Press Release

MAST Student TSA Project Progress Thus Far

Construction and Testing of Architectural Model

Contact: Natasha Konczynski, Senior

Period 7/8

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3/5/2009


Systems Engineering II: TSA Architectural Model

SANDY HOOK, NEW JERSEY, MARCH 5, 2009

Natasha Konczynski, a 17-year-old senior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, has recently been working on an architectural project for her Systems Engineering II class. For her senior project, she chose to compete in the Technology Student Association Architectural Model for the 2008-2009 school year. Natasha is working closely with her teammates Lauren Keiser and Kelly Daniels, and her mentor, who works as an associate at an architectural firm in Pennsylvania. She has contacted him by e-mail and phone with any updates on the project. Close contact with the mentor is advised, even when working in teams of multiple students.

Project Requirements and Expectations

This year the TSA guidelines require participants to design and model a freestanding emergency medical clinic. During the first and second marking periods, brainstorming and developmental work, including drawings, measurements, window, door, and finished room schedules, and foundation, landscape, and roof plans for the actual building, were completed by Natasha, Lauren and Kelly, with the help of their mentors. Now in the third marking period, construction on their model has begun. The final model is required to be on a foam core board no larger than 24”x24” representing the plot of land chosen to place the EMO, in this case the Asbury Park, NJ area.

The group expects their model and final solutions to exhibit a realistic building plan for an emergency medical clinic and accurately depict all of the developmental work that was completed in the first two marking periods. The scaled 3D model will show the landscape design, façade, elevations, doors and windows, and roof construction. Drawings illustrate foundation plans and the function of how the actual emergency medical center might work. For the final design, Natasha has completed cross section drawings, exterior wall section drawings and a roof plan. She has used these drawings to do the exterior work of the model, which was measuring and cutting the walls, and the windows and doors out of the walls, made of 1/8” thick balsa wood. The project is on a 1/8” = 1’ scale. Since cutting out the windows and doors is finished, construction of the roof for the model has recently begun. Each member of the team is in charge of their own part of the project but in the end it will come together as the finished 3D model and presentation boards for potential clients.

Benefits of Project

Working on this project has given the students a chance to experience the workload and discipline of a real world job. Students have deadlines, requirements to fulfill, mentors to work closely with, and clients to please throughout the whole process. When asked about her participation with the TSA project and its benefits, Natasha replied, “This project [The TSA Architectural Model] has given me insight and experience for what college and a career would really be like. There are so many benefits to dealing with this in your senior year of high school. Because of the architectural aspects and research required, I have learned so much about the actual construction of a building from materials to procedures of getting it built. The science and math involved are also so important and I did not realize this until we had to complete mathematical calculations and give scientific explanations for everything we did. You must learn to manage your time and exhaust your effort to succeed. It is much easier said than done, and when you fail it is no excuse to give up. You must fix the problem, avoid future dilemmas and stay on track the whole time.”

Natasha, Lauren, and Kelly have been hard at work the past two marking periods and now in the third marking period they are seeing their work come together during construction. The drawings for the emergency medical clinic have been created and printed and now the scaled model is being built, complete with parking lot, landscaping, removable roof, windows and doors, and finished facade. Although they are nearly finished, the project is not yet complete. Good luck girls!

For more details about the TSA Architectural Model on Sandy Hook, NJ, contact Natasha Konczynski at natattakoncz@aim.com or visit her blog at http://tsaarchnk.blogspot.com/.

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Log

Yesterday I completed my press release during lunch and continued to help work on the model. My part of the model dealing with the walls is finished so I will start construction of the roof. I plan on getting that finished by mid next week.

As I stated last week we are about a week behind on the model. We need to begin and complete the model windows by next week as well. When the windows are completed and attached to the walls and the roof is also constructed we will be able to put up the walls for the model and the whole thing will come together.

I will also start my solution construction assignment and continue to update my mentor contacts for the marking period. Once everything is absolutely finished I will be able to update my log and make the outline for my marking period 3 formal progress update and presentation.

Log

The windows and doors are all cut out so the wall construction is basically complete. Today we are continuing to complete the facade for the exterior of the building. The stucco is completed and dry and Kelly has begun putting fake brick print on the bottom of the walls. The written part of my press release is finished, I just have to add pictures. I plan on getting these pictures from uploading them onto my home computer from my camera and then sending them to school via BBS. I will also include drawings from class and put appropriate captions on all illustrations. Hopefully my press release will be completed by Monday in class or Tuesday during lunch.

Since I am at a stand still with the press release I will be working on the facade with Kelly and begin to discuss or plan out roof construction for the model. We seem to be about a week behind schedule according to my calendar but I purposely left extra time at the end of the marking period in case construction was a little slower than expected, as it has been.

Also, after discussion about how to model the exterior wall section I do not believe I will be doing presentation boards, only the drawings will be shown during my presentation. Ms. Green and I had come to the conclusion that displaying the materials and showing the construction of the actual wall would be too complicated so that will now be omitted.

I will be contacting my mentor this weekend with updates about the project and pictures of progress.

Log

We have begun to stucco the walls as the start of the facade. I have one more window to cut out which should take me about 5 mintues after I fix the measurements. One that is complete I will fix the 4 pieces I broke in my frustration to finish cutting. Today I will sit down with my group members and plan the roof and hopefully begin to construct it by the end of the week.

My press release is almost complete as well. I have an introduction and about 3 finished paragraphs. I will continue working on this either during class today when I finish cutting the last window and gluing, or continue to work on it at home. I keep BBSing it to myself after every update to continue to work on it when I have a chance. I plan on having this finished either by the end of the week or over the weekend.

After all of this is complete I will begin on other needed written documents or construction on the model roof.

Log

This is Friday's blog. I was so busy constructing in class that I did not get a chance to write the log in class. There are only a few more windows and doors to be cut out of the walls but there are some walls where the cutting is complete and the facade can be started. The next step is planning and constructing the roof for the model. Hopefully construction of the roof for the model will be started by the end of this week. Also, my press release is nearly finished. I plan on finishing it by the end of the week as well so it is done and out of the way.

Log

Today I decided to bring my project home. It will be tedious and take too much time to cut out windows and doors only in class. I concluded I will never finish in time if I continue to only work on the project in class. I am aiming to work on it the most this weekend so the walls will be ready for the facade and building windows can begin Monday of next week. Although this puts us a little behind on our schedule it will be relatively easy to catch up as long as we work hard and put in a little extra time. Otherwise good progress with construction is being made.
I started the press release last week and got the introduction done. Since then I have not worked on it but I will be sending it home over the BBS and continuing to work on it a little each night. I also plan on contacting my mentor with picture updates.

Log

This week we did not meet with the deadline but we are very close to completing our goal. I will finish measuring the windows and doors on the model and cut them out. I will then begin to construct the windows with my group members and we will assemble the walls completely by Monday or Tuesday of next week. Today in class I will complete measuring and cutting out the windows and doors and the walls will be ready for the facade work done by Kelly. We are pretty much on schedule according to our calendar but some things may take more time than originally expected. Today I am also starting my press release.