Simpson Strong-Tie Lab Opens at Cal Poly Words: Dan Kamys Simpson Strong-Tie Lab Opens at Cal Poly Simpson Strong-Tie and Cal Poly University celebrated the grand opening of the Simpson Strong-Tie Materials Demonstration Lab in October. As part of the university’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, the facility provides a hands-on learning environment for students. Following Cal Poly’s motto of “Learn by Doing,” the 7,000-square-foot Simpson Strong-Tie Materials Demonstration Lab is designed so students can build and test full-scale models and building components. The lab is built with a variety of materials, including heavy timber braced framing, engineered wood, cast-in-place concrete walls, translucent polycarbonate wall panels and several Simpson Strong-Tie products.