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Capstone Design Fall 2016


EPA Design Competition Candidate Project


Project Sponsor: Partnership with UT Facilities Services and Department of Landscape Architecture
Team Members: Ben Totty (lead), Josh Barnette, Emma Bowling, Andrew Cheatwood

The EPA Rainworks Design Competition is a national event that seeks student participation in development of sustainable practices on their university and college campuses. This year’s UT team is a collaboration between Civil Engineering and Landscape Architecture students, seeking to provide recommendations for improved stormwater management on the UT Agricultural Campus.

The team has integrated existing UT Stormwater Master Plan concepts into a proposed retention pond with recirculation to provide graywater to surrounding campus buildings. In order for the project to be feasible, the team designed a parking garage to accommodate the displaced parking due to the new pond.


Project Sponsor: Partnership with City of Athens and Department of Biosystems
Team Members: Ashleigh Kirby (lead), Clint Lynch, Zach Goodwin, Hongwei Qin

The Oostanaula Dam in Athens, Tennessee is an aging gravity dam with extreme sediment buildup. The student design team was approached by the city to develop concepts for modification of the dam to not only address the sediment issue, but to provide a solution to minimize such an impact in the future, improve water quality downstream of the dam, provide options for fish passage across the dam, and develop a reservoir for emergency reserve water for the city’s municipal water. This highly complex project allowed seniors an opportunity to discuss a few alternatives with stakeholders and develop a single solution to accommodate multiple objectives.


Project Sponsor: Partnership with City of Maryville
Team Members: Alan Jolly (lead), Blake Cobb, Donnie Davidson, Harrison Hilt, Travelle Pointer

The City of Maryville has a vast network of sidewalks and greenways, with constant effort to further improve the multi-modal transportation infrastructure. The design team isolated a specific area within the city to provide a comprehensive study to ensure “urban connectivity.”

While the infrastructure exists, there are some locations within the city where sidewalks are not linked; these tend to occur at roadway intersections. The team seeks to identify locations where pedestrians and cyclists are hindered by motor vehicle traffic and provide solutions that improve safety and accessibility for individuals seeking to use these sidewalks and greenways as a means to navigate the urban center of Maryville. The team’s efforts include intersection improvements and the revitalization of an abandoned railroad trestle to be incorporated into the greenway system.


Project Sponsor: Partnership with school PTSA, City of Oak Ridge
Team Members: Patrick Spining (lead), Skylar Baker, Austin Barker, Nathan Birsch, Thomas Lombard

Robertsville Middle School is an active site that accommodates many after-school events. The school’s recreational field is popular for activities hosted by both the school and the surrounding neighborhood. While the families have enjoyed the space, the location of the field in a floodplain has impacted its usefulness over the past years.

This design team was approached by the Robertsville PTSA to seek solutions to improve conditions of the recreational space, minimizing the impacts of flooding, providing improvements to the athletic fields, and considering function of the space through addition of amenities. The team has proposed long term improvements to the recreational space, including a restroom/concession stand and has provided brief guidance on funding opportunities that may be available to aid in the development of the site.