Q5.5: What are the correlation boundaries between the real building model with the balsa wood model? Does the balsa wood model have to be exactly the same with the real building model or there can be certain adjustments because we find the contents of the proposal that we have to identify the soil characteristics and how they affect the structure above. But the shaker of the building will be represented by a flat plank not the real soil condition, isn't it kind of biased or is there something we misunderstood?

Question

Accepted Answer

Answer: For the geotechnical portion of this project, we are asking teams to consider the effects the soil would have on the “real” building with “real” foundations, although the shaking will occur on a fixed base during the competition. Architectural components should also correspond to the “real” building. The structural parts of the project should focus on the balsa wood model itself, but these would likely imitate the structural components of a “real” building.