Strength of Materials Testing Lab

Brooklyn Technical High School is currently undergoing many changes, one of which involves a return to the prestigious high school’s storied past. The STEM initiatives pioneer, established in 1922, is making plans to retrofit classroom space for a strength of materials testing lab. In the testing lab, students will get to witness how modern building materials such as concrete, steel and fiber reinforced polymers behave under various loading conditions. The space had previously been used by the high school decades prior to conduct similar testing, but moved away from the hands-on approach in favor of digital technology and computer simulation. 

The retrofit is being designed by Perkins Eastman Architects of New York City. Their plan for the new strength of materials testing laboratory, or strength lab for short, will feature three unique testing machines, including an Instron universal testing machine. This machine will be capable of applying axial loads up to 22,500 lbs and is suited for cyclic and static loading of material samples. Additional improvements to the space include a new Clarus brand Glide Glassboard, Steelcase brand chairs and tables, high efficiency linear pendant lighting, and an HD instructor’s monitor.

Pennoni FX Studios, as partners to the school and Perkins Eastman, was involved in creating a digital twin of the classroom space to help raise funds for the new project. Pennoni first conducted a High Definition Laser Scan of the space, then we created a fully immersive 3D replica using the point cloud from the laser scan. Our 3D artists and engineers brought the Perkins Eastman concept to life by showing several configurations of the Steelcase desks and chairs – one setup for classroom lectures, one for group activities,and one for testing operations.