CyTech tower being shaken by the final and largest earthquake. It danced but didn't fall down. Unfortunately 5 of the floor dead loads could move by 1/2 inch after the shaking, and the structure was technically deemed collapsed since 50% or more of the 9 floor dead loads were considered unsecured. Had one less weight been loose, the team would have placed near the top of the final ranking due to their high annual income and the accuracy of their predicted vs. actual displacement and acceleration.

CyTech tower being shaken by the second, larger earthquake. A few columns are heard cracking, and only one weight is able to be moved by 1/2 inch and therefore considered failed.

CyTech tower being shaken by the first earthquake on April 7, 2016. The tower survives with no problem for this small quake.

The team impressed the judges with a great presentation and answered questions from special guest judge Ashraf Habibullah, creator of the SAP2000 structural analysis software which most teams used for design and predicting the response of their structures. We would like to thank Marshall Lew, Vice President of Amec Foster Wheeler in Los Angeles, for being the winning bidder on CyTech Tower in the silent auction. The bidder who purchases the structure that places 1st in the competition receives a payout of twice their bid, while 2nd place gets 1.5x and third gets 1.25x. Go Cyclones!

The team took a well-deserved break for a few hours to see San Francisco. We saw the cable car turntable, strolled down the iconic Market street to Ferry Building Marketplace, saw the Oakland bay bridge, and rode a historic trolley car to Pier 39. The team took a moment to relax and ponder their existence and the task ahead of them while watching the famous sea lions of Pier 39.

Photos: 1. The team in front of the cable car turntable on 5th and Powell.

2. Oakland bay bridge and Yerba Buena Island.

3. Sea lions of Pier 39.

The structure arrived undamaged and the team got the poster and university logos for the top floor printed out just in time. Preliminary judging began at 11 AM. The judges strictly enforced all requirements in the 39-page rule book.

There were many beautiful structures and posters from some really talented teams, and we're all eager to see how they stand up to earthquake shaking! Our team was careful to ensure that the structure was under the weight limit of 6.5 lbs and fit within the 15x15 inch template, so we were cleared to advance to the next round. In one photo below, a judge checks that the footprint is no closer than 2" from the edge of the base plate. We were docked a few points for some perimeter beams not being labeled with black dots to signify the extent of the rentable area on each of the 28 floors, and we mistakenly believed the ISU logos were supposed to be 6x2 inches rather than the correct 6"x1.5". Lesson for next time: create a checklist of all the criteria as we read through the rule book.

Tomorrow the team will make their Powerpoint presentation to the judges, then shaking finally starts on Thursday!

Photos:

1. The poster and finishing touches

2. Judge weighing-in and measuring CyTech tower

3. Just a few of the many excellent structures from universities around the world

Shaking the test structure to failure on March 31, 2016. The structure was initially shaken to a damaged state before this video. The team took photos and examined the failure modes so they can make improvements. The second version will be shaken at the competition starting in a few days!

The photo below shows a complete fracture through one of the shear walls as well as some connection and column failures.

The structure in its infancy. Just two sides up but as you can see, we were proud! :) 

Pictured from left to right: Ben Wiggins, Jacob Eull

Pictured below is an image of one of the tests we ran to test how strong the glue would hold the joints together. Of course, once we found our favorite glue, we became very "attached" to it. 

Additionally, there's Jacob Eull running a flexure test on the balsa wood.

Go science! 

Shown below are the numerical model of CyTech Tower in SAP2000 and the predicted seismic response spectra using three different earthquake ground motions (G.M.), along with the ASCE 7-10 design spectrum.

Shown below are a rendering of CyTech Tower, and the San Francisco skyline with CyTech Tower positioned at the left.

Pictured from left: "Kelvin" Kai Hin Chu, Chao Zhou, "Jason" Xu Yan, Jacob Eull (Team Captain), Phuong Vo, Jacob Verry, and Dr. Jeramy Ashlock (EERI Faculty Advisor).

I am a senior majoring in Civil Engineering at Iowa State University. Born and raised in the most populous city in Central China, Wuhan, I have witnessed a lot of construction of buildings in the fast growing city. This aroused my interest and made me seek a degree in civil engineering. After graduation, I plan to pursue a master’s degree with specialization in structural engineering. I am one of the team members of the EERI undergraduate seismic design team at Iowa State. During my free time, I enjoy watching movies; I also recently began learning to play tennis.

Fun Fact: I hate worms.

Hi, my name is Phuong Vo, and I am a sophomore in Civil Engineering. I'm also trying to obtain an Economics minor and in my free time, I like to play the piano, oil paint, and hang out with friends. I've worked as an intern at Terracon. 

I am a senior majoring in applied economics and pursuing minors in mathematics and psychology. Upon completion of the bachelor's degree I plan to go to graduate school to further my studies in economics and math. Although I am not majoring in civil engineering, I do have strong interests in it. This semester I joined the EERI undergraduate seismic design team at Iowa State. I enjoy working with the fantastic team! I am currently the academic chair of Linden Devitt House Cabinet for academic year 2015-2016. I like playing the piano in my spare time; it makes me think.

Fun Fact: I enjoy playing piano and solitude

I am a junior student majoring in Environmental Science. After completion of my bachelor's degree, I plan to work in the field of tackling environmental pollution. Although I am not majoring in Civil Engineering, I am very interested in it, especially building structures. I am glad to be part of the team to represent Iowa State University to compete with other top universities in the seismic design competition. I am a sporty person, during my leisure time, I like to participate in volleyball, rowing and distance running.

I am a sophomore at Iowa State majoring in civil engineering. I am very interested in the structural aspect of civil, and I hope to be able to work with structures post-graduation. As part of the undergraduate seismic design team at Iowa State, I help in the construction of the structure. I am also a member of both the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Steel Bridge team. In my free time I like to attend Iowa State sporting events as well as participate in intramural flag football and basketball.

I am a junior at Iowa State majoring in Civil Engineering. After completion of my bachelors degree, I plan to continue my education at Iowa State and obtain a masters of science in structural engineering. I am the team captain of the undergraduate seismic design team at Iowa State. I was an executive member in my fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, last year. I currently am also on the academic committee of the Iowa State blood drive. When I am not participating in clubs or doing school work I like to do anything active. I participate in many intramural sports here at Iowa State, including softball, flag football, and basketball.

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We're proud to present the completion of our 1st structure! It took about 2 months to finish but hopefully the next one will take less time. 

Nice job everyone! 

Pictured from left to right: Kelvin, Hau, Jacob E, Jacob V, and Phuong 

Not pictured:Jason