Embedded Files
My goal this semester is to learn more about Taiwan's ecosystem, geology, and how sustainable infrastructure can be adapted to these differences.
We went out to see the NTU soil museum, I took some notes and we went back to complete a worksheet about the soils we learned and this was for us to learn how important soil is to an ecohouse and let us decide what soil we should decide for our ecohouse design (our final project.)
Then we designed our ecohouse on paper (this is a sketch of it) and it is annotated with all of our design elements. I learned how to sketch a floorplan (connected to art) and this ecohouse project really helped me learn the global issue of biodiversity extinction and the local issue of taiwan being infested with invasive species. But I also Really enjoyed making my ecohouse with the previous knowledge i knew like wind turbines (and electricity in general), and soil, and how chemistry is apart of organisms and ecosystems.
Using chemistry and materials and biodiversity to improve our ecohouse
Learning the connection between chemistry and nature and how that affects us.
Slides about my ecohosue design and our learning of water runoff and designs to combat it
I feel like I could've improved the clarity of my contents, sometimes it was vague why we did something or why we would learn such a topic, but other than that, I think adding more visuals also could've been good. Since we learn all 3 sciences in this class, this can effectively apply to math (physics mostly), AP psychology, and even PBL, it's mostly the knowledge of physics and math that applies to classes. I added things like solar panels, rainwater collection system, a small garden, considered biodiversity and soil, this was all for our final ecohouse design. I faced the challenge of placing where each system would go and how the house design would be like, I overcame them by asking my friend to help me and I can try to experiment with more design in the future so I can overcome this without needing the aid of others.
Ecohouse final project
Ecohouse final project
My final ecohouse needed to be detailed and complete, so for my convenience I wrote all my reasonings and notes on one single document, while having all the labeled annotations on another document.
My ecohouse is set in Iqaluit, Nunavut, so I had to do a lot of research on insulation and how to survive in the environment. This led me to learn a lot of new techniques in building (like triple glazing windows with argon gas for better insulation) that I wouldn't have known before.
I also learned that Iqaluit has a bit of a water waste problem, so I tried to reuse water wherever possible, as well as run my ecohouse off of solar panels.
I tried to use more durable and sustainable materials like rockwool and cedar wood to not have to waste more resources to replenish/maintain them and save money and the environment long-term.
Detailed explanation on a few of my design elements >
Detailed explanation on a few of my design elements >
Iqaluit, Nunavut has a lot of waste water problems, since shipping the waste back to southern Canada costs a lot of money, so most of the waste in the north ends up in lowly landfills, ponds and lagoons, which harms the environment overall. My ecohouse tries to reuse water in the most ethical and safe places possible, like using bathroom sink water as toilet water, or reusing laundry water again. It also can entirely run off of solar energy for a household of one person, and can stand for a long time; this is all to stop having to deplete natural resources so much. As opposed to short-term, fragile houses that need to be taken down soon, my ecohouse can stand for a long time and while the initial cost is high for materials, in the end it pays off.
I chose to use rockwool sandwiches for my outer walls, which are made of minerals spun into a wool like structure, they provide excellent heat insulation, and better sound insulation than something like fiberglass. There's a lot more other benefits, but it's also durable and has a high R-value. Based on my testing, jersey knit cotton does well at preventing heat transfer, but this isn't good enough for really cold climates. Material science helps us predict what material should be used in a house without having to try them out and possibly waste resources. Some techniques in my building like aerogel filling for window insulation are the product of material science helping.
My ecohouse can completely run off of solar energy (for a one person household), the solar panels are lined on the east and south side of the roofs, this can optimize the amount of sunlight from winter (7months). I use a BESS (battery energy storage system) behind and outside the back which manages the solar energy and can be used for emergency blackouts. Solar panels can last up to 25-40 years, which means it's entirely possible to live without using fossil fuels as power for up to four decades. Using solar energy already harms the environment less than fossil fuels, but my ecohouse can keep using solar energy to sustain itself in the long-term.
Feedback and Growth
Feedback and Growth
After I was done with my ecohouse design, I ran my finished design through with a classmate to get unbiased feedback and find out how to improve further in the future.
When first imagined my ecohouse as a basic sketch, It was missing a lot of details, like the exact location, climate profile and reasons for each design desicion i made whether material, chemical or otherwise.
But now my final ecohouse sketch was so wildly different from the one I started with, and each corner is annotated and has measurements, each material has a purpose to be included, and I had learned so much about the area its's located in and the techniques people invented and integrated into houses like mine.
This peer feedback sheet was a redo of a physical sheet that had been written 2 weeks prior, back then, my biggest problem is how little scientific research ive done for the more technical plans I missed like how the lighting plan will look or if my house will even sustain off the minimal solar panels.
In my current floorplan sketches and notes document, theres a clear section for lighting plan and a calculation on the energy output of the solar panels installed.
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