City of Holland, Michigan Board of Public Works Seawall Replacement & Site Development
Sponsor: Abonmarche Consultants, Inc.
Mentors: Martin Rivas
Students: Michael Tuohy, Esenia Delgadillo, Molly Marino, and Paul Quinn
Project Description:
The project site is located in Holland, MI, and is on top of a decommissioned coal power plant. The site is classified as a brownfield, and the Holland BPW owns the parcel. Since the decommissioning in 2023, the site has remained vacant and emergent wetlands have appeared within the site. Currently, plans are in place to redevelop the site into a port facility to accommodate the loading/unloading of aggregate piles from Great Lakes’ freighters. The student team, with the support of Martin Rivas from Abonmarche, is tasked with designing a new 1,100 foot long anchored steel sheet pile seawall to replace the existing seawall system, which was determined to be insufficient due to corrosion, concrete spalling, and design life exceedance. The team is also tasked with preparing the site for redevelopment by obtaining necessary permits from the Michigan Department of Environmental Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
The goal is to prepare existing and proposed construction drawings of the site which will include grading plans, wall alignments, returns, and connections details, backfill details, wall anchor layout, toe stone details, and further site needs.
Fullerton Pike Phase III Extension Project
Sponsor: American Structurepoint (Bridge)
Mentors: DJ Bosse and Thomas McNicholas
Students: John Frederickson, Quintin Thompson-Davoli, Nicole Vaccaro
Project Description:
The Fullerton Pike Phase III Extension Project aims to provide better east-to-west connectivity in Monroe County (IN), establish new access to I-69, and reduce traffic congestion through Bloomington. The student team is responsible for designing the 525-foot prestressed concrete bridge over the West Fork of Clear Creek, including two lanes of traffic, two bike lanes, and a multi-use path. The project involves several technical components, including roadway design for the approach and the bridge itself, structural design and member selection, and detailed hydraulic modeling to ensure adequate freeboard and scour protection. All designs will follow INDOT specifications and the INDOT Design Manual, and the project will be conducted using AutoCAD, HEC-RAS, and the Bentley suite of analysis software. The final deliverables of this project will include a fully detailed drawing set with associated calculation package.
Wellness Center
Sponsor: Buro Happold
Mentors: Sandesh Rajput and Terenia Hankewycz
Students: Joe Bollard, Franki Vacko, Melina Ventura
Project Description:
The project undertaken by the team is to design the structural system for a YMCA-style wellness center building in Chicago, IL. During this fall semester, the team has worked on designing the structural steel framing system from existing architectural plan drawings. This project focused mainly on designing a structural system to support the gravity loads that would be experienced. No lateral loading is being taken into consideration due to the short timeline of this project. This design will then be created in Revit, where the finalized steel system drawing set will be created and submitted as a deliverable. While drawing sets are being produced, the building will be designed and analyzed in RAM, a structural modeling software. By the end of this project, the team will have produced a working drawing set that could be used on-site to construct this wellness center, as well as a tested model of the building, proving its ability to withstand the use and loads for which it was designed.
Coyle Hall
Sponsor: Bulley & Andrews
Mentors: Jackson Kamp and Collins Udeh
Students: Joel Brink, Pedro Sampaio, and Ben Fraser
Project Description:
The motive behind this capstone project is to give our team practical experience in construction management through direct involvement with an active institutional project. By working with Bulley & Andrews on Coyle Hall, the new Men’s Dorm at the University of Notre Dame, the team is gaining insight into the workflows, decision making, and coordination required for complex construction efforts. While many initial tasks such as takeoffs, sequencing, and estimating were completed by the contractor, the team’s focus is on monitoring progress, managing changes, and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and constructability. The team’s goal is to deepen the understanding of project execution and provide meaningful input that supports Bulley & Andrews’ current and future work on campus.
To support this effort, the team is using industry standard construction management software and documentation tools to stay organized and effective. The team relies on Procore and Bluebeam to review, annotate, and track drawings, specifications, and reports. This project provides an opportunity to apply what is learned in the classroom to a real world construction setting while continuing to develop the technical, organizational, and communication skills to perform effectively in the construction industry.
