Capstone Design Project BlogBy: Glen Gjoncaj0949306

Entry #1 Group formation and Walk-about of the AreaAfter our first meeting, on September 15th, another group member (Pat Duffin) and I went to visit the area that of the proposed re-development. We drove down Barton St and looked for parking at Bay. There was construction being done at the area, so finding free parking was not too easy. Its hard to tell if thats indicative of the area or, circumstantial due to the construction. The area looked to be mostly residential, along Bay St. We walked down to Stuart St, and from there went up to Queen St and back along Barton. We noticed that the way Stuart St turns after Hess St and merges with Queen is not ideal for our high density residential area. The shape of the road encloses a lot of area that could be utilized for additional homes. We should look into redesigning that part of the area. After walking up Queen St, we checked out the potential neighbourhood area. It mainly consists of a building that looks to be a factory, or some sort of manufacturing facility, along with some trees. We could not enter to view the layout of that area, but the existing infrastructure will have to be demolished. Walking along Barton St, back towards Bay, we saw the most significant building of the area, besides the factory, and it was an old community center. The building exterior looked to be in rough shape, so it would probably have to be demolished as well. A feature of the area that we should look towards preserving is central park, located on Bay St. The park is in good condition, and a good size, amongst a mainly residential area, whose residents could enjoy. It should be noted that Barton has an increasing elevation towards Bay St. Building on BartonCentral Park

Entry #2 Building the Physical ModelOn October 6th, we had a group meeting to discuss the basic layout of our re-development and brainstorm ideas. We discussed the potential of building a hockey rink, football field or athletic center in the commercial area. Other ideas included shopping centers, parks or even a museum. It was kind of difficult to balance all the ideas we had, and also consider the functionality of the area. For example, we found that parking space needed was underestimated initially, so we had re visit our design for the area. The other two, residential areas were a bit easier to decide on, since every group member agreed on the use of normal houses and townhouse units. On October 11th, we got together to build the physical model of the area. Pat had made the base already, with the area laid out, and we just used clay to represent the infrastructure we planned on designing for. It ended up being more of a fun activity, but it was definitely useful in helping us visualize the area and looking at the big picture. Now that weve completed the model, we can see the components of the area how much space is taken up by buildings, roads, green space/parks etc. We now have a basis on what the area would look like overall, and we can compare to different parts of cities that we have seen.

Entry #3 First few (more than few) chaptersWe have completed about half of our chapters so far, at least the first draft. Two of our group members, (Mark and Kevin) are in charge of the structural chapter. Not much excitement yet, but its almost the end of the term so another blog entry is due. The design of the residential areas has proven to be more challenging than expected. We are using sketch up to design the area, which is adding another thing to learn/think about. We will definitely have to revisit the high density and neighbourhood chapters, since I dont think they are fully functional. There would seem to be traffic/accessibility problems if these areas were to actually be built. We also have chosen our 3 elements that well incorporate in the area, and those are: green roofs, porous pavement and a bikeway system. Im starting to enjoy thinking about sustainability considerations as I had to do research and write about green roofs for chapter 3, Resilience to Climate Change, Power Availability Fluctuations etc. for chapter 7. I think Ill also enjoy looking into our 3 element designs in the later chapters.

Entry #4 PosterLaneway HouseTownhouses Interconnected alley/path leading to public areas Mixture of low and medium income housing Existing roads extendedAvg. Home Price: $350,000Public Transit Improvement Amendment to Route 8 will direct busses through the development Route departs Strathcona Ave. at Florence St. and heads north on Locke St. to Barton St. It continues along the proposed Stuart St. extension, turning south at Hess St. to meet with Barton again and continue to Bay St, whereby it reconvenes with its former route.Pedestrian and Cyclist Movement Conversion of Caroline St. to pedestrian-only street Area designed to minimize vehicle requirement Thorough linkage of walkways and cyclist paths throughout development Roadways accommodate cyclists with designated bike paths Signalized pedestrian crossings implemented at intersections along main walkway SoBi Hamilton bike share extensionNeighborhood DesignHigh Density Design consists of multiple basic multi-storey townhouse units with a garden/patio on the roof of every unit, as well as apartment buildings. First floor occupants have a garden/ patio out the back door of their unit Different shapes and sizes of buildings, along with the use of green roofs and parks to make this development functional and aesthetically pleasing.StructuralMobilityRetail LevelSecond FloorFirst FloorRoof LevelLoading Configurations (NBCC 2010)Gravity Loads Dead Loads Live Loads / Snow LoadsLateral Loads Static Seismic Load Wind LoadMember Selection Consideration (CSA S16-09)Ultimate Limit States Shear Resistance Flexural Resistance Local and Global Buckling Lateral Torsional BucklingServiceability Limit States DeflectionSeismic Force Resisting System Braced-Frame StructureSAP2000 AnalysisDesign Goals Economically Viable Efficiently Designed Sustainably Designed Simplified Construction

