ACE Gets a Birds-Eye View of the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center project

On December 13, Turner Construction Company invited the ACE seniors from John Hay to visit an under construction office suite in the BP Building overlooking the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center construction site.  The suite, owned by Cliffs Natural Resources, is currently in the demolition phase and nearly ready for renovation.  Bill Stiffler, Special Projects Engineer from Turner and Renee Evans, Building Manager from Harper Group Management explained the office renovation project to the students. 

Students listen to mentors discuss the office
renovation project and the Medical Mart project. 

The view of the Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention
Center from the 31st floor of the BP Building. 

Turner's Carlos Figueroa, Safety Coordinator and Dave Elsey, SPD Project Engineer from Turner, led the students through a detailed description of the Medical Mart project as the students peered out the windows of the 31st floor and looked down into the construction site. Students peppered the mentors with a lot of great questions and were amazed and the size of the site. 


For part two of the field trip, the students venture across the street to the Cuyahoga Community College Hospitality Management Center and new restaurant, Pura Vida. Gilbane Building Company served as program manager for this recently completed project and Project Manager, Dan Focht led the students on a guided tour of the new facility.

(L to R) Pedro Rojas, Te Sanders, Aura Valdez, Jeron
Hancock, and Kevin Inthavong take a quick break at
the Tri-C Hospitality Management Center. 

Shaq Martin watches as the chefs for Pura Vida
prepare for the dinner rush. 

Students were able to witness the demonstration kitchens in use as Pura Vida employees and HCM students prepared for the dinner rush. Throughout the tour, mentors pointed out important design elements and students completed a scavenger hunt activity which prompted them to ask questions and collect information from the mentors and their surroundings.

ACE Mentor Program Starts Strong at New Tech West

New Tech West was founded in the 2010-2011 school year and is located in the Max Hayes building.  It focuses on the smart use of technology, project based learning, and fostering a school culture based on TRUST, RESPECT and RESPONSIBILITY.  Most of the New Tech West students participating in ACE are sophomores.

Trying to transport a golf ball through
several cardboard tubes.

The ACE Mentor program was introduced to the New Tech West students on October 27^th.  Team building activities were held that incorporated creativity, communication and teamwork skills.  The students were divided into 4 teams and they had a series of tasks to complete, including to write a haiku describing the Franklin Castle, to put a puzzle together which turned out to be the floorplan of the new Max Hayes school, to find a unique texture and get a rubbing of it, to put a series of Zoom pictures in order, to view pictures of the Gordon Arts Square and list unique streetscape attributes, to review a list of items and rank them in terms of most important to surviving on an island and to team draw a scene found in their schools.

Teams were awarded points based on how well they completed each task and a prize was distributed to the first place team.

Getting a rubbing of a locker grille



Putting the pieces together



This session was an ice breaker that was used to introduce the students to the ACE program and the mentors.  The skills needed for each task was different and it allowed active participation by all students.





This house finished with minimal
decorations, but with a skylight.



The November 3^rd meeting focused on the very first step in any construction process: The Owner Has a Need.  The students learned about the Owner’s role in the construction team and the students were divided into 4 groups.  A list of criteria for a Gingerbread house was presented to each team and they had to interpret and prioritize how they were going to build their Gingerbread house to fit the Owner’s list of desires.

Rakia is a talented as a decorator.

The criteria included: sustainability issues, safety, entertainment, recreation and more space requirements.

Each team was given a gingerbread making kit, but also had extra supplies such as graham crackers, frosting, pretzels, fruit roll ups, cereal, etc. to help customize their house.



A snowy masterpiece



Final projects had distinctive traits such as a basketball court, a detached shed, an attached porch, security cameras, skylights, a child’s playroom, and lots of plants and garden spaces.

One interesting point is that the number of students on each team varied, but it became clear quickly that the teams with 2 and 3 people were able to get a lot more accomplished than the teams with more people.



Community Assets



Stantec Architects led a community mapping session on November 10^th that included groups of students and mentors canvassing the neighborhood to determine existing assets and needs. This lesson begins to set the ground work for the students Final Project RFP.