Grojean Hall
Sponsor: Clark Construction
Mentors: Peter Jachim, Conor Milligan, Nick Sansone, and Gustavo Jimenez
Students: Aidan McClanahan, Luke Myers, and Sam Tyler
Project Description:
Grojean Hall is the newest women’s dorm on campus that is replacing the now demolished Pangborn Hall. The new dormitory will feature architectural components of the buildings on campus, but with a layout that has not yet been seen on campus. Featuring a grand central tower that opens to South Quad, the building’s footprint will resemble a horseshoe to accommodate up to 275 residents. The focus of this project will be on the construction phase, which includes submitting an RFP (Request for Proposal) in the Fall Semester, and detailed financial analysis, RFI’s (Request for Information), and detailed scheduling for the Spring Semester. Using current construction drawings and specifications, this project requires teamwork, ingenuity, and attention to detail in order to deliver meaningful solutions to the project team and satisfy the needs of the client, the University of Notre Dame. To complete this project, the students will utilize BluBeam, Procore, Google Earth, and Excel for calculations and documentation.
N. Bendix Drive Road Diet Project
Sponsor: DLZ
Mentors: Anthony Glenn P.E. & Michael Geiger P.E.
Students: Joshua Dobashi, Carter Powers, Alan Monterroso, William Hentges
Project Description:
This project is a redesign of a 4100 ft stretch of N. Bendix Dr. in South Bend, Indiana between Lathrop St. and Voorde Dr. The project scope includes a road diet where four lanes are reduced to one lane in either direction and a shared left-turn lane, the addition of a multi-use path, signal replacements at both intersections and the addition of a stormwater sewer system. The project is a multi-faceted challenge with many complicating factors such as budget constraints and COVID-related inflation, the road’s proximity to a building material quarry, a South Bend Airport runway and the South Shore line railroad which includes an at-grade rail crossing, existing fiber-optic cables and other utilities. As such, the project requires skills in environmental, geotechnical, transportation and water resources engineering in addition to cost reduction and management of existing infrastructure and related regulations. The team intends to complete a 90% report consisting of a set of technical plans and specifications of the road, stormwater management system, and muti-use path following the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) design process. To achieve this goal, the project team will outline a new road alignment using AutoCAD Civil3D, carry out stormwater drainage analysis and design a management plan, conduct construction cost estimation using Excel, and draft plan and specification documents for final construction.
Additionally, preliminary assessments of the project area concluded that the portion of the road near the South Bend Airport would not require a shared left-turn lane due to the lack of development along the road and the fact that future development is unlikely in the area at the end of an active runway. Further, problems with ending the multi-use path without an outlet at the Voorde Drive intersection resulted in a proposal extending the scope of the project to update pavement markings along Bendix Dr. along the entire length of the street, resulting in three lanes and a multi-use path that could be protected in the unused easternmost lane. This low-cost improvement would connect the multi-use path to southern residential areas and reduce conflicts between dieted parts of the road and parts that had not been dieted yet.
US-35 Bridge over Whitewater River
Sponsor: EMCS
Mentors: Nevil Gomes, Nabin Ghimire
Students: Ian Johnston, Martin Soros, Mary Elizabeth Balof
Project Description:
The goal of this project is to redesign the superstructure of the existing US-35 Bridge over the Whitewater River near Economy, Indiana. The bridge exhibits significant deterioration in its reinforced concrete deck, requiring a new design that improves safety, durability, and performance in accordance with current standards. The student team will focus on the design and analysis of the bridge superstructure, including the reinforced concrete deck and prestressed concrete girders or steel girders, following the Indiana Design Manual and relevant AASHTO specifications to ensure compliance with Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) requirements. Student team responsibilities include compiling specifications, performing cost estimates, developing a complete set of design drawings, and conducting structural and hydraulic calculations to complete the deck and drainage design. Software such as Bluebeam, Autocad, OpenBridge Designer, HEC-RAS, and MicroStation will be used throughout the project to produce accurate models and drawings.
