APRIL 29, 2016 -- After months of work on a collaborative project that wrapped up this week, University of Colorado civil engineering students are walking away with “real-world” experience and Flatirons Habitat has planning documents that will serve as a starting point for the eventual development of a parcel of land in Louisville.
Senior students, working as design firms (eight four- to five-member teams), submitted proposals for the land in Louisville as part of their “capstone” design experience in their final undergraduate-level class, according to professor Matthew Morris.
Flatirons Habitat intends to use the students’ solutions as bridging documents to start the approval process with the City of Louisville and to engage licensed engineers to complete the final design.
“Client’s Choice,” based on Flatirons Habitat’s review, and “Overall Winner” were announced Thursday. Team H2MK -- consisting of members David Muench, Jacob Hebert, Scott Kilgore and Ryan Mussman -- was selected as both.
“The most challenging part of the project for me was working with the site that is to be developed. As I'm sure you know, it is not an ideal site, with unlevel terrain, said team member Hebert.
“The most fun part of the project was coming up with practical and efficient designs for Habitat. I enjoyed the challenge of designing the wet utilities for the site, especially considering the City of Louisville's request to not do construction in South Boulder Road. It was rewarding, and I look forward to seeing how the site is actually developed in the future.
“The biggest takeaway was to be working on a real-world project. Engineering problems in the real world are rarely cut and dry, like they are in textbooks. One must really think outside the box to come up with solutions. And we had to do exactly that for this Habitat project.
“If time provided, I would certainly do it again.”
Team member Kilgore said through feedback from Flatirons Habitat Executive Director Susan Lythgoe and Director of Construction Michael Bautista, “we ultimately decided on a design with a large central community area to bring all of the neighbors together. We felt that this design would fit best with the existing surrounding homes and would foster a strong community among the homeowners on the property.
“There were a lot of difficult aspects to this project, but the biggest challenge was rejuvenating a piece of property that has been an eyesore for years into a functional, livable, and vibrant part of the community. Up to this point, we had taken a lot of individual courses about many different aspects of engineering, and it was really cool to see how they all fit together to create something that will change the lives of the residents and improve the community. It is easy to forget how engineering connects people and is vital to so many everyday things that we take for granted. Working with Habitat opened our eyes to how much of an impact engineering can have on people's lives.
“… I'm truly bummed that I won't get to see this development actually occur.”
Team member Mussman said the learning experience was invaluable as the concept of designing a community grew from plans on paper to the idea of creating plans for places people would call home.
He said it was a lot of work, but was well worth it.
“I enjoyed it more than any other class I’ve taken … being able to work on a real project,” he said. “… The fact that Habitat is going to take our design and go out there and build it is pretty awesome.”
But unlike Kilgore, who won’t be working in Colorado, Mussman already has a construction industry job lined up in the Denver area and will get to drive by the project while its under construction and once its finished.
Maybe, he said, he’ll even get to take his kids by there on Sunday afternoons.
Hebert, Kilgore and Mussman’s takeaways on the value of the project are right in line with what their professor was hoping they would be.
“The purpose of this course is to integrate all the different civil engineering disciplines into one project,” Morris said. “Our partnership with Flatirons Habitat for Humanity has given our students an outstanding taste of real-world engineering. This experience put four years of education into perspective for our students and they will be stronger engineers going forward.”
Lythgoe, executive director of Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, said, “It is an incredible opportunity for us to work with the senior design students on this project. Building a Habitat neighborhood requires much community support and when we can include the university and its students in that support and create a learning opportunity, it is particularly special.”
Students’ proposals, among other things, were required to include site concept plans, design alternatives and cost-saving recommendations, stormwater design and analysis, irrigation design, hydraulic analysis, potable water and fire plans, grading plans, foundation and structural design for duplexes/triplexes, playground/picnic structures, housing unit design, detailed cost estimates and design and construction schedules.
CU students worked starting in January to respond to a request for proposals (RFP) for the multi-family housing project. Their engineering services include a preliminary design and construction plans to develop property at the corner of South Boulder Road and Ridgeview Drive in Louisville, which is zoned medium density residential. The new development will consist of a combination of Habitat for Humanity duplexes and triplexes designed specifically for the surrounding neighborhood by the CU students.
The students designed the foundations and structures, along with all site civil work. The site required the students to produce solutions for grading, parking, domestic water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, electrical, natural gas and communication utilities. In addition, existing structures and wells on the property were evaluated to remain and be abandoned or to be demolished. An outdoor play area also was incorporated into the design solution to foster a sense of community.
About Flatirons Habitat for Humanity:
Building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.
Founded in 1993, Flatirons Habitat for Humanity is the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. Its goal is to transform lives and communities by building simple, energy-efficient, affordable homes for families living in the Boulder Valley and Broomfield communities. Our vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Our program is a hand up, not a handout. Habitat homeowners build their homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. A decent home gives them the strength, stability and independence they need to create a better life for themselves and their families.
