A couple weeks ago my building science class took a field trip to the Simpson Strong-Tie factory in Riverside, CA. Every semester my building science class takes a field trip either to a house, site, or factory to learn more about architecture and civil engineering. We’ve taken trips to LACMA for an exhibit on California houses, and to the Lorenzo, a nearby apartment complex. This was our first factory trip.
Class picture at Simpson Strong-Tie
Simpson Strong-Tie manufactures structural building products that reinforce buildings to protect against hurricanes, high winds, and large seismic forces. We had discussions in the morning about Simpson products, and got to meet fellow Trojans who currently work for Simpson as engineers. We even got to see tests with Simpson products, to see how they improve building reinforcement. Here’s a video of it!
Simpson product testing:
Building science field trip to Simpson strong-tie #ViterbiClass http://t.co/Kit9HyDYZt
— Natalie Alvarez (@natralvarez) March 8, 2013
After lunch, we had a tour of the factory. Simpson’s on site factory produces all of the Simpson products and prepares them for shipping. It was awesome to watch all the products we use in our design class being made right in front of us!
Simpson factory tour:
Simpson manufacturing tour #ViterbiClass http://t.co/6VVLYp3exC
— Natalie Alvarez (@natralvarez) March 10, 2013
As the semester begins to wrap up, I’m working to finish my building science project, a marketplace in downtown LA featuring local and organic foods. Stay tuned for my blog on the final product!
Until then, Fight On!
