The main driving question that this project is based on is :  How can we optimize the current green space on campus to create an outdoor green space for students to utilize during the day as a way of improving student life and reducing energy consumption?

The context of the driving question is both the current green space on this campus and the goal of participating in UCs climate goal. The project aims to find ways to optimize the existing green spaces to create an outdoor area that can be utilized by students ,day or night. This is motivated by both the goal of improving student life and reducing energy consumption on campus.

UCSD has made significant efforts  in incorporating cleaner energy, especially in newer construction and housing projects. The university also utilized outdoor classrooms as COVID rooms during the pandemic, providing an opportunity to explore ideas for incorporating outdoor spaces into campus design. UCSD has also increased its focus in teaching sustainability, as seen in initiatives like SYN 100. The Green classroom program promotes environmentally friendly practices in educational spaces. Currently, there are existing outdoor spaces on campus, such as outside of Price Center. However, there are certain areas of campus, such as the area outside of Giesel, that have the  potential to be an additional study area. 

Towards students, we plan to address the driving question by creating a presentation to showcase our findings about the current energy consumption in popular study areas and propose a blueprint of an outdoor study area that can be included on campus. In addition to this, in order to properly gain the information we need in terms of how to go about constructing or if it will be beneficial or not, we plan on giving out surveys to fill out. In order to get our proposal into effect for the school we plan on reaching out to committees on campus, to the head of construction etc.