Senior Capstone

Senior Capstone /ceae/ en Students' building designs presented at Expo /ceae/students-building-designs-be-presented-expo <span>Students' building designs presented at Expo</span> <span><span>Susan Glairon</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-04-15T09:38:51-06:00" title="Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 09:38">Tue, 04/15/2025 - 09:38</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-04/Trussworthy%20Engineers.jpg?h=be1840ea&itok=QVV6ZWwG" width="1200" height="800" alt="Rendering of an inside space with round tables, stools and couches downstairs and a stairway going up. Large windows in the background frame the Flatirons."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/169" hreflang="en">Jay Arehart News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/117" hreflang="en">News</a> <a href="/ceae/taxonomy/term/318" hreflang="en">Senior Capstone</a> </div> <span>Susan Glairon</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-left ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">              Meet Dana Majer, C6C design team member</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2025-04/Dana%20Majer_0.JPG?itok=xtVg3xMA" width="375" height="488" alt="Dana Majer in a simple black top with a tree blurred in the background"> </div> </div> <h3><span>What did you learn that will help in your future career?</span></h3><p><span>Our senior design capstone project brought together everything we’ve learned over the past four years—from technical skills to teamwork, to communication, to project management. Collaborating with a team of six, we not only applied our engineering knowledge, but also honed our ability to communicate ideas clearly, listen actively and work effectively as a group. Writing proposals and presenting our work added another layer of professionalism. Seeing our final building and product come together affirmed how these skills will translate directly into our future careers—which is really exciting!</span></p><h2><span>What did you enjoy most about this class?</span></h2><p><span>I enjoyed collaborating with my peers. It was incredibly rewarding to share the excitement of completing our deliverables and presenting our ideas. Spending so many hours together brought us closer, and the camaraderie made the experience even more memorable!</span></p><h2><span>Why are you participating in Expo?</span></h2><p><span>We’ve presented to engineering professionals and faculty. Sharing our work with the broader public will be a new and exciting experience. </span></p></div></div></div><p dir="ltr"><span>��ϳԹ�’s </span><a href="/ceae/academics/undergraduate-studies/architectural-engineering" rel="nofollow"><span>architectural engineering</span></a><span> capstone students took on a challenge to design a 20,000-square-foot student support building. Their mission? Create a space for the Business Field on the university's main campus that fosters connection—housing student services, graduate offices, study areas and meeting rooms—while helping to frame the Business Field as a welcoming gateway to campus.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Six student teams tackled the same prompt and delivered six very different designs. They'll present their work to the CU and Boulder communities during the </span><a href="/engineering/expo" rel="nofollow"><span>Engineering Projects Expo 2025</span></a><span>, held April 25 at the CU Indoor Practice Facility.</span><br><br>T<span>he university has no current plans to use the students’ designs to construct the building, but that wasn't the point, said </span><a href="/ceae/jay-arehart" rel="nofollow"><span>Jay Arehart</span></a><span>, an assistant teaching professor and faculty director for architectural engineering. The project mirrors real-world constraints and expectations, offering students a hands-on experience in turning ideas into concrete solutions, he said.</span><br><br>Arehart <span>leads the senior design class, emphasizing its pivotal role in his students' education.</span> <span>In earlier courses, students focus on designing individual systems, such as steel structures, he said. However, the senior design class challenges them to integrate these components into a single, cohesive building.</span></p> <div class="align-left image_style-small_square_image_style"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_square_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/small_square_image_style/public/2025-04/jay-arehart%20%281%29%20copy_0.png?h=45070910&itok=2ui6RhH3" width="375" height="375" alt="Jay Arehart in a white shirt and gray blazer in front of a stone wall."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>        Assistant Teaching Professor Jay Arehart</p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr">"They're having to problem solve and work to balance the design objective of multiple disciplines," Arehart said. "They need to think about the lighting design, the cost of the different systems, the sustainability impacts. The class is about putting a whole building together holistically, not just designing a system in isolation."</p><p dir="ltr">During the capstone class, a panel of industry professionals gave feedback on students’ technical presentations at three key points during the academic year. Expo, he said, offers students a chance to present their work to a broader, less technical audience.