FXFOWLE completed a successful year participating in the esteemed Architecture, Construction and Engineering Mentoring Program (ACE). Since its conception in 1994, ACE has expanded to 200 cities across the United States and has connected over 60,000 students with industry professionals.  FXFOWLE teamed with Thorton Tomasetti, Tishman Construction, WSP Flack & Kurtz, and 26 students from New York City public and private schools in this year’s program.

As one of the youngest participants in the FXFOWLE team, I gained a lot of knowledge and guidance from our more experienced team members. In turn, I shared with up and coming designers what I have learned in my career so far. I presented the intermediate steps in becoming an architect to illustrate the middle of this journey that they have just begun.

Experimenting with structures

Throughout our meetings each discipline took turns engaging the students with our respective professions. In the first meeting, students formed teams and built bridges solely of popsicle sticks, corks, pipe cleaners, and paper cups—no glue! They were surprised by how strong their designs were using only clever joints and connections.

Our team met semimonthly throughout the school year, October through May, at Tishman Construction Headquarters, where our meeting space overlooked the development of the World Trade Center Memorial and the Freedom Tower.  Using the construction site as a point of reference, the students collectively decided to design in the Hudson Yards area a 50-story mixed-use tower that ties together residential units, food courts, retail space, and a museum including a planetarium to attract pedestrians.

They presented the final project at the American Institute of Architecture Center for Architecture to a distinguished jury that included AIA New York Executive Director Rick Bell and NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney. 

Presentation at the Center for Architecture

The presentation showcased research about various sustainable systems including green materials, integrated shading devices and frit patterns, high performance glazing, gray water reuse systems, and rainwater harvesting. A key realization was that orientation, climate, and teamwork across all disciplines were the key components for successfully integrating these sustainable features into the design details. The students elaborated on the project’s evolution by discussing their studies of floor area ratio, zoning analysis, concrete and steel structural systems, and gravity loads through loading diagrams and shears walls. The intricate and thorough presentation also featured technical drawings of the electrical and mechanical systems and a report on the construction management’s role including cost analysis, estimates, equipment staging, and construction logistics; overall, a holistic understanding.

Sustainable strategies incorporated into the design

The project was so well received that the presentations were featured on the eOculus.

We enjoyed sharing our experiences and our firms’ works and design processes with the city’s youth and future designers. It was rewarding for me as it was a chance to expand my work outside the office into the community, especially showing that sustainability really can be a design process.  And, we could always use more volunteers!

For more information about mentoring visit: www.acementor.org