Requirements & Constraints: Making Model Parking Garages
The difference between architects and engineers can be confusing because their roles in building design can be similar. Students experience a bit of both professions by following a set of requirements and meeting given constraints as they create their own model parking garages. Teams experience the engineering design process first-hand as they design, build and test their models. They draw blueprints of their designs, select the construction materials and budget their expenditures. They also test their structures for strength and find their maximum loads.
Students act as both architects and engineers while creating and testing their own model parking garages.Copyright Los Alamos National Laboratory http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/pa/newsbulletin/images/Garage041204.jpg
Engineers and architects work together to design structures, and often their responsibilities overlap. Engineers must meet both requirements and constraints as they design and build structures.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Give examples of architects' and engineers' roles in building design.
- Explain the difference between a requirement and a constraint.
- Identify and draw a basic blueprint.