<br><br>"Expo is a chance to give an elevator pitch about their design and not get deep in the weeds," he said. "Instead, they're zooming out and thinking, 'What does this project mean for this person asking questions?'"<br><br> </p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-center ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">Learn more about our <a href="/ceae/academics/undergraduate-studies/architectural-engineering" rel="nofollow">undergraduate architectural engineering program</a></div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p><span>Architectural engineers focuses on the design and construction of safe and sustainable buildings. They are creative problem solvers meeting the challenges of energy needs, building systems and community planning. While architectural engineers work with architects, they are engineers – not architects.</span></p></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p> </p><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><h4>Team 1: Unified Engineers</h4><p>Cindia Denova Garduno, Ammar  Alqallaf, Colin Finnerty, Yousef Alqallaf, Daniela Brown and Jassim Almossallam</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/Unified%20Engineers%20Building.jpg?itok=b5oCR4Rv" width="1500" height="786" alt="rchitectural rendering of a modern building with a tall, angular facade featuring large glass windows, vertical wooden paneling, and two prominent sloped roof sections. The building is set against a partly cloudy sky with warm lighting, and several silhouetted figures are walking or biking in the foreground."> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><h4><span>Description</span></h4><p><span>To support the growth and dynamic needs of CU’s student community, the Student Success Center serves as a cornerstone of campus life-architecturally rooted by the iconic Flatirons and the surrounding Brutalist architectural style of the Engineering Center. Designed as a LEED Gold-performing faculty, it provides occupants with a comfortable indoor environment achieved through sustainable practices that align with CU Campus carbon reduction goals. The Student Success Center provides student-tailored spaces such as classrooms, meeting rooms, study spaces and a light-filled atrium that fosters collaboration, academic success and inclusivity.</span></p><p> </p></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4><span>Team 2: KWT Team 2024</span></h4><p><span>Sarah AlRubaie, Maha Madooh, Sherifa Aldharman, Maryam Alfeeli and Sadan Almukhtar</span></p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/KWT%20Team.png?itok=J_Nbhod8" width="1500" height="1003" alt="Rendering of a modern two-story building with a mix of red brick and light siding. The structure features a prominent glass entryway and multiple rectangular windows. Several students are walking and talking on a paved pathway surrounded by green grass, trees, and a blue sky with scattered clouds."> </div> <p><br> </p><p> </p></div><div class="col ucb-column"><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4>Description</h4><p><span>Our building design creates a welcoming and functional community space that seamlessly blends aesthetics. The structure features a dynamic mix of traditional and modern elements, including a large glass curtain wall that maximizes daylighting and enhances visual connectivity between interior and exterior spaces. The sloped roof design and varying volumes help define different program areas while supporting passive solar strategies. Unique to our solution is the emphasis on openness and accessibility highlighted by multiple entry points, outdoor seating and a transparent atrium that invites collaboration and engagement. Our group’s goal was to foster inclusivity, promote natural light use and prioritize energy efficiency, resulting in a design that serves both environmental and social functions.</span></p></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p> </p><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><h4><span>Team 3: C6C Design</span></h4><p><span>Dana Majer, Macy Will, Ryleigh Taylor, Alex Pentecost, Lars Chang and Josh Kilareski.</span></p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/image003.png?itok=qjptN4pd" width="1500" height="718" alt="Building with a large deck"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"><p> </p><h4> </h4><h4> </h4><h4><span>Description</span></h4><p><span>Our 25,000-square-foot Student Success Center includes 10 classrooms, a variety of study spaces, an open atrium and an interior and exterior roof terraces to support students, staff and visitors. The design blurs the boundaries between the building and site, instructing and learning and tradition and advancement. The team worked to achieve LEED Platinum and low embodied carbon by considering a multitude of factors, including indoor air quality, materiality and optimized energy usage. </span></p></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><h4> </h4><h4><span>Team 4: Kuwait</span></h4><p><span>Alaa Alnajar, Yaqoub Salem, Nourah AlTaher, Sarah Aldhafiri, Deema Alhouli, Shekhah Alkhudhari</span></p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/ceae/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-04/Kuwait%20Team.jpg?itok=CK-WPAqp" width="1500" height="1186" alt="Building with large windows"> </div> <h4> </h4><h4><br> </h4></div&