Self and Design Evaluation

Scope of the Project: My Role

Sandy Hook, NJ is a hot spot for tourism during the warmer seasons. It's a popular area for its beaches, bike paths, and fishing spots. Fishermen generally fish off the shore near the bay and the ocean at Sandy Hook. The National Park Service takes care of the maintenance and regulations around Sandy Hook. However, as of now, there are no designated areas for recreational or professional fishing. This limits the fishermen to fishing off the beach, which can be a hazard to people around them.

Figure 1- Sandy Hook bay area

Currently, there is a chapel on the coast overlooking the bay, shown in Figure 1. This chapel is backed by a destroyed timber bulkhead, eroded land, and disorderly overgrown plant life. This bulkhead, shown in Figure 2, was supposed to stop the land from becoming so eroded, but it failure caused the land to become more eroded than ever. This gives a very limited area for visitors to the chapel to relax outside. This area of Sandy Hook needs a spot where fishermen can safely fish and visitors can relax, and also a sturdy bulkhead to prevent further erosion.

Figure 2- The current failed bulkhead

My role in the Green Pier project is to design piers for professional and recreational fishermen and visitors, and design a sturdy bulkhead to protect the land from erosion. The piers will attach to the promenade behind them. The bulkhead will extend across the land underneath the promenade. The piers will operate with the promenade from May until September. To promote environmental friendliness, the entire area will be designed using green materials.


This project is hypothetical. This assignment gave the group an area to design as a theoretical situation. Every step up to construction, including layouts, plans, and contacts to officials have been completed. No physical products will come from the project, other than models of the layout. The project is based off learning about green materials and eco-friendly variables in real world situations.

Solutions

The project overall was divided amongst three group members. One group member took the role of architect, another was a civil engineer, and I was the marine engineer. The architect had to work on redesigning the chapel to be built completely out of green materials. The civil engineer designed the promenade and the plant life on the land. As the marine engineer, I designed the piers that extended off the promenade.

Figure 3- Chapel Final Solution

The architect decided to rotate the chapel so, instead of facing the road, it would face the water behind it. Although it has the same number of windows, this rotation allows the chapel to use more natural light than before. The chapel would have the same dimensions as the original chapel (78'3"x37'x15'). The final solution, as seen in Figure 3, features awnings over the windows to block some sunlight to prevent the chapel from overheating. The east facing side will also feature solar panels to provide an eco-friendly solution to the energy situation.

Figure 4- Site plan final solution

The civil engineer designed both the site plan and the promenade, as shown in Figure 4. They had to choose plant life and used Smilax rotundifolia, Amelanchier canadensis, and Rhus glabra for trees; Helianthus angustifolius, Helianthus debilis, Coreopsis gladiata, Cornus florida, and Magnolia grandiflora for flowers; and Ammophila breviligulata, Panicum amarum, Panicum virgatum for grasses. The promenade was designed to go best with the way the piers fit into the construction.

Figure 5- Pier and Bulkhead Final Solution

As the marine engineer, I had to design everything from the water out, which included the piers and the bulkhead. The final solution is shown in Figure 5. I decided to design two piers, on 200 feet long and the other 50 feet long, both 20 feet wide. These piers would be supported by pilings made of fiberglass. The piers would be connected to the promenade by 20'x20' ramps. These piers and ramps would be built out of Trex Deck, which is a green material used for building decks and piers. Instead of building a timber bulkhead like the original one that had failed, I decided to create a bulkhead built solely out of rock. This would be much sturdier, use natural materials, and still be very aesthetically pleasing. The bulkhead would be situated 1' in from the water line, right underneath the ramps. 

Discrepancies

Figure 6- Original Solution

Figure 7- Final Solution

Originally, I had planned on building the piers with joists that ran vertical and leaving the piers freestanding on the pilings with no extra support. An example of this solution is shown in Figure 6. This however, was not a viable solution. There was not enough support for the piers with structure I originally designed, so I came up with another solution. 

I decided to add cross beam supports to the pilings to reinforce the structure of the piers, as seen in Figure 7. This way, the pilings would not give way to the weight on the piers. I also switched the joists from vertical to horizontal, each now 20 ft long. This provides a more stable base for the piers.

Design Flaws

The bulkhead in the design reaches about a foot in from the water line. This leaves very little room for any beach area with the way the plant life is designed to fit in. For many visitors this can be disconcerting. People like having some beach area. However, with the heavy erosion of the land and the necessary positioning of the bulkhead, any other solution is out of the picture. If the construction were to be completed, there would be  very little to no beach room. There may be opposition to this, but there was really no other way to work the bulkhead into the solution without it taking away most of the beach area.

Design Problems

The support structure of the piers, even after remodeling, is still spotty. This of course is one of the most important aspects of the marine engineer's role. The beams connecting the pilings and the horizontal joists help, but don't fully support the piers as well as it should be supported. The piers need further support from the base structure to be able to carry sufficient amounts of weight while staying strong against ocean currents. I should have looked further into the latest support structures in engineering, so I could have updated the piers to be a sturdy as possible and be able to really create the most secure structure possible in the time allotted.

Suggestions

To improve the design, I would suggest that the next person does not start their brainstorming until after they talk to three or more people on support structures for piers. This would help develop better alternatives and help to compare more modern structural systems as opposed to steadfast techniques for pier construction. Rely heavily on the chosen materials and be sure these materials are strong and reliable enough by getting in contact in with the company- this will really help support any decisions the next person makes involving material selection.

