The Assignment

Our assignment was to look at an area of our campus (below with dimensions) and come up with a layout plan for what we would be able to put in that location. From there, we had to create blueprints, models, and more to show others what our thought process was on what we wanted our design to look like. We also had to find specific materials and items that we would be using and implement them into our plan. From there, we were to make a chart including all of the costs for our project and what it would total up to be, including tax and contingency. After we had finished all of these components, the final step was to create a slideshow presentation and present in class with 3 other judges whom were representatives of STEM funding.

Our Process

To start, my group and I looked at the dimensions of the area and from there continued on to make our layout plan. We had to place different paths, trees, bushes, and more into the plan and keep our blueprint up to date on the changes we made. From there, our next step was to find materials that we wanted to use, and keep track of all of them so that we could get accurate costs and models later on.

One major challenge for us during this project was with costs. We wanted to get a sense of what the total would look like when we were done, so we did some short calculations and found that our total cost was going to be around $36,000. The budget for this project was around $10,000, so our number was almost 3 times that amount. Our original blueprint had all of the paths made out of concrete. In addition to that, there was a section of the border of the designated area where the land had a slight upward slope. All along this border, we had originally placed concrete stairs so that people would be able to easily walk up and down that slope wherever they wanted to. Concrete is quite expensive, and so we found that this was a major part of our problem. After a few more calculations, we found that concrete was taking up around $24,000 of our total cost. That means two things. First, if we took away all of the concrete, than our price would be under $12,000, so reasonably close to the target budget. Second, it was time for some redesigning.

We decided on taking away all of the concrete paths except for the one surrounding the building that was already there. We also took away almost all of the sections with stairs, except for in 2 places, there were small sets of stairs. We replaced the paths with decomposed granite which was relatively cheap, and the raised areas we left as grass. That alone brought our cost down to $14,000. From there, we had to just look for items that maybe weren't super luxurious, but were still appropriate for a school environment and appealing to the eye. By the time we finalized our costs, including contingency and tax, our total was $11,827. After we finished the costs, which took up a lot of our project work time, we moved on to the models and the final slideshow. After the model was built, we input pictures of it into the slideshow. On the day before the final presentation, we made sure we had included everything required and practiced our presentation a few times. Finally, we gave our presentation and showed the class and the judges our final product.

Blueprints

This is our final blueprint. On the side there is a key for all of the different types of ground and some other details like plants or tables. Each square on the graph paper represents 7 ft on each side, so 49 square feet. Here are the basics of our layout plan. On the bottom right, we have an area with a few wooden tables that would be reserved for students who want to come somewhere on campus to work outside in an area where people might not be passing by as frequently, and so it might be more peaceful. Next to that, we put in a pond. It would be around 1800 square feet, with about a 1 foot depth. It would also have fountains inside, and a wooden fence around it to keep people from falling in. On the left of the pond, we have an area with the ground covered in tan bark. There will also be a large tree in that section to provide shade, and benches can be put there for seating. Right above that, we will have two identical seating areas, filled with tan bark and 4 round picnic benches in each. There will also be planters with japanese maples and inkberry bushes inside them. In other components of our project, the plan is more in depth, but here is the base idea of what we went off of.

Our 3D Model

Here are some pictures from the 3d model that one of my groupmates made. The pictures include many different angles of our project design to see it from many viewpoints.

Costs-Budget/Materials List

Here is our materials list and costs. I have divided the complete list into four separate sections: Nature, Ground Surfaces and Fencing, Pond, and Benches, Tables, Trash Cans, Planters. After those lists, I have the final costs on the last section, which tallies up the previous sections' costs and then adds tax (9%) and contingency (10%). To change from list to list, click the small blue hyperlinks at the bottom of the list's spreadsheet to navigate.

Our Slideshow

Here is our final slideshow. This is what we presented to the judges and our class at the end of this project. It contains all of the information about our design including, blueprints, models, costs, and specific details.

