Solar Decathlon 10 Year Anniversary | Where are they now….
Meet the Decathletes of the 2011 Solar Decathlon as we Celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the CCNY Solar RoofPod!
Learn more about the CCNY Solar RoofPod here.
The featured Decathletes were asked three questions:
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
Samuel Mikhail, B.Arch 12
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
Solar Decathlon was a catalyst. Looking back now, It was my 1st Revit Project that I took beyond the design process. One can say that this may have been the cornerstone of my digital practice career niche. I remember huddling around my desk teaching my colleagues Revit. I never thought that one day I would be teaching as a professor one day, or teaching professionals how to use the software and creating workflows that would impact hundreds of architects and projects in the industry. I have learned a lot about group dynamics during the Decathlon. I also remember speaking at many public events. It boosted my confidence when sitting in front of principals and owners years down the line as I explained how to make their business more profitable.
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
I am an adjunct professor at the NY School of Interior Design since 2013. I founded 4iD in April of 2016 and I am a current Managing Director. As a digital practice consulting firm, we help our clients utilize the right tools, project augmentation, develop workflows, and train staff to yield the most efficient documentation and coordination processes. Our clients are Architects, Structural Engineers, Interior Designers, Landscape Architects, and Owners/Organizations. We are currently working on BIM for Facility Management for Sierra Nevada Medical Center, D.C. St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Newark Airport Concessions, Flushing Point Plaza Mixed used Towers and multiple Multi-Family buildings that range from affordable housing to high-end residential projects.
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
My favorite memory includes fighting with Professor Volkmann about the installation of the floor and roof structure. I modeled them and created the shop drawings, and he wanted to switch the installation order. He is always right, I must say, except this time. I was so proud that I was right, and I refused to give in. Later that day, we went out to eat as if nothing ever happened. That is the day I realized that our bond as decathletes was beyond classmates and professor/student. We understood each other, recognized when we were acting out of stress and frustration, and knew when to step back. I realized that none of us were ever mad at each other for more than a day.
Farah Ahmad, B. Arch 12
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
I entered the job market in 2012 with the sustainable design and renewable energy aspects fresh in mind. Therefore, I actively pursued positions that would allow me to exercise this background. I found my niche in sustainable design technical standards and project review, jump-started by my interest in energy engineering from the Decathlon. I also gained alot of journalism and outreach experience from the Decathlon, since leading the Public Relations efforts for Team New York. I have continued green building journalism for the last ten years, actively writing about the impact of building emissions on the global climate crisis, as well as environmental advocacy and the role of architects.
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
I am a Sustainable Design Architect with the NYC School Construction Authority, enforcing our green building standards for NYC public schools. This includes review of compliance with LEED standards, energy code and NYC stringent green building local laws. I also assist in development of technical standards, which translates to manufacturer outreach, product research and an awareness of industry trends. I also consult project teams for compliance with these sustainability requirements.
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
I enjoyed our several trips to Washington DC and Florida, which entailed presenting at a national building tradeshow and prepping for the competition. Looking back, it was incredible experience to present ourselves as students to industry building experts and gain the confidence and knowledge to ‘sell’ our project. Meeting the hundreds of visitors to the RoofPod in DC was also rewarding because we were able to sense the impact of public education on sustainable architecture and engineering. We also understood how much interest there is from homeowners to grasp these technical concepts in order to carry it into their own homes!
George Fahim, B.Arch 2012
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
As a CCNY student, participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon gave me construction experience. This experience was a career-changing path for me. It was essential to see designs transformed into real-life, hands-on construction.
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
I'm in Construction Administration, and serve as a consultant to The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA). We scope, design, and see Construction to the closeout phase. I currently work on the rehabilitation of schools and the restoration of the existing architecture of the building. Most schools are built during the 1920's, so there are always a can of worms and problems to solve.
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
My fondest memory was building bonds with all my colleagues. It just was not the same as simply being in the same class together. There is something about putting something together and creating a structure that binds us. We became a family. It truly sculpted our futures, including our careers as architects.
Mary Doumas, B. Arch 2012
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
My participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon was an invaluable experience during the very formative years of my career. It provided a foundation for a better understanding of the role and production of building documentation and the construction process. It also influenced me to have a greater interest in sustainability, leading me to become a LEED BD+C professional.
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
I'm a Project Architect at Perkins Eastman working on Higher Education Projects.
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
My favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod is welding the guardrails and posts for the canopies.
Yelisa Rivas, B. Arch 2012
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
As a CCNY student, participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon gave me a sense of how a project works in reality and how important details are. It drove me even more to be an architect because an architect does much more than design and draw. An architect also has to consider sustainability, the environment, people's comfort, and general knowledge of mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structure to make a building work as a whole. Of course, you learn this later on as you work many years in a firm, but we were able to get a sense of that in CCNY with the Solar RoofPod project.
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
I am an Intermediate Architect currently working on the 50 Hudson Yard project.
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
My favorite memory was seeing the Solar RoofPod built in Washington DC. We watched as other people enjoyed it while walking through the RoofPod and not knowing all the labor, presentation, tears, and sweat that we all (the team) put into it. It was nice to step back and see we finally made it, and it was very beautiful how everything worked together seamlessly.
Billy Schaefer, B.Arch 2012
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
I think the Decathlon broadened my understanding of what architects do, and how it’s not necessarily one easily defined job, but rather a wide range of skills that we can gravitate towards. It was great to see different personalities really excel in specific areas, ranging from construction details to team coordination. Getting our hands on a real project with real responsibilities at that stage of our education was a pivotal experience for many of us, and it’s easy to draw a direct line from what we were doing then to what many of us are doing now.
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
I’m now a fully licensed architect, currently working on an extensive rehabilitation and expansion of an existing public housing project here in Austin TX. The site itself has a complex social history and physical geography, and I’ve been spearheading coordination with landscape architects and civil engineers. The site is 7 acres with a 50ft change in elevation, so building anything is an inherent challenge, but through early coordination we have developed an ambitious site plan that incorporates elements of sustainability and accessibility into the heart of the project.
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
All the time spent outside! People asked where I went on vacation and I told them I’d just been up on the roof of Marshak every day for a couple of months. Seeing one team member get his shorts caught in a drill, and then trying to get himself out, only making it worse – Straight out of a Buster Keaton movie, if you were there you know what I’m talking about!
Relbin Abraham, B.Arch 13
1) How did participation in the U.S. DOE Solar Decathlon as a CCNY student influence your career choices?
The design, construction and operation of the Solar RoofPod was a small-scale yet very real taste of NYC construction. Every aspect of it: the deadlines, the budget, the teamwork, division of labor, etc. were all early insights into the construction industry. Although I studied architecture, I chose to pursue construction management full time post graduation. I also received a Master’s in Construction Management from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. I have held various positions during my career at my company – engineering, superintending, change order management, and now procurement.
2) What is your current role/ what projects are you currently working on?
I work as a Procurement Agent for Turner Construction Company, an international construction management firm. My role is to award contracts to subcontractors in a competitive bidding environment. Recent projects include a LaGuardia Airport terminal, the new downtown “Googleplex” and a 10 story Animal Medical Center major renovation.
3) What is your favorite memory of working on the Solar RoofPod?
All construction has a purpose – a hospital to heal, an airport to send off and welcome, and a school to educate. After the deadlines have been met, the budget has been settled, and the certificate of occupancy has been issued, all buildings serve their purpose. I frequently recall my favorite competition in the Decathalon – to utilize the RoofPod to host a dinner party. We cooked a meal in the Roofpod and hosted fellow competitors from another team. The Roofpod, for that evening at least, became a home.