Colfax Avenue Streetscape
Sponsor: JPR
Mentors: Mike Voll, Robert Heiden, Hall Block
Students: Camden Wozniak, Sebastian Villa, Michael Kolimago, James LaFever
Project Description:
The objective of this project is to increase the walkability and accessibility of Colfax Avenue in downtown South Bend. This will be achieved by tabling intersections to reduce the speed of motor vehicle traffic, widening the sidewalks on each side of the road, and adding a separated, two-lane bike path. These changes will increase the ease with which residents can safely walk or bike on Colfax Avenue, and will promote access to the many businesses and amenities in downtown South Bend. The student team will design a new stormwater piping system; a new layout for Colfax Avenue that includes the widened sidewalks, bike lanes, and redesigned intersections; and roadway construction phasing plans for the extent of the project. The team will primarily be using Civil3D for the design work and plan production. Additionally, the project must adhere to both City of South Bend and INDOT standards for typical sections and roadway details.
Riverfront West Roadway Design
Sponsor: Lochmueller Group
Mentors: Finn Cavanaugh, Amber Willoughby
Students: Zach Dooner, Evan Johnston, Joseph Lavallee
This project aims to design a right-of-way along the west bank of St. Joseph’s River in downtown South Bend. This roadway will pass through a future two-building, 291-unit apartment complex, transforming the current empty parking lot into a residential area. The designed right-of-way will allow for two lanes of traffic, parking, pedestrian sidewalks, and a furniture zone.
Students are tasked with designing the right-of-way in Autodesk’s Civil 3D software, following design standards from the City of South Bend and the AASHTO Green Book. The project team will gain foundational skills in traffic engineering and urban planning. Throughout the project, the team will learn to consider a number of urban design dimensions, including safety, environmental, and economic factors.
27 Story Reinforced Concrete Apartment Building
Sponsor: Severud
Mentors: Jack Gainey and Ed DePaolo
Students: Quinn Akerman and Matthew Teague
Project Description:
For this project the team is being tasked with designing the structural system for a 27 story reinforced concrete apartment/commercial building. In the design of the 293 foot building going up from the fourth floor the part of the building will sit on a cantilever due to an existing house near the building forcing the first three floors to be smaller than the other twenty four. The building’s main structure will consist of concrete shear walls in the core of the building, concrete columns, and concrete slabs. Using provided architectural drawings the team will ultimately deliver a 90% plan set of the building’s structural system. This will entail the calculation of the loading on the building using the ASCE 7-22 code and the use of SAP2000 to model the building and develop the lateral loading values. The team will then design the concrete sections and foundations in the building to carry the determined loading and match the architectural drawings as well as possible using the relevant AISC 16th edition and ACI318-19 codes when necessary. Much of this work will be done using Excel but it will also be checked with hand calculations. Finally using the designed elements the team will draft a 90% plan set of the building’s structure using Revit.
South Florida Residential Tower
Sponsor: Thornton Tomasetti
Mentors: Drew Barlow, Barret Lee, Elena Poludnitcyna, Frank Ziccardi
Students: Rovin Amores, Kate Ancona, Braeden Snow
Project Description:
The objective of this project is to design a 25-story residential tower with a height of approximately 279 feet above ground located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This residential tower will be part of a bigger development of mixed use buildings, replacing older structures in the area. The student team, under the mentorship of Thornton Tomasetti, will design and analyse multiple structural systems taking costs, efficiency, and safety into consideration in order to find the best possible system that both satisfies and follows code regulations and meets client specifications. To accomplish these goals, the students’ technical skills were utilized in industry standard softwares, including Microsoft Excel for load, system, and cost calculations, Revit for the building design, and Bluebeam for analyzing the schematics and making any needed annotations to the architectural plans. Aside from technical skills, the project also required the development of the students’ logistic planning, communication, and collaboration skills as weekly meetings were held to make sure the project was on pace, complying with set deadlines.
