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Bernadette Rooney
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Class of 2018
  • Fresh Meadows, NY

Bernadette Rooney on Team that Won Sustainable Design Competition

2017 Oct 19

Bernadette Rooney was one of several Hofstra engineering students who proved that one person's trash is another person's treasure as part of a team that won a New York City sustainable design contest. The students, recruited by engineering Professor Edward Segal, used dried clay and melted aluminum to build a pavilion on Governor's Island.

Their project, called Cast & Place, took first place in the 7th Annual City of Dreams Pavilion competition that encourages sustainable design by challenging architects, designers, and engineers to envision and create architecture out of materials that will have as little impact on the environment as possible.

The proposal called for creating architectural panels by pouring wet clay into shallow wooden trays and letting it dry. The dried clay forms a network of cracks which is transferred into a metal tray and melted aluminum is poured into the mold. When the aluminum cools and hardens, the clay is washed away to create a strong yet delicate lattice of aluminum which is used to create the walls and roof of the pavilion.

Cast & Place was among more than 100 submissions in this year's competition, which was sponsored by FIGMENT, a free arts event, the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee, and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY).

"By participating in the project, students were able to contribute to a locally built structure," said Segal. "The experience of seeing something tangible that you have worked hard on, and having the opportunity to share that with friends and family is very rewarding."

The design project was the brainchild of Josh Draper from PrePost, Lisa Ramsburg, Powell Draper, and Alexandra Cheng from schlaich bergermann partner, Professor Segal, Max Dowd from Grimshaw Architects, Artist Scot W. Thompson, and Bruce Lindsay, Sculptor. The group dubbed themselves Team Aesop.

The project "was selected both because of its innovative construction methods and because of its efficiency and sustainability," said David Koren, executive producer of Figment Projects. "The jury was very persuaded by the story of the project, the credibility of the team, the sustainability of the project, and the design impact of the proposed design."

Team Aesop raised $30,000 to complete the project. Once the exhibition is over, the architectural panels they build will be recycled into benches and stools for supporters of the project and will also be placed in community gardens and schools in New York City.