Balsa Wood Tower Senior Project
Zoe Brown, Cem Tinmaz, Mohammed Khan, Nicholas Perry, Juliette Tanios, Sid Guerrero, Adrian Corral, Aidan Melberg, Lucus Fitinghoff, Avinaash Ajit Mangalmurti, Jose Rosas Valdez, Daniela Schiavone
School of Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Zhaoshuo Jiang
This project was completed by a team of senior civil engineering students as part of the required ENGR 697 capstone course. The project involved the design and construction of a five-foot balsa wood tower following the guidelines of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute seismic design competition. The objective was to create a lightweight yet stable structure capable of withstanding simulated seismic activity. The tower was tested using the school’s earthquake shake table to evaluate its performance under dynamic loading, highlighting the importance of structural design, bracing, and material efficiency.