Walsh Family Hall (Architecture Building)
Sponsor: Walsh Group
Mentors: David Emmel, Jennifer Engel, Joe Porada, Neo Lorenzo
Students: Bridget Hannon, Sydney Sanders, Wells Benson
Project Description:
The main objective of this project is to act as a case study for the construction process of Walsh Family Hall of Architecture. In collaboration with mentors from the Walsh Group, the team of students will work to develop a preliminary bid package and subcontractor recommendation to build the school of architecture at the University of Notre Dame. The completed package will be finalized by the spring semester so a report of what has been completed to reach that goal will be produced by the end of the fall semester. Quantity takeoffs, cost estimates, schedule and sequencing, evaluating subcontractor bids, and developing big document drawings and specifications will be necessary components to have a completed package.
This project introduces students to everything that contractors have to develop before construction can take place, from receiving an initial set of plans to bidding out the project. Technical knowledge will be enhanced through the concrete and steel design in addition to knowledge of different key programs, such as AutoCAD and Bluebeam, to create and markup the construction documents.
The ’87 Apartments
Sponsor: Weis Builders and V3
Mentors: Amanda Handt, Brian McMorrow
Students: Emily Lopez, Jimena Ramazzini, Lauren Lampinen
Project Description:
The main objective of this project is to plan the construction of new college apartment buildings for University of Notre Dame students in South Bend, Indiana. The 87 is a Low-Rise apartment building, consisting of one-to-four bedroom units, as well as townhomes. The complex has 335 units with 810 total beds. The site area is 10.54 acres. This is to support the Toll Brothers Campus Living’s goal of providing high-quality, luxury housing options for students and promoting academic success and community engagement. The project’s scope consists of residential structures, modern amenities, and landscaped outdoor areas to contribute to a safe, functional, and vibrant living environment reflecting the tradition and spirit of Notre Dame.
This project is a collaboration between Weis Builders and V3 Companies. The Weis team mainly focuses on scheduling and cost estimating, while V3 focuses on site development and schematic designs. Excel and Bluebeam are used to review and create plans. Some references and standards used in this project include an ALTA/ACSM Survey, Section 17-4 of the City of South Bend Municipal Code, the Indiana Administrative Code, and the IDEM. Technical skills in this project include estimation, proposal writing, and schematic design preparation.
93 Acre Industrial Bridge Design
Sponsor: Westwood
Mentors: Eric Herbert, Dominique Madrid
Students: Patrick Dampf, Brian Leung, Liszeth Rodriguez
Project Description:
For this project the student team is designing a reinforced concrete vehicular two span bridge located in Sanger, Texas. The intent of this bridge is to connect two roadways divided by the Ranger Branch Creek. The bridge design will be done using codes and specifications outlined in TxDOT and AASHTO. The students will be using software such as AutoCad, BlueBeam, and Excel to create drawings, calculate load cases, and conduct an economical analysis of our bridge. In addition to technical drawings and calculations, the team will also be creating a technical report that will outline the basis of the bridge design. Included in this report will be the basic geometry of our bridge, the standards that used in the design, and any assumptions that were made in the design.
Union Station Redevelopment
Project Sponsor: WSP
Mentors: Greg Benz, Troy Illig, Andrea Riesinger, and Robbie Wachter
Students: Cian Gross, Nicholas May, and Maeve McMahon
Project Description:
Amtrak trains operated out of South Bend Union Station until 1971, when operations were moved to a Bendix Road site. The Bendix road site is located west of the city in a poorly connected location, relatively remote from downtown. Additionally, this station does not meet current ADA standards for operation. Amtrak is legally obligated to bring the South Bend train station up to the standards, and the large investment necessary for this to be accomplished warranted an evaluation of other options. In July of 2024, the South Bend Redevelopment Commission acquired South Bend Union Station. The station layout and interior are relatively unchanged, making it an ideal location for Amtrak redevelopment and service. The scope of this project includes the evaluation of alternatives for platform access and location, and the design of the selected alternative. Students are tasked with compiling alternatives, completing preliminary drawings in AutoCAD, and integrating utility and elevation data in ArcGIS Pro. A final drawing set for the selected alternative will be generated in AutoCAD.
