ACE Design Questions A-E

Question A- Define and/or describe the problems/challenges you faced when deciding on the design project you chose to do for the competition.

During the design challenge, we were faced with numerous obstacles. We wanted to make sure we were making the best choice for our project. At first, the majority wanted to go forward with re-designing a bridge, seeing that it was more simplistic out of the rest. On the contrary, the shoreline project was rather broad. Some believed that the bridge design project would not have much of an impact. After several discussions and debates, we casted a vote and soon declared that the shoreline project would be the challenge for us to tackle. We were then faced with our next challenge, selecting a location. During our brainstorming session, we as a group listed different locations including Miami, New York, and Japan. One of the students, however, spoke to us about Bangladesh- ultimately capturing our attention. Known for its seasonal monsoons as well as its dense population, Bangladesh, also known as “the sinking country”,  was one of the top areas affected by frequent flooding, resulting in collateral damages in highly populated areas affected mostly by flooding. Being an impoverished country, not much can be done about the frequent monsoons. To add on, when choosing Bangladesh, we noticed that we would also be limited by the amount of funds and resources available. Then, we realized that Bangladesh is certainly a challenge worth the time and dedication.

Question B- Thoroughly describe your design process, in writing and through visuals on the boards, (e.g., sketches, renderings, stepped process, before and after, budgets, timelines, etc.)

We took a top-down approach, starting outwards by first pinpointing a location we thought would best fit the needs of shoreline reconstruction. To begin with, we had many potential locations including New York City, New Orleans, etc., and then we came to the conclusion that Dhaka, Bangladesh more specifically Islambag, would be our final location for our project. We came to this conclusion on account that Islambag has periodic monsoon seasons, which destroys its coastal shoreline, cripples the economy and evidently leaves many families homeless. The city has a distinct monsoonal season with approximately 87% of the annual average rainfall of (83.6 inches) occurring between May and October. After further research we discovered that runoff from the Himalayan mountain range; caused by deforestation added to the seasonal flooding. Moreover the rising sea level, high tides and Islambag’s low elevation also contributes to the seasonal flooding. Furthermore annual monsoon flooding results in the loss of human life, damage to property and a shortage of drinking water, which leads to the spread of disease. Now that we have covered geographical aspects, in terms of costs Islambag does not have proper storm water management or any stable impervious ground cover (asphalts, concrete, etc). In our examination of these root problems, we produced a few solutions that we are going to implement in different phases. Phase 1, which spans from 6 months to 2 years and deals with solving imminent problems, include stilts and floaters and deployable walkways. Next, phase 2, which deals with short terms, spanning from 2 years to 5 years, which includes solutions like permanent water filtration systems, floating houses, seawalls, revetment structures etc. Finally phase 3, which are long-terms solutions, spanning from 5 years to 20 years, deal with Regional water management, hydroelectric dams, and reforestation. These solutions, working together will help to solve the base problem of homelessness, illnesses, and loss of life, all of which is generated yearly by the aforementioned root causes.

Question C-  Explain how your design approach is an appropriate, innovative solution that realistically responds to the precise design competition problem. Explain how your design is different from other approaches or processes, if such is the case; and/or meets budgetary constraints,timeline issues or other challenges.

        

Question D- Describe any social/ecological or otherwise beneficial qualities of your design solution. (For example is it a universal? How? Is it environmentally friendly? Does it use cost-effective or recyclable materials?)

Our main objective, was to improve the quality of lives of the people living  in Islambag. Through our project, we discovered that we were able to make a series of beneficial improvements to the housing standard, local economy, and regional environment. We were able to revitalize the local fishing economy, by preventing floodwaters which would allow local fishing communities to continue to catch fish. Fish is one of Islambag’s chief commodities in terms of commerce, along with the main source of sustenance for those who live within the vicinity.  We learned that deforestation can causes a vast amount of erosion and destroy the natural habitats of many species. However, through further examination we understood that reforestation can reverse the damage done by erosion. Regional water sources, a vital resource for human development usually adversely impacted, by deforestation can be brought back to health through reforestation.

• Filtration Plants help to bring cleaner water
• Raise the housing standard
• Stabilize the economy
• Cost-Efficient/recyclable materials, bamboo/concrete mix
• Universal design- Can be applied to many tropical, third-world countries

Question E- Describe What you learned from this design competition.

         As a team, we learned a lot from the design challenge. We successfully pulled together each of our own solutions during brainstorming and determined the most effective and realistic solution. During the actual process, however, the flood prevention solutions in which we brainstormed seemed overwhelming at first. We learned that communication was a vital aspect throughout our project, so we all agreed on the best solution. During research, we learned a lot about the actual construction process, building materials, economics, locating the root of the problem(s) at hand and figuring out a solution and much more. To add on, by conducting research for the design project, we all got to contribute to our engineering field(s) of interest, making this task, a successful learning experience for each and every one of us. Those in the Architectural group learned design process of buildings, while those in construction conducted research on building materials, and how to construct flood adaptable and resistant housing structures. It was clear that having the opportunity to pick your own role in the project according to your intended major in college turned out to be an excellent idea. Also, be seeing how all of these roles are connected, we were enlightened by how all these experienced mentors and professionals in the engineering field are involved in the real world.