Jose takes a picture in the neighborhood





ACE and New Tech West went to testing lab of NTH Consultants on December 1^st.  Engineer Dave Mast spoke to the students about concrete, asphalt and soils.  The students saw the giant sifting instrument used to separate various sizes of gravel, sands and silts.  A test was performed on a concrete sample to see at what psi it failed.  This sample was guaranteed to withstand 5,000 psi and it did.  It wasn’t until 13,000 psi did it “pop” and fail.

Understanding the soils is critical to proper design of the foundation.



Sifting tool



Engineer Mast shows clay to the students



John Hay Seniors Build Shelves for their ACE Classroom for the Icebreaker Session

Welcome back John Hay ACE seniors and mentors!  And a warm welcome to new students and mentors, too!  Everyone is looking forward to another successful year of the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland. 

On Tuesday, October 25, John Hay ACE seniors participated in a shelf and team building exercise as the Icebreaker session, led by Gilbane Building Company.  Students were divided into four teams and tasked with building shelves for their ACE classroom. 

Each student within a small group was assigned a role of architect, project manager, builder, and quality engineer.  The architect and project manager communicated the instructions to the builder, who was the only student allowed to use the tools to piece the shelf together.  The quality manager was responsible for assuring that all pieces were assembled properly and consistent with the architect’s instructions.  The project manager was responsible for overseeing the entire task.  Students changed roles every 10 minutes so that each student had the opportunity to experience the responsibilities of each role. This was a timed exercise and the first group of students that completed the shelf correctly was awarded a prize. 

All the students did a great job!  Students meet again on November 1 for a Google Sketch-Up lesson led by ARRAY. 

Isaiah Johnson serves as builder for his group. 

Kim Zacarias, Antonio Rojas, and Kim Kyler
piece together their shelf.  

De'Angelo Moore, Celeste Rushin, Chris Love, and
Carlos Kostal complete their shelf and test it out. 

ACE Final Presentation Night & Scholarship Awards Banquet

On May 3, the ACE school year came to an exciting culmination at the ACE Final Presentation Night & Scholarship Awards Banquet.  With nearly 200 people in attendance, the ACE students from James F. Rhodes High School and John Hay School of Architecture and Design were able to present their conceptual design projects to guests, peers, and mentors. 


University Hospitals Chief Administrative Officer, Steven Standley was the event keynote speaker.  UH is a generous sponsor of the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland.  As a thank you to UH, the students composed and performed a rap to the tune of Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby. 


Lead by rapper, Delvonte Greer - Devo and The Popsicles included Jessica Daniels, Nautica Hereford, Angel Parkham, Angel White, and break dancer - Michael Gundich.

Devo and The Popsicles perform their thank you rap!
Thank you University Hospitals!

2011 ACE Scholarship Recipients

A total of 13 scholarships were presented to graduating ACE seniors, totaling $61,000.  Congratulations to the scholarship recipients! 

• Gabriela Alverez, James F. Rhodes 
• Jessica Daniels, John Hay 
• Michael Gundich, John Hay 
• Delvonte Greer, John Hay 
• Nautica Hereford, John Hay 
• Dominque Murray, John Hay 
• Chereese Lillary, John Hay 
• Dwaine Ross, John Hay 
• Theresa Shebek, James F. Rhodes
• David Solomon, James F. Rhodes
• Angel White, John Hay 
• Bryan Williams, John Hay  
• Allen, Ziga, John Hay 

Congratulations to all the ACE students for a great year!  Good luck to the ACE seniors!  ACE juniors, see you in the fall! 

JH Seniors Make Design Decisions

Since deciding on the exact location of the bridge at the February 17th meeting, many design decisions have been made by the John Hay Seniors.  Cost of materials, schedule, bridge purpose/users, site restrictions and bridge design coolness all played a part in the group's final decision.

Dom demonstrates how the draw bridge
on the High/Low Bridge would move.

The group learned about 12 different movable bridge options, from a draw bridge to submersible bridge to swing bridge to retracting bridge and everything in between.  Four groups of students were formed to discuss the pros and cons and determine their favorite style.  Remarkably, each group had a different favorite: one side swing, two side swing, high-low bridge and tilting bridge.

