic backup along Spring Garden St, especially at the intersection of 31st St and Spring Garden St. Adaptive traffic lights are a way to analyze the traffic backup and adjust the light cycles to be able to reduce the amount of sitting traffic and backup at this intersection and the surrounding intersections. The types of light sensors that would be utilized to analyze the traffic are virtual loop sensors and traffic imaging sensors. The role that ALPZ plays in this project is to analyze traffic in the area, investigate the best sensor installation options and placement, and see how networked sensors and traffic lights work together to reduce traffic congestion. Our ideal system would connect the traffic lights at Intersections along Spring Garden Street to a command unit or brain that would monitor traffic movement using a variety of sensors positioned at each intersection and alter traffic signalization based on the logic parameters established. We plan to show our design at work using a simulation in Synchro.

• CAE-15 Pandemic Resilience in the Restaurant Space

  Grace Albert, Ahmed Alkhafaji, Joe Bitetto, Thanh Vu, Jennifer Zhang
  Advisor: Dr. James Lo

  The client requests a redesign of a restaurant space in Old City, Philadelphia, formerly known as Mamoun’s Falafel. The COVID-19 pandemic had an especially significant impact on the restaurant industry and dining experience. The client wishes to open a new restaurant with the following requirements: Fall 2022 opening day, maintaining current dining occupancy, dinner service only from 5 pm - 10 pm, and reducing risk of transmission for a mask less dining experience. The final design and intervention strategy requires a preventative and multi-layered approach. The maximum occupancy must be reduced due to limited space. To mitigate this problem, the addition of a second floor and outdoor dining are included. Limiting the risk of transmission includes increasing restaurant operation efficiency, HVAC system zoning, addition of an elevator and dumbwaiter, and portable tabletop air purifiers. A structural and electrical analysis was made to ensure adequate support in the columns, girders, and electrical system. HVAC design separates 1st and 2nd floor dining and kitchen spaces into different zones to address their individual load and ventilation requirements properly. Furthermore, guests and staff are protected by installing a plenum for displacement air ventilation to provide “ventilation bubbles”. Upgraded filtration is also necessary to include HEPA filters for tabletop air purifiers but MERV 14 for HVAC zones. The final design is expected to deliver about 3 times more air changes per hour than a conventional well-mixed scenario. The estimated cost is $320,000 with a projected construction completion date of October 2022.

• CAE-16 Marsh Creek Hydroelectric Project

  Denny Howell, Cameren Lewis, Dylan Ulshafer
  Advisor: Dr. Joseph Martin

  The Marsh Creek Hydroelectric Project proposes modifications to the existing Marsh Creek Dam to allow for the generation of electricity. This system will operate a 275 kW generator and is capable of producing ~1 GWh of electricity per year, the equivalent of the yearly demand of ~100 typical American homes. This system is intended to generate the majority of its electricity during the hours of peak demand, 6AM-9AM and 4PM-8PM, when the energy output from solar is low. The schedule can be adjusted to better serve other hours of the day or smooth the power output from other renewables such as wind and traditional hydropower. This will be achieved by constructing a 400,000 CF basin at the base of the dam. This basin will be filled rapidly and generate a large percentage of the available energy for any given day during a short period of time. The basin will then release water into the East Branch of Brandywine Creek at an environmentally conscious rate. Water will be supplied to the turbine by an aboveground penstock. This penstock will use the principle of a siphon to suck the water out of the reservoir and into the turbine while requiring minimal excavation of the existing earthen embankment. The earthwork operations on this site will not require any material to be imported or exported. In addition, based on the original design plans it is not anticipated to have an affect on the stability or compromise the safety of the existing embankment.

• CAE-17 Eastwick Community Landswap

  Matthew Dundon, Taylor Sweeney, Ryan Bird, Noah Machek, Sterling Fitser
  Advisor: Dr. Franco Montalto

  The Eastwick community landswap concept is a design proposal intended to relieve the Philadelphia neighborhood from reoccurring flood events dating back decades. The landswap proposal consists of the relocation of residents from 250 private homes to a proposed flood resilient development on city owned property located to the south of the existing neighborhood. This proposed development includes new townhouse style homes for the relocated residents. Also, a senior living center for Eastwick’s large elderly population and a community center to retain and promote existing bonds between residents. To protect against future flood events and the estimated impacts of sea level rise on coastal areas, the development and its ingress/egress on Lindbergh Boulevard is to be graded to an elevation 4’ above the FEMA 500-year flood plain. Protection for homes remaining within Eastwick is to be provided by a berm located at a 20’ elevation connecting existing high points on the site and a 4’ x 60’ constructed dry stream channel. This channel provides an alternative routing option for excess fluvial flow from the Cobbs Creek and assists in establishing a safer flood plain away from the community. Emergency flood relief is provided by a 1.6 million SF stormwater detention basin to be constructed near the Pepper Middle School. Flood overflow is conveyed to the basin along 82nd street, which is to be converted into a cloudburst street, this enables the cross section of the street to be used as an open flow channel during major storm events.

• CAE-18 9th and Spring Garden Street Railroad Revitalization

  Daniel Yamba, J’Anna-Mare Lue, Myrlie Taylor, Preetham Adla, Ramon Hernandez
  Advisor: Dr. Nariman Mostafavi

  The purpose of this project is to restore the Reading Railroad’s abandoned 9th and Spring Garden Street train station while addressing some of the social and environmental needs of the community. Currently, the platform is abandoned, and the station building has been demolished. It was proposed that (1) the platform would be retained and retrofitted as a green space with biking and walking lanes and (2) an adjacent community center and garden would be built to occupy the street-level space. This space is intended to foster a sense of community and increase access to green space. Various alternatives were considered for each system and chosen based on budget, materials, sustainability, community, and time.