We just finished our initial poster for the first 8 chapters. It came as a surprise a little during the exam period, but we managed to do an ok job I think. We all compiled information from our chapters (I did the material selection and high density area parts) and then Aaron formatted everything on PowerPoint.

Entry #5 More Work to be DoneSo we got our mark back for the preliminary poster, and it was far from good, or even acceptable. Along with that, an email from Mike, suggesting we should meet with him or Dan, to discuss the poster, and the report so far. At first, this was alarming, but after meeting with Dan, he seemed surprised at how low our poster mark was. He said the poster needs some work, especially on its content one of the comments made was pretty design does not make up for the lack of information. However, he said that mark could have been a higher, and that the marking seemed strict. He gave us advice on our report, which we will definitely consider in the future chapters, and when we edit the first 7.

Entry #6 The struggle continuesOur first structural meeting with Dr. Tait did not go as well as it could have. I recall the phrase Lets stay on it well, get on it, and then stay on it being used by Dr. Tait at the end of the meeting. Up until now I have not looked at any of the structural stuff, but it was suggested that we add more people to our structural team of 2, so either me or Mitch will try and help out more. As of now, Mitch, Dane and myself, are working on the Green element chapters, while the last 2 members are editing the chapters we have already handed in. So with one of us gone to help with the structural design, the remaining two will have to finish the last couple of chapters.

Entry #7 Back on TrackThe element design chapters are done, so green roofs, a bikeway system and permeable pavement have been implemented in the design of the area. Also, the structural chapter has been greatly improved. Mitch joined the structural team and they all did a great job with their final phase submission. Everything is coming along in the project now, and there is basically some final editing left to do. The plan is to meet and work on editing/formatting the report, as well as completing the letter of transmittal and the executive summary this weekend (March 7th 8th).

Entry #8 Final Report and Poster PresentationAfter some long hours in Thode library on Saturday and Sunday (March 7th and 8th), the report is finally done! We worked for a good 9 hours straight on Saturday and another 5 or 6 Sunday. We all met up early Saturday early enough that we had to wait for the library to open and worked on editing the chapters. Some chapters had references that had to be fixed, mainly chapter 2. We also had to revise a lot of chapter 4 and 5. After that, the letter of transmittal and executive summary were written, while the rest of the group went over all chapters and highlighted parts that had to be edited. We were unable to finish going through all 12 chapters on Saturday, so the last 4 chapters were edited Sunday. I also worked on a basic layout for the poster that will hopefully help us with it this week. The end is almost there! Now, we just have to compile our information and get the poster done by Friday basically do the complete opposite than what we did with our original poster submission.

Entry #9 Au revoir Done! This will be the last piece of writing that Ill do for this final year project. Peer evaluation was done this morning (March 17th) in class, and this entry will just summarize the poster presentations last Friday. Our poster was received very well, which was both pleasing and a huge relief for us. After the first poster submission, we were kind of worried about it. Mitch did a great job compiling all the info/figures that we put together from the chapters into an organized, and visually pleasing poster. He decided to use Photoshop, so he could use the ruler measurements and we could gage the size of things that way. On the day of the presentation, Mitch and Dane decided to surprise and treat everyone to some wine and cheese. I dont know if that changed how our poster was perceived, but it definitely got some laughs and made for a fun atmosphere. Our goal is to develop a sustainable community that interacts flawlessly with its surroundings. The harmony of the proposed infrastructure combined with the environmental features of the area will break the barriers to the surrounding communities and create a fully sustainable city.

I would like to use these last sentences to thank everyone who was involved with this project (if someone actually read this far) Dr. Baetz, Dr. El-Dakhakhni, Dr. Tait, and all the T.As involved thank you for giving us a project topic where we could exercise our technical knowledge, as well as our creativity and innovation when it comes to the urban planning aspects of the project. Also, thank you for your help and guidance throughout the year. Happy St. Pats!