CIV 425Y Design Project

In the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 academic years, this course was an elective for fourth-year undergraduate students in civil engineering. Beginning in the 2007-2008 academic year, it will be a required course for all fourth-year civil engineering students. The intent is for this course to become a core course for all students. Principles underlying the creation of this course are available. The course is taught in studios of approximately ten students, each of whom works on the same project as an individual effort.

The primary objective of this course is for students to acquire proficiency in creating and validating design concepts for civil engineering works that involve complex design criteria. The course will:

1. Provide students with the foundation of a body of knowledge that can be used as a starting point for design of works within specific areas of civil engineering
2. Give students an opportunity to develop skill in creative thinking
3. Provide opportunities for students to acquire and apply a personal sense of values to the validation of design concepts

The focus of the course is the creative aspects of the design process. Specifically, the refinement of design concepts has not been included as one of the primary objectives of the course. The portion of the curriculum currently devoted to refinement of design concepts is believed to be sufficient, especially since relatively little teaching time is currently spent on the creative aspects of design.

This course is not intended to produce, on its own, fully proficient designers. Design is a practical activity and, as such, learning to design requires an apprenticeship of several years in engineering practice. For this apprenticeship to be effective, however, students must enter practice with a basic set of knowledge, skill, and values that will serve as a framework in which they can continue their professional education during their early years of practice.

Two components

The course consists of the following two primary components:

1. Design project. Students complete a design project of a work of civil engineering.
2. Case study. Students also perform a critical study of a completed work of civil engineering with project requirements similar to those of the design project described in under the previous point. Students complete the case study before they begin work on the design project.

Students require a body of knowledge of completed works to maximize the learning opportunities offered by a design project. Without such knowledge, students will find it difficult and frustrating to get started with their own design concepts. The case study has been included as an integral part of this course because the current curriculum does not provide students with sufficient knowledge in this area.

Providing a case study helps to make the design project a meaningful learning experience for students within a broad range of ability. Students who wish to deviate significantly from the case study in developing design concepts of their own are free to do so, as are those who wish to stay closer to the case study and treat their design project as an exercise in re-design.
By providing an in-depth case study rather than lectures, students are offered an important opportunity for independent learning. Through the case study, they will acquire knowledge with a clear purpose, which is typically the way engineers learn on the job. This way of learning will also help the department to keep the teaching resources required for this part of the course at a reasonable level.

Design Studios

The class is divided into studios of roughly ten students each. Each studio is supervised by one instructor. Members of a given studio complete similar case studies and will complete a design project based on the same set of design criteria. Each studio meets with its instructor on a regular basis (generally once a week) to review the progress of the work.

Face to face interaction between students and instructor has immense pedagogical value. It is a primary component of the process by which students learn design skills by doing actual design work. Fair and insightful criticism, presented in a positive atmosphere, will allow students to regard mistakes as learning opportunities rather than signs of intellectual weakness, as well as giving students pride in their successes.

The studios also allow students to benefit from regular interactions with their classmates. Through this contact, they come to appreciate that a single problem in civil engineering can have many different solutions. In addition, they develop an awareness of the struggles faced by their peers and learn that they are not alone in this regard.

Individual Work

Each student is responsible for completing the case study and the design project on their own.

Individual work ensures that each student has maximum opportunity to benefit from all of the learning opportunities offered by the course. Individual work also allows each student to take real ownership of their project and pride in what they were able to achieve on their own. This is a significant factor in increasing the confidence of our students in their abilities as designers.

Level of Detail

The design project is completed to a level of detail that allows its feasibility to be demonstrated. Detailed design calculations, buildable plans, and detailed cost estimates are generally not required.

In the 2005-06 academic year, the project for the studio I led was to design a new crossing of the St. Lawrence Seaway near Beauharnois, Quebec, south of Montreal.

The project featured long approach spans and a 220 metre long main span.

I taught this course (led a studio of ten students) once, in the 2005-06 academic year.