As part of a Community 1:1 course, my peers and I were tasked with completing the design and construction phases of a bird watching structure. I specialized in the site development, which focused on site design, site preparation, and stormwater management. Though site design and preliminary site preparation was complete, construction was halted due to COVID-19. This project gave me exposure to project budgeting and scheduling, stormwater management, and collaboration between subsets of the same work-team. 

As the project was funded by the University, we had a very small budget to work with. This led us to work strategically with local equipment vendors and to repurpose existing site elements. For instance, a portion of the existing parking lot was to be removed. Rather than dispose of this material, the intent was to remove it purposefully so that it could be assembled as a rock wall to create a boundary between the parking lot and the bird watching structure. My background in engineering was helpful in the calculations aspect of this, as we were limited only to the pavement that was being removed. By calculating the available pavement (and accounting for possible losses), the site team and I were able to design a double-sided wall with local greenery and a hidden drainage system. Before classes were moved online (and therefore project progression halted at the pre-construction phase), we were able to begin the process of pavement removal, and we were happy to determine that we would be able to accomplish our vision with the given materials.