Project Scope & My Role
Many people travel to Sandy Hook in the summer. People come to lay on the beach, as well as bike in the trails. Numerous people come to fish. Fishermen commonly fish off of the beach or shore on both the bay side and ocean side of Sandy Hook . Other people like to come and walk around and enjoy the scenery. People often sit and enjoy the scenery of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands from the Sandy Hook Bay Sandy Hook , as well law enforcement. If anything were ever to be built, builders, architects, and engineers would also be involved.
As of right now, no seating or area to fish is on Sandy Hook . People normally just sit on the beach or fish off of the coast line. When fishermen fish off of the beach, they put other people at risk. Children and other people are often swimming in the water, and they can get in the way. Also, people cannot always see the scenery as well from down on the beach. Something is needed to give the fishermen a place to fish and others a place to relax, not on the sand.
My role in the Green Pier project is to design a promenade and recreational area for visitors to spend time at on Sandy Hook . The promenade should be located behind the Chapel in the Sandy Hook Bay
The project is completely hypothetical. Plans will not be considered for actual use, and the entire situation is theoretical. We have been given an assignment to fulfill and complete every step until official steps would normally be taken. We will not be building anything, with the exception of a model. My group members and I will create layouts and plans of what will occur, and contact the appropriate people to obtain any information we may need. Nothing will come from this project except the knowledge of how using green materials and ways can lead to a better planet.
Team Solution & My Solution
The team was divided up into three parts-a civil engineer, an architect, and a marine engineer. The architect decided to use a design of the chapel that faces the water rather than the road behind it. It is the same dimensions as the existing chapel (78'3"x 37'x 15'). The final design includes the same number of windows (each measuring 8'x5'5") as before and uses much more natural lighting because of its new position.
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| Figure 1-Architectural Final Solution |
The design also has awnings over the top of the side windows so that some of the sunlight is blocked out during the day. The roof that is at the front of the chapel will hangs over the front of the building to provide some shade. The east-facing side of the roof will be covered in solar panels to provide an alternate source of energy for the chapel. The physical appearance of the chapel looks natural and fits in to the surrounding environment on the Sandy Hook area. The architect’s final solution is shown in Figure 1.
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| Figure 2-Marine Engineer's Final Design |
The marine engineer decided to use a design consisting of two piers extending off a promenade.
The west pier was 50 feet, and the east pier was 200 feet. The west pier was made specifically for visitors and fishermen. The marine engineer’s final solution is shown in Figure 2.
My solution had two parts. The first part I designed was the site plan. I decided to choose my first alternate solution. During class, we went out to look at our site and saw tents set up outside of the chapel for an event, and they took up a ton of space. I didn’t want to build a picnic area when people currently use the field next to the Chapel frequently for weddings and other big events. The land needs to be surveyed and filled, and the plants need to be completely replanted. I decided to use Smilax rotundifolia, Amelanchier canadensis, and
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| Figure 3-Final Site Plan and Exisitng Site |
Rhus glabra for trees; Helianthus angustifolius, Helianthus debilis, Coreopsis gladiata, Cornus florida
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| Figure 4-Final Promenade Design and Cureent Location |
natural appearance of anything, and since the entire idea is to be environmentally friendly, this promenade design would do it best. It works well in our given space, and the entrances to the piers work the best with the marine engineer’s design. This final promenade design is shown in Figure 4.
Discrepancies
In my initial drawings, I planned to have railings all around the promenade, as shown in Figure 4.
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| Figure 5-Final Promenade Design |
After talking to my team member, she suggested only using the railings where completely necessary-along the water-to increase an open feeling of the entire area. The final design is shown in Figure 5.
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| Figure 6-Final Drawing Showing Bluestone Walkway to Chapel |
Also, when completing my plans in the beginning, I did not think to include a path from the parking lot to the chapel. When the chapel’s direction changed, I had to then create a new pathway from the parking lot to the chapel. In my original design, shown in Figure 3, no evidence is present of a pathway. In my final drawings, shown in Figure 6, a pathway exists from the parking lot to the front of the chapel.
