Hurricane Tower Challenge

Worth 100 points- Project Grade

You and your team have been hired as the structural engineers in charge of designing a
new 2-story art building. There are many building codes you must follow. Each floor of
the building must support at least 250 grams of weight. Also, the building will be located
in an area known to be hit by hurricanes; therefore your building must be able to
withstand both strong winds and heavy rain. Since the building will be used for art
classes, you may be as creative as you like with the shape and design of the building (it
does not need to be box shaped).

You are not allowed to use the following materials:

● Legos or any locking bricks

● Prefabricated toys, displays, or replicas

Your building must meet the following requirements:

● The building must fit on a base. The base needs to be wide enough to secure
both the building and 2 blocks for anchoring.
● Your building must be at least 12 inches tall.
● Your building has 2 stories that are each at least 6 inches tall.
● Each story must support the weight of at least 250 grams without collapsing.
● A construction drawing with measurements and analysis must be submitted
before hurricane testing.
● To survive the hurricane test, the building must not collapse for 10 seconds after
the hurricane begins.

Hints and tips:

● PLAN CAREFULLY!
● Remember these words of wisdom: “Measure twice. Cut once.”
 ● Make sure that your foundation is very strong and wide. Foundations are
extremely important during hurricane winds.
● Review your structure before the hurricane test and evaluate if there are any
weak areas.
● Remember to design a way to secure the weights so that they can withstand the
weights AND so you can add additional weights to the top story.

Grading:

All points are equal to an overall grade of 100

25 points Building stands by itself, fits on the base, is secured to the base, is at least
12 inches tall, and has 2 stories that are each at least 6 inches tall.

10 points Building supports 250 grams on the first story.

10 points Building supports 250 grams on the top story.

20 points A clear, detailed construction sketch was completed. Construction

materials should be easily distinguished. All important design features and
all critical measurements should be labeled on the sketch.

20 points A structural analysis of your building was completed. The following

questions should be answered clearly and completely:

· Why did you choose the design of your building? Is the shape of
the building beneficial to withstanding your disaster?

· During construction, how did you test the strength and stability of
your structure?

· During construction, what strategies did you use to strengthen the

weaker areas? Why?

· What are the strongest parts of your building? Why?

· What are the weakest parts of your building? Why?

5 points Building remains standing with CAT 3 winds.

5 points Building remains standing with CAT 5 winds.

5 points Building remains standing with CAT 5 winds and heavy rain.

Deadlines:

Monday 3-8 Blueprints must be submitted by end of class

Tuesday 3-9 Structural Analysis completed and submitted

Friday 3-12 Hurricane Simulation Testing

** The last day for hurricane testing is Friday, March 12 **