What

Building the Next Engineers was a US pilot of the Next Generation Design design-build workshop projects, an exciting new New York-based learning activity to introduce young people to engineering and architecture through hands on designing and building of a real-life structure. The activity was split into three parts:

• Workshop (2 days) – High school students working in teams to develop concept design for a pavilion, and learn about engineering and architecture
• Design and procurement (5 months) – A design team of young professionals develop the winning concept design from the workshop into a construction-ready kit-of-parts.
• Construction (1 day) – Volunteer team construct the designed pavilion on site on the Hofstra campus!

The free workshops took place over two full days of a weekend from approximately 09:30am to 5pm at Hofstra University. The workshops were a mix of short talks from young professionals about architecture and engineering, and design workshop sessions where participants could put what they have learnt into action to design the pavilion that was later built on the Hofstra campus in October.

Participating students worked in teams of 3-4 to design the pavilion with a given set of model making and drawing materials. Each team worked with a university student and a young professional to create concept sketches and maquettes, showing fundamental engineering views of the pavilion and explaining how it could be built! During the afternoon of the second day of the workshop each team presented their design to a panel of friendly architects and engineers from academia and industry.

The winning student team members’ design was then developed by a design team of young professionals for construction in October.

When

Concept Design Workshops!
Saturday April 30, 2022+Sunday May 01, 2022

Construction
October 8, 2022

Deconstruction
November 2022

Where

Who

We are looking for participants for the workshops! To join the free concept design workshops students should be:

• Interested in learning more about engineering, and the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) industry in general
• In grades 9-11 in a school in the Hempstead area/Nassau County/Suffolk County
• Committed to spending a weekend doing a new and fun free workshop!

If you are a teacher interested in signing up your students, or otherwise would like to hear more about the project, please contact edward.m.segal@hofstra.edu or dan@scalerule.org

Why

The workshops are a fantastic opportunity for interested student participants to:

• to develop an understanding of what architects and engineers do
• to consider new careers and career paths
• to gain experiences for job and college applications
• to have a fun and creative weekend!

The workshops also provide an excellent opportunity for the organizing young professionals and college students to:

• teach others about the fundamentals of their studies and careers
• develop hands-on teaching, designing and construction skills
• meet other like-minded designers
• help the built environment industry become more representative

Team

The Building the Next Engineers project was organized by Professor Edward Segal (Segal Structures Group, Hofstra University), and Dan Bergsagel (Director and co-founder of Scale Rule).

The concept design workshops, design process and construction/deconstruction is led by a six-person interdisciplinary core team of young professional architects and engineers: Xaever Mand, Lola Sheppard, Ryan Barnette, Justine Verhaeren, Matt Carsello, and Jeffrey Moser.

This core team is supported by the students of the Hofstra University ASCE Student Chapter, and many other willing helpers from industry and beyond.

Building the Next Engineers is an adaptation of the Next Generation Design design-build workshops that Scale Rule have successfully organized and executed in the United Kingdom since 2015.

Support

Building the Next Engineers is only possible thanks to the financial support of the SEI Futures fund.

Additional time and logistical support has been provided by the excellent facilities and administration staff at Hofstra University, and the New York City offices of Schlaich Bergermann Partner and Grimshaw Architects.