Another aspect of the project I neglected to include in my early plans was plants. I always planned to reorganize the shrubbery, but I never put them into a drawing until completing my final product AutoCAD drawings. I was not aware of
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| Figure 7-Final Drawings of Plants |
native species of plants to Sandy Hook until we returned to school because I did not have prior access to this material. In the first drawings I developed of the site, shown in Figure 3, no remnants of any plant reorganization is present. In the final drawings, shown in Figure 7, plants are planned to be planted between the bike path and road, as well as around the chapel.
One final discrepancy between my original design and my final solution is materials. When first planning out this site, I had no knowledge of any materials. I had some ideas, but nothing was written down or set in stone. After talking with my mentors and other group members, we decided to use Trex
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| Figure 8-Sample Deck Built with Trex Deck |
Design Flaws
When given the task of recreating this site, I knew immediately I would have to fill the land closest to the coast. Currently, it is extremely uneven, and a three foot drop exists. During one class period, my group members, my teacher, and I went out to survey the land. I calculated the amount of fill I needed to fill the land up until the coast. The one problem with this design is that no beach will exist once we finish this project. A bulkhead is planned to be built by the marine engineer right along the land, under her piers. When we are finished with the area, the beach access will be gone. Some people may find this troubling because a beach will be taken away, so this is one flaw that will have to be dealt with.
Design Problems
During this project, I was very concerned with the plants. A very important step was deciding which plants to use and where to plant them. At the finalization of this project, I do not believe I included enough plants. I was limited with space, so I only put them very close to existing structures, so to not disturb any events that normally go on in this open area. I placed several trees and shrubs around the chapel to provide shade and make the building more aestetically pleasing. I also planted trees again where the currently exist between the bike path and road. Because we would be doing major construction, the existing trees would have to be taken down, but I decided to replant them all. After completing the project, I do think the plants should have been looked into more.
Suggestions
To improve this design, I would encourage the next person to include more plants and shrubs. Many people travel to Sandy Hook just to experience the natural aura, and I don’t think that enough plants were used.
I would also suggest thinking about a beach area more. After all, Sandy Hook is a sand spit, and people come here to go to the beach. The entire area does not have to be sandy, but I think there should be an easier access to the water besides having to jump down a huge drop. Then again, this point could be debated because countless other beaches are present on Sandy Hook , so a beach isn’t extremely necessary. I would just encourage someone else to think about the beach a little more than I did.
Successes
Overall, I do think this project was a success. I did a lot of research to prepare for planning out the entire site, including building the promenade. We took a new approach to a regular assignment by including green materials and energy as musts.
One specific success I achieved was completing my CAD drawings. Although it was not always cooperative, I did complete them as much as I could in 3D. I was able to show existing heights of the land, as well as all other elevations of additional parts. A section was left out for where the chapel would fit in, and the promenade, developed completely in 3D including benches, would attach to the piers my group member drew. My drawings were probably my biggest success in this project, which is a result of all the hard work that went into creating them.
Setbacks
One setback I experienced when I came back from summer break was learning that I was tasked with developing a promenade to attach to my group member’s fishing piers. When we first discussed this project, I was not aware that I would be the one completing this-my group member and I were under the impression that she would be completing all things by the water. After discussing our roles with our teacher, we decided that I would be better off developing the promenade and planning the entire layout of the site. This way, I would be in charge of everything that happened on land, and she would have to develop everything in the water. That just left the chapel to our other group member. This was definitely a set-back because I did not return to school in September prepared for this, so I had to do a lot of the work in school, which set me behind a little bit. After it all, though, we got it all together and it all worked out fine.
Another setback I endured recently was not paying attention to my testing procedures. I happened to forget that I planned to meet with a representative from the National Parks Service to discuss our project. When our testing report was due and I finally looked back at my testing procedures, I realized this and hurriedly spoke to my teachers. I was given contact information for a green marina specialist who works on Sandy Hook . My group member and I emailed our plans and material lists to this man, who told us we were doing great.
Lessons from Setbacks
Lessons are always learned from mistakes. Both of my setbacks taught me to be aware of my assignment. It is imperative to know exactly what you are supposed to be doing at all times. If my group member and I had any questions about exactly what our roles entailed, we should have approached my teacher immediately. Instead, we let an entire summer go by and came back with the wrong information. Luckily, we were able to pull it together quickly, but this will not always be the case. Also, I should have been looking at my testing procedures throughout the entire project, not only when a report was due. The testing procedures are what you use to ensure your project is being done correctly. Most of these were done mentally and without thinking, which was why I completely forgot to contact someone to look at my plans. Again I was lucky to have someone to close here able to answer my questions, but this will not always be the case.
