21/04/2026
Standing in front of that shaking table at the BUE competition was nerve-wracking, especially as the frequency kept climbing and we watched other structures start to fail. Out of 7 teams, our 19-story balsa tower was one of only two structures that fully survived without any collapse, remaining stable for a full 1 minute and 18 seconds under destructive earthquake simulations. Seeing it stay steadfast under that kind of pressure proved that all those hours we spent obsessing over seismic codes and structural details really paid off.
We are also proud to have achieved 2nd place in Structural Resilience and Damage Assessment, and 3rd place in Seismic Analysis and Design.
It is also worth mentioning that the entire structure was built in only 20 hours, reflecting the team’s coordination and efficiency under pressure.
We owe a huge thank you to Dr. Tarek El Hashimy and Dr. Khaled Hilal for pushing us to get the engineering right.
We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to Dr. Ayman Hussein for his presence, continuous support, and the trust he has placed in us. We are truly grateful for everything we learn from him and from our structural and civil engineering professors.
Our deep thanks go as well to Dr. Amr Shaat, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, for his continuous support of the student chapter.
Finally, we would like to thank our sponsors—our Anchor Sponsor computers , inc. and , along with Redcon, DOME FDH, and CAD MASTERS—for their valuable and continuous support.
