Welcome to the Home of the Penn State Medieval Windmill Project

conceived and executed by STS, Medieval Studies, and the first-year Architecture Design Studio

Fall 2005 Building progress

Due to changes in campus construction and priotities, the windmill can no longer be installed with the Medieval Gardens on Park Avenue. Happily, the Center for Sutainability came to the rescue and has offered a home for the windmill. We hope to install the foundations this fall. We are currently securing planning permits and determining the best site at the CfS. Watch here for further updates.

Engineering Analysis donated

Kevin Chamberlain, P.E., a partner in DeStefano Associates, and graduate of the PSU Archictectural Engineering program generously offered engineering analysis of the sfoundations and lower trestle.

Millstones donated to the project

20 Sept. 2004. John Childers, owner of Stanton's Mill in Grantsville, MD, has dontated pair of 16" millstones to the project, solving one of our major hurdles! The project is deeply grateful to Mr. Childers for his generosity.

Architectural Engineering Firm assist structure

Tom Boothby and Kevin Parfitt, both professors in architectural engineering, have agreed to assist us with some issues in the design and certification of the windmill, but more importantly have put us in touch with a PSU ArchEngr graduate who has agreed to give us a preliminary design review so that we know where we stand in terms of meeting codes and safety concerns. this is a great help to the project and their assistance is greatly appreciated.

6 Students sign on to complete gearing and sails

Six students from history, communication, engineering and medieval studies have joined Prof. Walton to finish the gearing for the great wheel and build the bearings that will hold it all in position. We expect to have a working system by mid-October. Please e-mail us if you'd like to help.

Open House

Thursday and Friday, Sept. 2-3 in Foundry Park

Come out Thursday (11-2, 4-6) and Friday (11-6) and see what we have done, what needs to be done, and see a screening of "700 years of English Windmills" (never before screened in the USA).

Progress

The windmill is now under construction

Follow our Progress Here! (March 2004)

The windmill Rises in Ag Science courtyard (April 16/17, 2004)

And gets Re-erected in Foundry Park (late April 2004)

See our original Image Bank here

The project is sponsored by STS, The Center for Medieval Studies, and engineering design work will be conducted through the Penn State Mechanical Engineering Capstone design courses. Interest has also been expressed by the Architectural Engineering faculty.

In the fall of 2003 a team of four senior mechanical engineers (Abby Thornbury, Christopher Esterly, Megan Pomeroy, and John Stella) have undertaken the analysis and design of the sail shapes and the overall forces involved in a full-scale windmill. They are currently visiting Colonial Williamsburg to view their postmill and examine plans in the CW library. A VR version of the design is also in the works.

The PSU Windmill Project is dependent upon the generosity of the Don Leslie (Vice Provost for Undergraduate Instruction) Robert Pangborn (Associate Dean of Engineering), Yvonne Gaudelis (Associate Dean of Arts & Architecture), and the staff at the Office of Physical Plant, especially Gordon Turow.

If you would like to know how YOU can help support the PSU Windmill with donations of materials, money, or time, please drop us a line.