Other Learning
If I had not done this project, I would have never learned how to survey. During this project, I had to survey the land of the site. I learned how to do it, so now whenever I pass a construction worker on the highway, I know exactly what they are doing.
Improvements
Problem Solving Skills
The entire Green Pier project was developed on AutoCAD. This program allowed us to create our final design drawings, which is what we are graded off of for our construction grade. This program is not always very compatible with what you are trying to do. Although it became very frustrating at times, I learned to just be patient and remember that it was only doing what it knew to do. I learned to just relax and work out whatever was not working at the time. Sometimes, I would leave the drawing for a day or two and go back to it after working on another assignment. I began to realize that I had to solve my problems by just being patient with the program.
Communication through Drawings
The Green Pier project was completely developed through drawings. We began the year with simple, brainstorming drawings, as shown in Figure 9. These drawings were extremely basic and consisted of simply lines and squares. Our alternate solution designs were next. We drew them using more detail and labeled what needed to be. My alternate solutions for the chosen site and promenade can be seen in Figured 3 and 4. The last drawing I created was my final AutoCAD drawing. This has been the most professional drawing I have ever created on AutoCAD. I used 3D for the entire layout, and showed all the footings and beams necessary for building a promenade. For the before pictures, I elevated the land to show how it looks currently. My final AutoCAD drawing is shown in Figure 5.
Communication through Speaking
The formal progress updates have definitely helped my communication skills through speaking. I was never the type of student who became very nervous before a presentation, but I still do think these have made me a better speaker. When presenting, I do not say “um” or stutter as much because of these presentations. I learned to be confident in what you are presenting because no one knows the information any better than you. The formal progress updates have advanced my presenting abilities which will benefit me in the future.
Communication through Writing
This year, I have learned to write in active voice. After being handed back several poor grades, I learned to emit the “there are” and “there were” phrases from my reports. I learned to write to inform, rather than please. This class was not about the fluff; our teachers wanted straight facts with extreme detail. Repetition was not tolerate, which I think will definitely help me when I am writing college papers later this year.
I also learned how to write professionally. Throughout the year, I have been emailing my mentors, who are experts in their field of study. When writing to them, I could not use slang terms or seem immature. I had to write so that they would respect me and know I was not there to waste their time. This has definitely helped me become more mature as a person overall.
Organization
My organizational skills have improved throughout the span of this project. I am a very organized person by nature, but this project helped even more. Towards the middle of my project, I arrived at my computer to find that all the files had been erased. My teachers has no knowledge of this happening, and my AutoCAD drawings were all saved to the Desktop of that computer. Luckily, the week before I had decided to back everything up to my flash drive. I did not stay current with this, so I did have to redraw several parts, but I was lucky I didn’t have to redraw the entire first half of my project. After that, I learned to always back everything up at least at the end of every class, if not throughout the class. Computers can crash at any time, so I should always be prepared.
Time management was also another factor with this project. Making the calendar and including it in my blog definitely helps me stay on task. I can easily see when things are due and when I should be working on them. Although I may not always be on schedule, I do know when the work absolutely has to be completed to hang in for a grade. The calendar helped me manage my time throughout this project.
Conclusion
Throughout the Green Pier project, I learned to be patient with computers and other forms of technology. They are only machines and do what they know how to do. I learned how to present well and speak professionally to an audience. I also learned how to write professionally and in the active voice with only the facts. Finally, I learned how to manage my time through making calendars and to always back up your work. I will take all of these lessons with me when I leave MAST this upcoming June.
Most importantly out of anything, I learned that I needed to work with other people to get a single project done. Throughout this project, I have needed the help of both of my group members, both of my teachers, both of my mentors, and several outside sources. I spoke to different people when concerned with different parts of my design. This one lesson showed me that so many people work to complete one aspect of an entire project. Throughout the Green Pier project, I learned that you need to use teamwork and ask for help when completing a project.
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