STEM Outdoor Space

In this project, we were asked to design a piece of furniture that would be placed on the San Marin campus. This piece of furniture had to be affordable. durable, and visually appealing. Students and staff were expected to sit on this furniture throughout the day and have it suit their needs.

My group that consisted of Grace and Beatriz originally came up with this complex idea of two benches that attached through a table but soon realized that we did not have the budget or skills for this. Instead, we chose to design a simple, yet durable six foot long bench that would be placed close to the makerspace. This bench came down to a total of about $350 and will provide comfort and simplicity to San Marin.

Content:

Sun Angles: The angles of the sun change throughout the seasons and years. For example, during Winter, the Northern hemisphere is pointed away from the Sun making it have a lower temperature throughout that time period. The Sun angle and tilt of the Earth is what causes these different seasons around the world. Our group needed to know this information so that we could understand where the Sun would be located throughout the day and determine where we needed the bench to be.

Material Choice: Our group needed to use materials that were durable and would be long lasting through harsh weather conditions and other things. After much researching, we concluded that pressure treated wood was our best option for this bench. Pressure treated wood can withstand the beaming sun and unexpected rain, making it the best option for our outdoor bench.

Human Use Patterns: We made sure that this bench would be able to handle harsh treatment from others with the materials. We have noticed that students do not always treat items with respect and have accepted that our bench needed to be resistant. At the end of the day, our goal was to have people eat lunch and/or complete work on this bench. We want people to appreciate it and treat it with respect.

Blueprinting: This was a drawn out model of our bench. It was measured in inches on the paper. This helps us understand the measurements of the bench in case we actually planned on building it.

3D Modeling: This is an online or physical model of our bench. We made a physical model out of cardboard that was smaller and not to scale. This model gives us an idea of what it will look like in real life and helps us build a better understanding of the bench overall.

Budgeting and Materials List: Our budget shows how money will be spent on this project. The materials list names all the materials used for the bench in order to be made.

Reflection:

In this project, I think that I showed good collaboration and creativity skills. I was creative in the beginning of the project when we were coming up with ideas for our bench. For example, I came up with the idea to bring two different benches together with a table. Although this didn't end up being our final model, I still generated ideas and added to the team. This also goes along with collaboration and working well with my other teammates. These areas went well for me but I need to work on communication. I was out sick for most of this project and was unable to communicate with my team for the majority of it. Instead of accepting this fact, I should have found a way to engage in this project without physically being there. In the end, this project was a huge success and I am grateful to have worked with some amazing new people.