STEM Outdoor Space
This project was our design of what we thought should be done with the outdoor space next to the new STEM building. As students of the STEM program, we were all asked to create and design a presentation showing our ideas that we would later present to a panel of judges! Here is our slideshow shown below!
Our models and budget/material list can be found in our slideshow above. ( 3D models: slides 4, 5, 7, 13, 15, 22) (Budget/material list: slides 24-30)
Our design blueprint is shown below:
When designing, we made sure to closely look at environmental factors. This would include things such as sunlight and water/rain. To correspond with these, we made sure our garden included only plants that were fit for our climate. And the materials we used for things like benches and picnic tables are all fit to withstand the weather here as well. (Look at slide 31 in the slideshow)
We also had to look at human use patterns as an important factor when designing. One thing we designed purely based on this was our garden pathway. People naturally have a tendency to cut across areas that are convenient for them. We noticed a path in the dirt in the original layout of the outdoor space, so we made a pathway through the garden to make the walk comfortable and natural. (Slide 18 in the slideshow shows an example of this)
When choosing materials for different aspects of our design, we made sure they fit with the environmental factors of the space, as well as our budget. For example, all wood we used is pressure treated for outdoor conditions. It also fits in our price range and serves well in our overall design. (Slide 6 and 31 in the slideshow show this)
Throughout the course of this project, we made several different blueprints. Not only did we change ideas and aspects of our design, but we kept re-making blueprints to make them more accurate and detailed to represent our final design.
To make certain parts of our design more clear, we wanted to include 3D models of our designs. We used a site called "Tinkercad" as a tool to help us create our models. Doing this allowed us to show what our idea was, rather than just talking about it. (Can be found on slides 4, 5, 7, 13, 15, 22 in slideshow)
We had to really consider the fact that our materials and idea had to fit within a realistic budget. They could not be super expensive and they had to be things we could actually achieve. Although this sometimes made designing a little more of a challenge, we were able to choose materials that fit a realistic and great design. (Look at slide 30 for total cost, all budgeting details can be found on slides 24-30)
Reflection
I was able to unlock several new skills while completing this project. I feel that my team and I all improved communication and collaboration skills as we worked hard on this difficult task together. At first, we struggled with getting ideas out and communicating them clearly. We also had some trouble with working together well. But as time went on, we got much better at both and ended up being very successful in our final product.
I want to continue to get better at my focus and productivity skills in the next project. I know I can do this and I feel that over the course of this assignment, I was able to improve them immensely. I think some things I did very well was keeping an optimistic and positive attitude even when things got stressful. Overall, I am very proud of my group and I for our design, work, and final product, as well as our self-improvement on many important skills that will contribute greatly in future work and projects!