Salvadori Center partners with local architecture, engineer and construction firms for Design Challenge

Manhattan, NY Volunteers from New York’s leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms partnered with the Salvadori Center, a NYC-based educational non-profit organization, to lead teams of students in an All-Day Student Design Challenge, or Charrette on Friday, June 8th from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Borough of Manhattan Community College, located between Harrison and Chambers Sts. in TriBeCa.

The Design Charrette matched 22 teams of NYC students with STEM professionals to solve a real-world design challenge. Architects and engineers from firms such as WSP, Turner, Structure Tone, LPI, Perkins Eastman, Grimshaw, and 27 volunteer facilitators from Goldman Sachs gave up their time to give back to the community, and to the next generation of NYC STEM leaders. Using only art-straws, adhesive, and cards, teams had four hours to create an efficient tower – a tower to support as much weight as possible, using as little raw material as possible.  

Volunteer experts guided student teams and engaged students in conversation about NYC STEM careers.  The students came from thirteen schools and worked collaboratively with students they had never met.  

Teamwork, critical analysis, vibrant discussion, creative solutions, and frantic construction ensued as students raced to complete the design before time ran out. Salvadori staff tested all designs to failure!

This exciting, active day marked the culmination of the students’ programs of study with the Salvadori Center.  Just like Salvadori’s in-school and after-school programs, students at the Charrette saw the relevance of math and science in their lives.

List of participating companies:

Dattner Architects

di Domenico + Partners

Langan

LPI

Murray Engineering

Perkins + Will

Perkins Eastman

Structure Tone

Sullivan Engineering

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Thornton Tomasetti

Turner Construction Company

WSP

Yale University