Environmental Factors

Use of Sunlight

For use of sunlight, we have a couple ways that we put that into use. First, the primary way, is the large American Sycamore Tree. From mid-spring to early fall, this tree will sprout beautiful green leaves all over and it will provide lots of shade during the warm months. Then during the fall, it will lose its leaves as the weather gets colder to give more sunlight. Year round, we would have benches near and under the tree for people to sit on for shade or sunlight. Second, we have Japanese Maple Trees in planters. Pretty much year round, except for a short time in winter, they will have their leaves and will provide a small amount of shade, but not very much since they are relatively small trees.

Use of Water

When looking at our blueprint or model, our use of water is quite obvious. It is of course, our pond. It is the main focus of our design, and while it is not in the center location of the section of our school, when put in, it will be in the central zone near our school STEM building and other classes towards the back of campus. We wanted our pond to not just be a standing body of water, so we placed a fairly large fountain in the center and smaller ones around the sides. This also helps to keep the water moving so that mosquitos and other bugs aren't attracted there.

Human Use Patterns

For human use patterns, we wanted to make our plan to where people could easily get to where they wanted to without having to walk all the way around somewhere. So, we decided to make all of our sections that are not the decomposed granite path, into tan bark so that people can easily walk across to get either to their class or see their friends or go sit down somewhere. The only place where people cannot walk across is the pond, of course, but it is not too large, and still easy to go around.

Material Choices

When choosing our materials, we had to watch out for a few things, both so that we could keep the costs low, and to make sure everything would be safe. When we first were choosing items such as benches, tables, and trash cans, we were looking at sources that had over the top quality and looks and finishes, but they were also using really expensive materials. This made our costs go way up. Then, we revised and found some things that still looked nice, but instead of metal or aluminum, they were made out of wood, but they would still look nice when placed in our design. Something we learned from this is that maybe the top product isn't always the best choice and that we should always be open to looking for new items and from other sources.

Blueprinting

For my group, blueprinting was one of the most important parts of this project, and it was definitely something that we needed to be cautious on and make many copies/drafts of. In total we ended up with 9 drafts and 1 final draft because we had to edit it so many times. For instance, originally, we had almost the whole area be a pond, before we realized that the costs for installing that would be well over $65,000. Finally, we input all of our ideas from previous blueprints together, and made our final one, which turned out to be the one that worked the best and made the most since, which was perfect for us. From there, we could continue on to modeling, the costs/materials list, and other components of our project.

3D Modeling

For 3D modeling, one of my group members had a special program on his laptop that he likes to use, so we decided to use that as our model. He made the model with very little guidance from us, so the credit for the model goes to him. When we were ready to input it into our slideshow when it was finished, he took screenshots of it, and uploaded it. He took the photos from different angles, and when we presented, it looked really good finished and enlarged on the whiteboard. The 3D modeling aspect of our project was one that went well, and one of the only parts that we didn't run into too much trouble with.

Reflection

For this project, I think that most things went pretty well. Along the way we had a few minor bumps in the road, but we persevered, and kept going, and got through it all. Two things that I think my group and I did really well were being Culturally Competent and we did a lot if Critical Thinking. For culturally competent, we spent a lot of time looking at what the community of San Marin would use and could use. We also contributed to the community by first expressing our idea, and even more so if it happens. For Critical Thinking, we had to figure out many ways to solve different types and variations of problems relating to many different aspects inside this project. Some of them, we could move around, but some we had to fix then before continuing.

Two things that I think my group and I could work on are Conscientious Learner and Communication. For conscientious learner, I think there were a few times throughout the project where we could have stayed more on task and more focused on completing what we needed to get done and accomplish. Also, towards the end of the project, we were falling behind during class work days, and so the week after when we could work on it outside of school, a lot of the slideshow and other components had to be worked on/finished at home before the final presentation. For communication, similar to conscientious learner, there were a couple times where we had different ideas on how to do something or what to do, and then we had to undo something or redo it to make it better because we didn't input our ideas all together.

Overall, I think that our final product from this design project turned out really well in the end, despite the struggles that we had to overcome.