Successes

I do think I succeeded in many parts of this project. I did a large amount of research prior to beginning my brainstorming on green materials for the piers. This project required an extra amount of applied knowledge to marine engineering that included the use of these green materials, and I think I did a good job of applying this knowledge that I had obtained. 

I also worked very hard on the AutoCAD drawings. It took a very long time to construct the piers at exactly the right dimensions. I put a good amount of time into these drawings and making sure everything was accurate, right down to the length of the pilings in relation to the water depth at high tide. These drawings came out, with the correct material textures, and the correct dimensions all around, through all the hard work and long hours I put into them. I think they are an accurate depiction of the successes I had involving the design and work put into the project.

Setbacks

Coming into school in September, I did not have all my alternate solutions finished. I did not feel fully backed by my research yet to draw up any alternate solutions by that time. That set me back a bit in the brainstorming process, but I caught up quickly by dedicating plenty of time to the project. If I had no research done, I would not have been able to draw up any solutions in time. This just proves how vital the summer research is, without it I wouldn't have been able to make my deadlines.

Halfway through the year, I had accidentally deleted my entire AutoCAD drawing. At first, I had panicked because I had no idea how I was going to redo the entire drawing by the time our final models were due. I had contemplated just using old pictures and explaining that my drawing had been deleted, but I realized that with any changes I might need to make in the future, I would need a drawing to add to. So instead of giving up, I spent every class working on making my second drawing even better than the first. In about two weeks, I had a fully working AutoCAD model that was even better than before. 

Lessons Learned from Setbacks

Through all my setbacks, I learned some very important lessons. Having to catch up from the start with my alternate solutions taught me to keep up on my assignments. I never missed another deadline since I missed that first deadline. It also taught me the importance of research, and how knowing your project can give you the extra push you need to get your assignments done on time. Having my drawing deleted taught me to save to multiple different places. This is so important so that you don't get faced with having to restart a project you spent a long time working on.

Additional Learning

Outside the scope of the project, I learned a lot about how to contact officials and companies. Before this project I never really had a need to contact anyone in a formal manner, and this is a good experience for future reference. By having to contact people from different companies and mentors throughout the entire timeline of the project, I received plenty of experience to navigate my way through future projects that aren't just hypothetical.

Improvements

Problem Solving Skills

Throughout the project, I had to present my progress to my teachers in a formal discussion. They would often have insight into the project that I had not previously seen, and each time they presented new problems that needed to be solved to perfect the solution. It got frustrating at times, such as when it was pointed out how my original final solution was not viable due to its lack in support structure. But through patience and research, I was able to overcome the frustration and solve the problem with hard work. This project taught me how to solve problems on a long term basis, and think to the future when making decisions on how to solve the problems at hand.

Communication Skills Through Drawing

Our entire Green Pier project is hypothetical, so the project is based solely on the drawings we developed. Throughout the year, we had to develop our ideas from brainstorming, to alternate solutions, to improved solutions, to final solutions, while making sure they integrated well with the other parts of the project. The drawings needed to be as accurate as possible, because that was the only way to visualize the project. We were able to make all our pieces of the project come together by drawing accurate and proportionate designs and using them to communicate with one another.

Communication Skills Through Speaking

The presentations we had to make really helped me improve my formal speaking skills. I often get very nervous before presentations, and tend to show this by saying "um" or taking long pauses. Through these presentations, I learned how to calm my nerves enough to make a good presentation and avoid those long pauses and mind blanks. I have greatly improved these formal presentation skills, which will make me much more confident and able to make strong, powerful presentations in the future.

Communication Skills Through Writing

Throughout the project we had to constantly update the blogs with logs on our progress. I had never logged my progress on a long term project before, and it proved to be indispensable when continuing the project on later dates. I was able to constantly see what was finished and when, and I could quickly update others on my progress through these logs. We also had to write papers on different aspects of the project, and these papers were strictly factual. The papers taught me how to write factually, without using the passive voice or terms such as "there are/were/was/is." This will greatly help me in college and future jobs when I have to write factual papers.


Organizational Skills
This project helped me with time management more than I can express. I am a procrastinator by nature, and tend to do things last minute. Procrastination is not possible with this kind of project. After having to catch up the first time with my alternate solutions, I never procrastinated on this project again. I learned my lesson early on, and kept myself very organized to keep from falling behind. This included keeping a calendar of due dates, logs on my progress, and a planner scheduled with times to work on upcoming portions of the project. This kind of organization is vital to stay on top of things in this kind of long term project, and it really taught me how to avoid procrastination.


Conclusion
Throughout the Green Pier Project, I learned how to manage my time to produce the best results. I got rid of my procrastinating ways and learned how to get my assignments done early, if not on time. The constant update on the logs kept me updated on my work schedule, and the papers we had to write greatly improved my factual writing skills. My formal presentation skills have improved and I've lost a lot of my nerves, which makes a much better presentation. I honed in on my AutoCAD skills and learned how to design some really great drawings, and I learned the importance of accuracy. I also learned that anything is attainable through hard work and patience, and to save all my files in multiple locations.


The most important aspect of this project was learning how to cope with frustration. Frustration can really get the best of you in a long term project like this, especially if you make a big mistake. I dealt with missing a deadline, deleting my most important file, and having to redo my entire support structure. I learned how to counter my frustration with patience and working hard to complete my own mistakes. Instead of being my own worst enemy, I worked through my shortcomings and proceeded to finish the project on time and was met with success.