Devo, Angel and Chereese build
the two sided swing bridge

At our next meeting, we stayed in those same student groups and supplied them with lego building blocks and other materials (cardboard, pipe cleaners, aluminum foil, tape) and had them build their chosen bridge.  The catch was that they had a $3500 budget and each building material had its own cost.  They needed to estimate how much materials they needed on the initial purchase and hope they "guessed" right because the price of everything went up on future purchases.  The group also had to develop a bar chart schedule of how long it would take to build their bridge (again each building material had their own construction duration).  The mentors and students voted on bridge style for their final project (and they were not allowed to vote for their own bridge).  The two sided swing bridge won (by 2 votes).

The one sided swing bridge that lights up
as you step on it.  Think Michael
Jackson's Billie Jean video.



At the March 17th meeting, we discussed that just like the various bridge structures, there are many types within a structure.  Within the two sided swing bridge structure, we discussed four styles: cable stayed, box/truss, slinky or inclined ramp.  Each group was given foam core boards, wood, glue, rubber bands, etc. to build one of those styles.  The task was meticulous but it quickly came apparent that no one wanted to select their own style as the bridge style for the final project....except for one group.  Everyone was in favor of the slinky bridge style.  See, design coolness definitely ruled that decision.



It's a Slinky style two sided swing bridge!



JH Seniors Select Site

 

One group explains why they recommend
 a particular site.



On Thursday February 17th, the John Hay Seniors had a difficult decision to make; on that would greatly impact their ACE final project.  After hearing a presentation by Thorson Baker about the bridge site possibilities, benefits and drawbacks, the Seniors formed groups for discussion.  Interestingly enough, all of the groups drew conclusions which made their recommendations for bridge placement very similar.  Voting was done by secret ballot and one of the sites wasselected.  Which one?  Come to the May 3rd banquet to find out!



Where should we put the bridge? A? B? C? D? or  Z?



Pro-Struct Learns Google Sketch-Up

Clarence Tate shows off his beautiful home.

On February 15, the Pro-Struct learned how to use the 3D modeling software Google Sketch-Up.  For the majority of the group, this session was their very first exposure to the software but the students picked up it very quickly.  Three-year veteran mentor, Dan Polak of Array Healthcare Facilities Solutions led the students through a design activity which resulted in a 3D model of a house. 

The students quickly learned that Sketch-Up offers free downloads of a variety of materials, props, luxury vehicles, and even a godzilla.  The end result was several creatively designed homes. 

Koma Davis reads the instructions to develop
her house design.

As a team, Pro-Struct picked up the program quickly and they began to develop potential bridge designs for their final project.  Next week the team will review several bridge sketches and also choose an appropriate location for their pedestrian bridge.  





Visiting Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative

On February 3rd, the John Hay Seniors went to the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC).  Terry Schwarz, Director of CUDC spoke to them about the urban design profession and about some projects CUDC has been involved with.  The students were extremely interested in hearing about some of CUDC's temporary events such as the Detroit-Superior Bridge Awareness project during Cleveland's Ingenuity Fest.

Kent State University Senior, Juleian Curtis, spoke to the students about the Architectural Studies program at KSU and also offered some general college advice. 

 

The students toured the design studio, intereacted with graduate students and saw many design models.  The students also met and spoke with the professionals at CUDC.  This tour gave the students an opportunity to see into the life of a Graduate Student in Architecture. 

PSI Office Visit and Laboratory Tour

On January 25, the ACE John Hay juniors toured the offices and laboratory at PSI.  Organized by Business Development Manager, Jerry Hutchison, the students were led on a series of stops throughout the laboratory to learn about different methods of air, soil, and construction material testing.  Several professionals from PSI participated in this event, holding small mini-sessions to discuss various testing methods which are important to a construction site.  John Hay students witnessed an actual concrete test, an air quality test, and were able to check out the giant augers used in soil testing. 

John Hay Seniors meet the USGBC

Michele Kilroy, LEED AP, speaks
to the group

Michele Kilroy, LEED AP, from the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the USGBC presented at the John Hay ACE meeting on Thursday January 27th.  Her focus was on the importance reducing energy use, carbon emissions, water use and solid waste.  The students learned about the USGBC and LEED requirements.  Because such a large percentage of Americans spend their day indoors, it is important to make sure air quality and lighting is at its best.  In fact, LEED methods can help improve business.  One example provided was that by installing skylights in half of a large retail store, that store saw sales increase dramatically where the skylights were.  When they switched the merchandise around, again the sales for the items under the skylights increased. Needless to say this large retail store has skylights throughout all of their new stores now.

