Design a retractable awning system for the fourth floor patio of the Engineering Design and Innovation Building.
Sponsored by: College of Engineering Facilities
Team Members
Albert Tong Mitchell Nanney Josh Clapper Steven Guo Aditya Chotai
Instructor: Sean David Knecht
Project Poster
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Project Video
Project Summary
Overview
The Penn State College of Engineering Facilities finished the construction of the Engineering Design & Innovation (EDI) Building in Fall of 2023. The EDI building has an outdoor green space patio, located on the fourth floor that is accessible to the public and provides a valuable space for gatherings. To ensure that the green space remains accessible to the public during most weather events including bright or rainy days, the team is tasked to create a retractable awning system to provide cover.
Objectives
Create a durable, safe, aesthetically pleasing, cost-effective awning system for the EDI building that is motor driven.
Approach
Researched and referenced different awning styles to create an initial idea for the awning system.
Determined the load bearing capabilities of the pole structures available on the EDI building.
Determined the wind load for different wind speeds for the awning system.
Selected material for awning fabric.
Created awning housing and awning system using the selected awning fabric.
Created a wind sensor system as part of the awning control system that automatically retracts the awning to maintain safety standards.
Included WIFI capabilities with the awning control system to make the awning publicly accessible.
Outcomes
Designed an awning system that meets all the objectives for the EDI building’s outdoor green space.