  The building is a 1,600 square feet steel building designed to serve as an indoor space where community members can host social and educational events. The community center will also provide an accessible entrance to the platform. The platform will feature dedicated walking and biking lanes to create opportunities for greener transportation routes and to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety from car-related accidents. Both the elevated platform and the street-level green space will make up the site's green stormwater infrastructure network that harvests rainwater, as well as reduces potable water consumption and stormwater run-off.

• CAE-19 Designing Alternative Energy Systems for the Native Village of Tyonek, Alaska

  Jorge Gonzalez, Margaret McCurdy, Joan Nguyen, Andrew Risser
  Advisor: Dr. Mira Olson

  The Native Village of Tyonek, located in a remote area of Alaska, requested system planning and design services for a renewable energy system. Their goal is to lower exorbitantly high household electric bills. The system design took into consideration community needs and interests, environmental impacts, financial feasibility, and includes solar energy as the primary electricity source through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the utility, along with wind energy as a secondary supplemental source. The designed solar system consists of 1680 modules that can generate an estimated annual energy supply of 725 MWh which is almost 70% of the community’s annual demand. The wind system was designed on a demand percentage-basis, allowing the community to select the number of wind turbines to install. The team consulted with local geotechnical engineering professionals to develop a geotechnical subsurface exploration plan, and a proposed solar array foundation system was designed. Transmission lines were also designed to be climate appropriate for Alaska. Stormwater and erosion control was implemented at the proposed project sites using Alaska’s Best Management Practices. Overall, this project effectively combined principles of community based design, civil, environmental, mechanical, and peace engineering in addition to risk management using probability and statistics.

• CAE-20 Reichenbach-Mixed Use

  Maggie Higgins, Tenaya Hubbell-Wood, Spencer Schade, Pat Trombetta
  Advisor: Dr. Matthew Reichenbach

  At the request of Drexel University, redevelopment of the existing Myers Hall site was explored. The primary goal of this redevelopment was twofold: to offer the student body modernized, first-class gathering spaces on campus including a new student center and dining hall; and to provide the university with ample undergraduate housing. An eleven-story building, nicknamed “The HUB,” has been proposed, consisting of three lower stories dedicated to various student activities and eight upper stories dedicated to student residences. The design and planning of this structure was a multidisciplinary effort, involving coordination between architecture, structure, and mechanical. Structurally, composite steel beams were the most cost effective gravity-load support option, with braced frames as the lateral-load-resisting system in accordance with the 2018 International Building Code (IBC). Open-web steel-joist systems were designed to support ancillary single-story structures independent of the main tower. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards governed the mechanical system design. The final design utilizes both roof top and air handling units, which use electrical heating coils and chilled water coils to condition the air. Sustainable best practices were implemented within each discipline to support the university wide effort for a more sustainable urban campus. Some initiatives include a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) facade system and reusing runoff for non-potable water applications. In addition to meeting the request of Drexel faculty, the design team strived to produce a building that improves campus life and facilities, promotes collaboration amongst the student population, and utilizes innovative engineering practices.

• CAE-21 Bucky Boyle Community Center

  Nathan Rees, Kyle Biro, Alex Natale, Kenji Fong, Cade McDowell
  Advisor: Dr. Robert Swan

  The City of Allentown has enlisted engineering design services for the Bucky Boyle Community Center project located at 249 N. Front Street, Allentown, PA. Lehigh Valley Consulting Group (LVCG), composed of engineers with a combined 19 years of engineering education and 8 years professional experience, is more than capable of meeting the needs of the City of Allentown and implementing sustainable practices. In the 2012 Lehigh Riverfront Master Plan, the City of Allentown outlines the need for a community center, building upon the Eastern Pennsylvania quality of life that Allentown’s residents enjoy. The community center will enhance the unique character of the city, while helping the Lehigh Riverfront reach its optimum potential as a balanced space serving both the Allentown community and visitors. The Bucky Community Center will complement the existing Bucky Boyle Park and provide flexible space for the eventual renovation of the park. The 249 N. Front Street site, located immediately adjacent to the park and currently occupied by several dilapidated manufacturing buildings, provides the ideal location for the proposed community center. The current design of the community center meets or exceeds all client and code requirements and expectations. A broad range of engineering services have been provided to ensure the completion of a comprehensive and detailed design of the structure and site. Every effort has been and will continue to be made to incorporate sustainable design and building practices where possible.

• CAE-22 Redevelopment of 3151 Market Street

  Adwitiya Tibrewal, Caitlyn Yergey, Fritha Elizabeth Francis, Jacob Rogers, Naomi Ramos
  Advisor: Dr. Michael Waring

  The design team is proposing a modern research facility to address the need for an exclusive research facility for engineering students and faculty at Drexel University. A major problem that was to be addressed in this design is the lack of human-building interactions (HBI) in current campus buildings. The proposed research facility aims to integrate HBI, attain LEED Gold certification, and provide a research space to Drexel researchers.

  The defined issue and proposed project created many opportunities and constraints. The chosen site location provides the opportunity to tie into Drexel’s campus. With ideal proximity to Drexel facilities, it proves to be an optimal location for a research complex. There is also the unique opportunity to associate the proposed design project with the existing Schuylkill Yards Development Project. The Schuylkill Yards Development Project aims to bring the community together and create a streamline for people to use public transportation, which would allow for the proposed design project to have a larger impact on the surrounding society.

  The architectural layout includes five floors of mixed use spaces including laboratory, office, and collaborative spaces. The building incorporates smart systems to enhance HBI and energy efficiency. All decisions for engineering systems are based on optimizing user experience and creating an environmentally conscious building, in line with LEED goals.