Put your hand in if you think the
correct answer is "A"

Michele encouraged the students to attend the 2011 GreenBuild conference and expo, October 4-7, 2011 in Toronto and said that there will be scholarships available for students so they can attend.  Visit http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/ for more information.

The hands on activity was a competitive question and answer session.  The students were divided into 4 teams and were each given a unique multiple choice question.  The team with the most correct answers received candy.  Congratulations to the "Green Hornets"!

ACE Cancellation for John Hay Juniors Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Due to weather issues and the possibility of freezing rain this afternoon the ACE session scheduled for tonight has been canceled.  We will reschedule this session in the near future.

James Rhodes Students Get a Lesson in Bridge Engineering

On Wednesday, December 15 the James Rhode students learned about several bridge engineering principles using simple materials.  Divided into teams of four the students tackled the task of constructing models of an arch bridge, beam bridge, suspension bridge, and cable-stayed bridge. The students were asked to consider the forces acting on each type of bridge and prepare diagrams to document their findings.

 For the arch bridge the students used a piece of cardboard for the arch and textbooks for abutments. By pushing on the top of the cardboard and removing one of the textbooks the students learned the importance of the abutments in transferring the load to the ground and maintaining the structural integrity of the bridge. The arch was found to be under compression transmitting the force to the abutments.

For the beam bridge the students used an eraser for a beam. The students made notches in the top and bottom of the eraser and placed it between two textbooks. By pushing on the top of the eraser the students learned how the top notch tried to squeeze together in compression and the bottom notch tried to spread apart under tension.

For the suspension bridge the students used string for cables, and textbooks for piers and anchorages. By pushing on the string between two piers without using anchorages, then doing the exercise again with anchorages, the students learned how the loads were transferred in the bridge. The cables were found to be in tension, transmitting compression to the piers and tension to the anchorages.

For the cable-stayed bridge the students used string for cables and volunteered one of their team members to act as a pier! One string was placed over the lucky team member’s head and tied to each elbow, and another string was placed over the team member’s head and tied to each wrist. The students were asked to describe where they felt a pushing force, or compression. Each person quickly responded that they felt compression on the top of their head, demonstrating that the pier is in compression and the cables are in tension.

Additional information on this activity can be found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bridge/build.html, and additional information on tension and compression can be found at http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/bridge.htm.

John Hay Seniors and Construction Methodologies



Design Build Team



Design Bid Build Team
Constructing from Another's Design



The John Hay Seniors learned first hand the pros and cons between the Design-Bid-Build and Design Build construction methodologies.  After an overview of both arrangements, four teams were created to construct a bridge out of toilet paper rolls, foam board, stryo foam blocks, tooth picks, scotch tape and wire, in an hour time limit! All teams also needed to draw their design to scale.  Two teams were the Design Builders and they were permitted to design and construct simultaneously.  The two Design-Bid-Build teams were only permitted to draw their bridge during the first 30-40 minutes.  A surprise was thrown into the mix because after 40 minutes, the two Design-Bid-Build teams had to trade designs and were required to construct the other team's design based on the drawings.  That caused some heartburn because the teams were really connected to their own drawings and wanted a chance to build to them.



Careful Construction of a Design
Build Team



All teams finished their bridge construction approximately the same time and each group had a chance to talk about the process.  Both Design Build teams were initially happy with their group, but soon realized that it was more difficult than they first thought.  As they were constructing, new ideas would be presented, but they could not always incorporate them because it didn't go with what was already built.  Constructing and doing the design at the same time added pressure to who was doing the drawing to make sure it matched what was built.



Design Bid Build Team Finishes Construction and
Even Runs a Load Test



Both Design-Bid-Build bridges were constructed very closely to the intent of the design, and both teams thought it was because their designs were superior.  These teams realized the importance of having someone who was familiar with the design participate in the construction process (as the mentor helping the drawing team moved to the constructing team).  They were frustrated that they couldn't make design changes even if they thought of something that would make an improvement.

James Threalkill, Sr. Director, Human Resources from Skanska was visiting from Nashville, Tennessee and he commended the students on their performance, skill set and teamwork.  In his six years of working with ACE students, he said the John Hay Seniors and the Cleveland program as a whole was one of the best.  He encouraged the students, with particular emphasis to the girls, to continue in the construction field.