Service-Learning Project Examples
- The Jackson Street Mill Bridge Renovation
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Course: 14.733 - Masters Project in Civil Eng Lab
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Instructor:
Susan Faraji -
Partner Description: The Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF) is a non-profit organization that works along with for-profit developers to rehabilitate historic buildings for modern use while maintaining the historic preservation value and meeting local codes. Kara Cicchetti, Project Manager for the 165 Jackson St. mill renovation project in down Lowell, MA initially met with the professor, the S-L faculty dept coordinator and Fred Phillips, then AHF CFO. Subsequently the professor and graduate student went to the work site to inspect the buildings and connecting bridge to be redesigned. Documentation regarding the bridge was provided by AHF. No product was delivered to AHF yet as this is designed as a multi-semester project.
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Project Description: The Jackson Street Mill Bridge was a covered pedestrian timber bow truss bridge spanning the Hamilton Canal between the mill and storehouse buildings on each side of the canal in Lowell, MA. In bad shape structurally, the bridge has been removed and is currently lying on the ground. The plan is to replace the bridge while maintaining its historic appearance. The bridge is required to connect the two buildings at a horizontal angle and a vertical slope, all which add to the design challenge. The graduate student made significant headway on the analysis to prepare for the two follow on courses in the fall 2007 (one undergraduate and one graduate/technical elective) followed by the spring 2008 course in Advanced Structural Design. A model of the bridge has been created for use in these next stages.
