A group of architecture students at SUNY Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning experienced a dramatic setback this week when their ambitious concrete casting project collapsed during construction, but their quick response and teamwork saved the day. The incident occurred in the university's 7,000-square-foot Fabrication Workshop, where students in the Structures III course were working on their "Tensioned Sheet" project.
Student Team Group 04 was attempting an innovative approach to concrete casting using a burlap form system. Their technique involved hoisting the fabric form upright from a ring structure as the concrete began to set. However, disaster struck when the form suddenly detached from its supporting framework, threatening to destroy weeks of work and planning.
"Sometimes projects don't go as planned, but with a little teamwork big things can happen," the Fabrication Workshop reported. The eight-member student team immediately sprang into action, working together to quickly reattach the fabric form to the frame before the concrete could fully set and become unusable. "The team worked together quickly to reattach the fabric form to the frame, before the concrete could set," workshop officials noted.
The rescue operation proved successful, with the workshop confirming that "the final photo is it pulled back into shape!" The project, which investigates how structural members can serve as design elements themselves, represents the type of hands-on learning that characterizes the Structures III course. Students work in teams to build their projects in the Fabrication Workshop, combining theoretical knowledge with practical construction skills.
The eight students who comprised Team Group 04 included Emily Bombardier, Madison Stafford, Alli Presutti, Irfanul Chowdhury, Ryan Allgaier, Juliet Luers, Dom Peracciny, and Jessica Renn. Their collaborative response to the crisis exemplified the teamwork skills that are essential in both academic and professional architectural practice.
Looking ahead, the team plans to complete their project this week with additional concrete coats that will solidify the form further. Once these finishing layers are applied, the structure will be released to stand independently. The Fabrication Workshop indicated that once the project is complete, they will share images of the finished piece alongside other full-scale concrete tests from the course, providing a comprehensive view of student work in structural design and construction techniques.
