Curriculum
Below is the general schedule that each mentor location will follow this year. Please note that this is subject to change and may vary by mentor location. For current updates throughout the year, please check out the calendar.
FALL SEMESTER
SPRING SEMESTER
2024-2025 Design Challenges
ACE Houston Project Options
ACE Airlines Request for Proposals:
Option 1 – Transformative Terminal
Option 2 – Modern Concourse
Option 3 – Flight Academy
ACE Mentor Program of America &
Construction Industry Round Table
2025 Design + Construction Competition
Airport & Aviation Design Resources
Review these aviation quick facts compiled by our friends (and aviation design specialists!) at Corgan. New to airports and aviation design? This is the best place to start!
Check out our curated playlist of helpful airport design videos on YouTube!
Take a 360 virtual tour of different spaces from two airports: O'Hare International Airport and London Stansted Airport.
Read this article to understand some of the basic operations (and lingo!) used in airports.
Software Links
Here are links to a few software packages you may see throughout our mentor program this year. All of these offer a free license option for students, so start exploring!
Autodesk: Broad range of BIM software that supports the AEC industry, including AutoCad and Revit. Click the logo to apply for a free student account.
Google Earth: Explore the world from above with satellite imagery, 3D terrain, and 3D buildings in hundreds of cities around the world. Click the logo above to go to their site.
Homestyler: Online interior design platform that allows designers to create models and 3-D renderings of interior designs. Click the logo above to use their free version.
Miro: Visual collaboration platform that enables teams to collaborate on projects virtually. Click the logo to create a free account.
Onshape: Computer-aided design and product development software with all the tools needed to develop a product from conception to production. Click the logo above to use their free version.
Planner 5d: An advanced and easy-to-use 2D/3D floor plan design platform. Click the logo above to use their free version.
Sketch-Up: 3-D design software with a simple, yet robust toolset that empowers designers to create models. Click the logo to use their free web-based version.
TwinMotion: Real-time 3D immersion software that produces high-quality images, panoramas and standard or 360° VR videos in seconds. Click the logo above to download their free version.
FALL SEMESTER
Week 1: October 22nd/23rd: Welcome to ACE!
Learning goals:
What to expect from ACE Houston this year
What is the AEC industry and who works in it
Get to know your mentors and other students
Parents/families are invited to join the first session!
Click the link above to watch the recording from the Virtual Team meeting from Week 1: Welcome to ACE!
Week 2: October 29nd/30th: Intro to Construction Documents
Learning goals:
What are construction documents and why are they important?
What information do construction documents include and how are they organized?
What is the difference between a plan view, elevation view, section view, etc.?
What is a scale and why is it important to use with construction documents?
What are the different phases of construction documents and how do they evolve over time?
Click the link above to watch the recording from the Virtual Team meeting from Week 2: Intro to Construction Documents
Week 3: November 5th/6th: Intro to RFPs
Learning goals:
What is an RFP and what does it stand for?
How are RFPs used in the real world?
How do architects, engineers, and contractors get chosen for projects?
What are the ACE Houston project options for this year?
Click the link above to watch the recording from the Virtual Team meeting from Week 3: Intro to RFPs
Week 4: November 12th/13th: an Owner's Perspective
This week, Roxana Mora from United Airlines joined us on both Tuesday and Wednesday evening, so all of our teams could listen in as she spoke about her career path, design priorities of United Airlines, and principles of aviation design to help us with our projects this year. Recordings from both sessions are available for viewing using the links to the right.
Learning goals:
Where do projects come from and how do companies decide what they will build?
What are typical design priorities of owners/clients, and what is important to United?
How do owners choose construction and design teams? How do they work together?
Are there any specific principles of aviation design we should think about?
What should we look out for at our site visit in December?
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH
Teams: City Centre, Galena Park, & Westside
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH
Teams: Downtown, Galleria, Northwest, & Virtual
Week 5: November 19th/20th: Architecture & Programming
Learning goals:
What does the path to becoming an architect look like (education, degree, licensure, etc.)?
What does a “day-in-the-life” of an architect look like?
What are some of the first things architects do when they get started on a new project?
What is programming and bubble diagramming and why are they important?
Click the link above to watch the recording from the Virtual Team meeting from Week 5: Architecture & Programming
Week 6: December 3rd/4th: Intro to engineering
Learning goals:
What different types of engineers work in the AEC industry and what do they do?
What education and licensure requirements are there for various engineers?
What are the different types of roles in typical engineering companies?
What does a "day-in-the-life" of an engineer look like?
How do engineers and architects collaborate?
Click the link above to watch the recording from the Virtual Team meeting from Week 6: Intro to Engineering
RFP Site Visit to IAH: December 7TH
As any architect, contractor, or engineer knows, it's important to see the site of a future project. It can help provide context for design, explain limitations for site logistics, and guide designers towards the perfect project for a community. That's why, on Saturday, December 7th, our students and mentors visited George Bush Intercontinental Airport to tour Terminal B with United Airlines. We learned about the arrivals and departures floors of the existing Terminal B to understand how airports look, feel, and work, as well as walked the construction site for the new Terminal B Processor building with Clark Construction and Page. Thank you to everyone who shared their time, advice, and expertise with our students and mentors!
ACE Houston had a great day, to say the least, and we can't wait to show everyone what we design for our airport projects this year! You can view more pictures from our visit by following this link. To share your photos from the visit with other students and volunteers who couldn't attend, please follow this link to upload them (Google login required) or email them to students@acementorhouston.org.
Week 7: December 10th/11th: Construction Processes
Learning goals:
What education and licensure requirements are there for construction-related careers?
What does a "day-in-the-life" of a construction professional look like?
What is a general contractor and what do they do?
What are the phases of the construction process from preconstruction to closeout?
How does a typical building get built: which components get built first/last and why?
Click the link above to watch the recording from the Virtual Team meeting from Week 7: Intro to Construction Processes
Thanks for a great first semester. We wish you all best of luck on finals and hope you have a relaxing winter break. See you back in January!
2023-2024: Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Project Challenges
2022-2023: Houston Zoo Master Planning Project Challenges
2021-2022: Pavilion Design Challenge
2020-2021: Treehouse Design Challenge
2019-2020: Museum/Visitor Center, Entertainment Venue, or High-Rise Mixed-Use Tower
2018-2019: Playground/Playscape, Urban Transportation, Health Clinic
2017-2018: Flexible Home, Urban Block Revitalization, Ideal School
2016-2017: Presidential Library/Museum, Upgrade a Structure, Open Spaces