Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools

Bright and early on a recent Thursday morning, the students in Mrs. Amy Smith’s Architecture & Construction Management program filed into Knowlton Hall on The Ohio State University campus. With them came weeks, if not months, worth of work stored on rolls of architecture planning paper. It was time to present their senior projects. An audience of friends, family, mentors, and professionals from the architecture and construction fields nearing 100 people gathered to evaluate the pinnacle of these students’ Eastland-Fairfield experience.

The projects full of plans, sketches, notes, data, and background information adorned the temporary walls constructed in the lobby area of the hall. Students practiced their presentations, paced nervously, or spoke with their mentors and other professionals who were on hand to give live feedback.

We took the opportunity to talk to students during the open gallery session prior to the presentations beginning and found that not only were their projects simply amazing, but the stories and inspiration behind their projects were incredibly inspiring. 

PHOTO GALLERY

Allow us to introduce you to a few students and their projects that moved us.

Mitchell Cook (Gahanna Lincoln)

Mitchell, a senior from Gahanna Lincoln High School, wanted to make an impact on a community with his project. He went straight to researching, seeking a sports complex that had the landscape to make adding a community center possible. He found just the place in Westfield, Indiana, where a pre-existing property already had an elite, all-purpose athletic facilities on the grounds. He recognized that these athletic facilities bring many visitors into the area, but what about the Westfield community? So, Mitchell wanted to provide more.

Mitchell’s design planned for the addition of a futuristic rec center that carried a metro park feel. The recreation center would connect multiple structures, each with unique offerings to community members for runners, swimmers, and even special indoor event rental space. Indoor and outdoor amenities would be offered so that residents can enjoy all areas of the facility. Its sleek design provided a great aesthetic appeal in addition to the resources for healthy and happy living.

Tyler Broshar (Gahanna Lincoln)

Before Tyler began his presentation, he shared that he will not pursue a career in architecture, but he really enjoyed the class. This made us even more curious as we reviewed his plans for personal tailgate trailers. He told us that his project took the form of a business plan, but he used all that he learned in the architecture program to design and build something that people can rent, use, and return. 

As we stood directly across the street from Ohio Stadium, the home of Ohio State Football, and in the heart of what transforms into the biggest tailgate spot on college football Saturdays. Tyler shared his designs for a mobile tailgate trailer, fully equipped with TV screens, a projection wall, kitchenette, food prep area, grilling zone, an overhead roof, his and her bathrooms, stove, and a refrigeration unit. Tyler designed three different-sized trailers to accommodate a variety of tailgate needs and sizes, and he included seating for fans, too! Each trailer would be powered by a generator, provided as part of the rental cost. The idea would be to drop off each trailer at a designated location and pick it up after it is done being used.

Tyler shared that he will be going to Ohio University next Fall to major in business finance. We really hope to see these mobile tailgate trailers in tailgate lots around Ohio Stadium, or perhaps Athens, in the future!

Ella Masters (Gahanna Lincoln)

If there had been an award given for the most moving project inspiration, senior Ella Masters would have been at the top. On her presentation board, Ella shared a modest farmhouse that has been in her family for more than 100 years. Ella’s great-grandfather built this home, located in Nashport, Ohio, which became the family homestead for many years. Today, the house is a vacation home for the family that is visited weekly, but perhaps not for long.

Ella shared that her parents are interested in adding onto the house and making it a family home once again. Situated off of Dillon Lake near campgrounds and Dillon State Park, Ella has plans to expand the home by three times its current size in order to accommodate her parents’ needs as well as her sister, who has different learning abilities. The sizable addition will allow her parents to live comfortably - the kitchen of dreams for her mom and a garage that will allow her dad to continue his mechanic practice. Together, they can live while providing support for her sister, who will live independently in the original structure of the home.

“The Great Room” will connect the two structures from the inside, and a brick courtyard will provide both sides with an outdoor rest area that they can use to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. 

Trees are already being cleared to prepare for the implementation of this plan. Ella shared that she’s hopeful soon they can find the right people to turn this dream into a reality. For Ella, this senior project is much more and will impact their family for years to come.

This Fall, Ella will attend the University of Cincinnati to study architecture and plans to attend graduate school in the future.

Rahaf Saleh (New Albany)

One of the most innovative designs among the senior projects came from senior Rahaf Saleh. Rahaf didn’t just design a building or structure; she designed an entire city!

Rahaf said that her inspiration to build “Cyberpunk City” came from a TikTok she watched that featured the unique city of Chongqing in China. For context, Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction set in a futuristic dystopia that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring advanced technological and scientific achievements. Rahaf nailed that look.

She chose to place Cyberpunk City in Ghinda, Eritrea, which borders Sudan, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, Africa. Rahaf is originally from Eritrea and described the country as very low-tech due to the suppressive leadership of its current dictator. She wanted to change the layout and outside perception of Eritrea, and she wanted her project to be different from her peers. Again, she nailed it.

In Cyberpunk City, everything is built vertically. The city is compact, but each structure has different sections that serve a purpose. For instance, one stack of buildings may provide a grocery, library, laundromat, café, and other amenities that would make residents not need to go too far beyond that stack. Rahaf described it as “a small city within a building”. 

Rahaf also added an element of transportation to Cyberpunk City with a lofted train running through the city for easy transportation in, out, and through the area. It would be perfect to connect the two major cities located on either side of Ghinda. 

This Fall, Rahaf will study mechanical engineering at The Ohio State University.

Congratulations to all our Architecture & Construction Management seniors on such a successful day! Thank you to our wonderful business partners and mentors for participating in this year’s senior project presentations, and to Ohio State University for allowing the Architecture & Construction Management program space to host its event.