Global Teamwork Design Studio (GTDS)

Global Teamwork Design Studio (GTDS)

Global Teamwork Design StudioGlobal Teamwork Design Studio (GTDS)

Multiple possibilities: San Francisco, Reno and Puerto Rico

Professor: Humberto Eduardo Cavallin Calanche (In UPR since 2006, Berkeley graduate; 1999)
Island Team: Rob Best, Maria Carrión, Wenhao Chen, Chris Lee, Sabrina Lingemann, Gustav Westphal
Studio/Date: 3rd & 4th BED Vertical Design Studio/2006-present
TOS[er]: Rolando J. Cintrón
Posted: May 2013

GTDS Island Team:

  • Consists of 1 architect (UPR)
  • 1 or 2 structural engineers
  • 1 or 2 construction managers from the M.Sc. programs from universities in the US, Europe and Asia.


GTDS Objectives:

  • Produce a product for a client.
  • Re-engineered processes bring people together via cross-disciplinary teamwork.
  • Engage faculty, practitioners, and students from different disciplines and places on the globe.
  • Use advanced collaboration technology.
  • Achieve multi-cultural collaborations through time and team coordination.


GTDS at Work:

  • 7 two-semester projects (7 years): 19 UPR students.
  • 2 distinct integrated AEC concepts per group.
  • Decision matrix of the pros and cons of the 2 alternatives justifies the chosen concept to be developed in Spring Quarter.
  • Fast track project process with intermediary milestones and deliverables.
  • Interaction with industry mentors that critique and provide constructive feedback.
  • High motivation to exchange and acquire as much knowledge through cross-disciplinary experience.
  • Combine diverse communication channels and media to express and share ideas and solutions.
  • Final project presentation followed by a reflection on team dynamics and evolution.


Island Team’s Approach:

  • The building project represents the core activity in this learning environment.
  • University building, of approximately 30,000 square feet, includes faculty and student offices, seminar rooms, small and large classrooms, and an auditorium.
  • The site provides local conditions and challenges for all disciplines, such as local architecture styles, climate and environmental constraints, earthquake, wind and snow loads, flooding zones, access roads, local materials and labor costs, etc.
  • Development of a building construction budget.
  • Preparation of a construction and schedule.

TOS[er] Reaction: Global Teamwork Design Studio offers an exciting opportunity for architecture students to work with structural engineers and construction managers from around the world. Working in a multicultural team for a customer is one of the program’s challenges. They have to use technology (Skype) in order to achieve an effective collaboration. The participants have the opportunity to communicate through various means and channels to share ideas and produce a project/product. The Team’s motivation to share and acquire knowledge was excellent and this is evident in the Boomerang proposal. The proposal is the result of a dynamic evolution during the design process for a new building for the University of Puerto Rico. They organized themselves as a team to think about the style of local architecture, climate and environmental constraints, as well as, a budget for construction. The size and scope of the project gave these students a great work experience encouraging them to expand their knowledge in their respective fields of study.