The LAUREN

The Penn State Architectural Engineering Senior Thesis project is an opportunity for students to showcase their cumulative knowledge derived from five years of education. It extends the duration of an entire year and is split into different focuses during each semester. The primary goal of the fall semester is for the student to become acquainted with their specific building project and learn about the building specifications, project challenges, and potential methods for improvement. The spring semester is where the student has the opportunity display their understanding and complete analyses of these potential improvements to determine their impact on the project. 

For my senior thesis I had the opportunity to study The Lauren, a high-end condominium building in Bethesda, Maryland. Working with the project team, I discovered four main project challenges to analyze. I looked into the use of rakers as a support of excavation  system, analyzed the potential for a facade redesign by switching from a natural granite stone to a precast concrete panel, developed an alternative exhaust method by adding two mechanical shafts in the building interior and researched the impact of collaboration on communication and response time in construction projects. Although this work allowed me to uncover potential project improvements, more importantly, I was able to utilize five years of acquired knowledge and become more secure in my education. The completion of my senior thesis was the final milestone of my degree and I now feel confident and prepared to begin my career in the construction industry.