With Mateo Eusebio and Wesley Fink
In this project we went over numerous subjects ranging from Earth and the rest of the solar system to the quantum mechanics of subatomic particles. We also learned about daylighting techniques with different angles of sunlight and explained why we would want to reduce the energy consumption in a building. With the knowledge we gained from these lectures and mini-projects, we were eventually able to design the new STEM building that is being built soon.
Earth's Layers
To start off, we learned about the Earth and its layers. After all, in order to build a building we needed to understand what it is being built on. The Earth has 4 main layers: the crust, the mantle, the outer core, and the inner core.
The crust can be anywhere between 8 km (5 mi) to 40 km (25 mi) thick. The oceanic crust is much thinner than the continental crust because it has several miles of water above it. The crust is made up of rocks that fall into three categories: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The mantle is 2,900 km (1,800 mi) thick, makes up a huge 84% of the Earth's mass, and it is made of mostly molten rock. This rock does flow, but it flows plastically, almost equivalent to the flow of solid glass. The outer core is 2,250 km (1,400 mi) thick and is made up of liquid iron and nickel. The inner core is 1,300 km (800 mi) thick and is made of solid nickel and iron. The inner core is solid because, despite the temperature difference between it and the outer core, because the inner core has so much more pressure than the outer core that the melting point of the iron increases to a temperature above that of the inner core. |
Solar System Model
To further our understanding of our solar system, we learned about universal gravitation (everything in the universe is gravitationally attracted to everything else) and how satellites work (relationship between gravity and escape velocity). Were then tasked to make a model of the solar system using what we have learned. We made a model of our solar system relating 2 facts about a few choice planets. We chose mean temperature and distance from the sun. We then came up with the phenomena that the further a planet is from the sun, the colder it is.
Our model -obviously- has several limitations and errors. First of all, it is grossly out of proportion, as you can see in the picture below. Also, the orbits of the planets on the diagram are hugely out of place. Really, our model can only really be trusted with distance from the sun and the mean temperature of a given planet.
Our model -obviously- has several limitations and errors. First of all, it is grossly out of proportion, as you can see in the picture below. Also, the orbits of the planets on the diagram are hugely out of place. Really, our model can only really be trusted with distance from the sun and the mean temperature of a given planet.
Atoms and Subatomic Particles
Now, on the other end of the spectrum, we went over the quantum mechanics of [sub]atomic particles.
First of all, an atom is made up of a nucleus, protons and neutrons, and electrons floating around outside the nucleus. But, electrons, when observed, do not seem to have a path from point A to point B, they just pop up in different locations. Protons have a 'positive' charge, neutrons have no charge, and electrons have a 'negative' charge. In reality, protons and neutrons just have opposite charges, but for the sake of simplicity, they are classified as positive and negative. The number of protons in an atom determine the element, the neutrons determine the isotope, and the electrons determine the ion. The mass of a proton and neutron is 1 amu (atomic mass unit), while the mass of an electron is effectively 0 amu. The free movement of atoms in a substance is directly related to the material. The harder and denser a material is, the less the atoms can freely move because there are more atoms in a certain amount of space. So, atoms can only really vibrate in a solid but can move around quite freely in a liquid and gas. Learning about this helped us choose materials for the science building we designed. |
Daylighting Techniques
Now, getting closer to the final product of this unit, we made a scale model of a 1,000 square foot house to play around with solar fixtures and daylighting techniques. Some of these techniques include installation of solar tubes, light shelves, clerestory windows, and, of course, your classic wall window. After designing and constructing our house (shown below), we ran an experiment to figure out which solar fixtures were most effective facing what direction, during what season, and facing which direction.
We used a lamp to represent the sun and positioned it at different angles and in different directions. We found that a clerestory window with a light shelf facing south is a great way to disperse light throughout a room during the winter, due to the sun's light coming in at a low angle of about 30 degrees.
Since the sun rises in the east, the east side of the house would get direct sunlight in the mornings, and the west side would get direct sunlight during the afternoons. The southern side of the house got constant sunlight all day because it is facing the equator which gets the most direct sunlight of any point on earth. Also, the south side will get even more direct sunlight in the cold winter months because the angle of the sun's light is much lower. Please note these findings will not be accurate everywhere, but this is a good estimate for homes in Marin county.
We used a lamp to represent the sun and positioned it at different angles and in different directions. We found that a clerestory window with a light shelf facing south is a great way to disperse light throughout a room during the winter, due to the sun's light coming in at a low angle of about 30 degrees.
Since the sun rises in the east, the east side of the house would get direct sunlight in the mornings, and the west side would get direct sunlight during the afternoons. The southern side of the house got constant sunlight all day because it is facing the equator which gets the most direct sunlight of any point on earth. Also, the south side will get even more direct sunlight in the cold winter months because the angle of the sun's light is much lower. Please note these findings will not be accurate everywhere, but this is a good estimate for homes in Marin county.
Video of completed house (Mute Volume)
Energy Justification
(Explanation of different sources of energy and why less electricity is better)
Final Product - STEM Building Design
For this project, we used what we had learned throughout the whole unit and put it to a much larger scale. We were to design the new STEM building on a plot of 19,000 square feet. We also had to design the building according to teacher recommendations and code requirements. We had around 3 weeks to work on this project, but since there were some days where we did labs or were lectured to, we really had about a week to focus in class on the design and presentation of the science building. By the end of our allotted time we had to come up with a 5 minute, detailed presentation about the design of the building, and present it to a panel of architects.
Reflection
This unit was by far the most in depth unit of the year so far in that we spent a lot of time going over background information to make sure we had a good sense of what to do for the final project. I had a lot of fun during this project, and I learned a lot. I improved my intellectual and collaboration skills substantially. For instance, I learned a lot about -and became very interested in- quantum physics, my leadership skills improved, and I learned a lot about the effectiveness of different daylighting techniques. The few days in which we went over quantum physics were without a doubt my favorite of the year so far. I love to have my mind blown and there was no shortage of that in the lectures about quantum mechanics. i am very interested to learn more about atoms and how they work- specifically the movement of electrons around the nucleus. Also, if choose to become an architect, the days in which we learned about daylighting techniques will help me a lot in that field. I was surprised to learn how effective clerestory windows were despite being so thin. Finally, being in a group of equally inept architects before the project began, I was able to step up and lead my team well in designing the building and making logical decisions about classroom location and layout.
However, with all of the successes in this project, there were definitely things I could have improved on. For example, I found myself getting off task fairly often on my chrome book, which I acknowledge is a bad habit that I need to stop. Also, there were several times towards the beginning of the project where I found myself getting quite bored and having a negative attitude toward the project. I need to continue to work on maintaining a positive attitude throughout the whole project, because in those times that I have a bad attitude, it rubs off on my teammates and we do not make much progress, if any.
Overall, this was a great project. I had a lot of fun and I learned a bunch and I am very happy to have had the chance to have the slightest chance of any of my team's ideas used in the new STEM building.
However, with all of the successes in this project, there were definitely things I could have improved on. For example, I found myself getting off task fairly often on my chrome book, which I acknowledge is a bad habit that I need to stop. Also, there were several times towards the beginning of the project where I found myself getting quite bored and having a negative attitude toward the project. I need to continue to work on maintaining a positive attitude throughout the whole project, because in those times that I have a bad attitude, it rubs off on my teammates and we do not make much progress, if any.
Overall, this was a great project. I had a lot of fun and I learned a bunch and I am very happy to have had the chance to have the slightest chance of any of my team's ideas used in the new STEM building.