Task
For this project, we had to design an outdoor classroom for our school. This would be an outdoor learning environment that can be used in all seasons by students and staff. To start designing we first went around campass to find the best location. After that, we started designing. Michelle, Blake, Olivia, and I chose a spot right next to the cafeteria. Our location was in an ideal spot, with a prebuilt structure around it. After we found that, we started working and made a 3-D model and more. This project was the biggest one this year, but we got it done. Once our presentation and model was finished we presented to a panel of judges. The best design or combinations of the best designs will be used to build the final product.
Solar Water Heater
The solar water heater lab was a project to design a portable water heater that is powered only by the sun. We learned about how heat is transferred and used that information to design a solar water heater. We used materials that good get heat and keep it in best in order to heat up the water quickest.
Our design was very simple without any tubing or moving water. This worked much better than many of the more complex designs. Although it was simple, it proved to heat up the water quickest. It was a plastic bin filled with water and shiny copper piping at the bottom. The copper heated up which then warmed the water. There was also sedan wrap over the top to keep the heat in, foam around the plastic to insulate, and reflective material to get the most sun into the bucket. We learned about sun angles and directed the water and reflective material in angles to get the most sun possible.
This is the final result
Our design was very simple without any tubing or moving water. This worked much better than many of the more complex designs. Although it was simple, it proved to heat up the water quickest. It was a plastic bin filled with water and shiny copper piping at the bottom. The copper heated up which then warmed the water. There was also sedan wrap over the top to keep the heat in, foam around the plastic to insulate, and reflective material to get the most sun into the bucket. We learned about sun angles and directed the water and reflective material in angles to get the most sun possible.
This is the final result
Materials testing lab
This lab was to find out which materials would be best for our project. We needed them to last long outdoors while also being cheap. We found many ways to get things cheap, such as dirt from an area right next to our site, free wood chips/mulch, and free tree stumps.
To test weather resistance we sunk the materials in water and tested how much water weight they absorbed and also how long they took to dry.
To test how they would deal with heat and cold we put them in a fridge and under a heat lamp and measured the temperatures of them all. We made a graph of the results and decided on the best for differnt sections.
We decided to use pressure treated wood for tables and anything we need wood for. The best ground cover was dirt because it held up well and is cheap. Brick and cement held up well also but are expensive so they most likely won't be used.
To test weather resistance we sunk the materials in water and tested how much water weight they absorbed and also how long they took to dry.
To test how they would deal with heat and cold we put them in a fridge and under a heat lamp and measured the temperatures of them all. We made a graph of the results and decided on the best for differnt sections.
We decided to use pressure treated wood for tables and anything we need wood for. The best ground cover was dirt because it held up well and is cheap. Brick and cement held up well also but are expensive so they most likely won't be used.
Wind Turbine lab
The last part of the outdoor classroom design was the wind turbine. We had to create two prototype wind turbines that could run on three different levels of wind power. The different designs were a VAWT or vertical axis wind turbine and a HAWT or Horizontal axis wind turbine. We struggled with the HAWT and put our work into the VAWT instead.
We tried many different designs, but decided on two in the end. One was a a cup shaped design and one was a box shaped design. We also used shorter sticks so that the most area of the turbine could get in the wind from the fan and leaf blower. We decided to use the box shaped blades because they put out the most power in the end.
We tried many different designs, but decided on two in the end. One was a a cup shaped design and one was a box shaped design. We also used shorter sticks so that the most area of the turbine could get in the wind from the fan and leaf blower. We decided to use the box shaped blades because they put out the most power in the end.
Outdoor Classroom Site Selection
We looked all around the campass for different locations for our classroom. It started out with deciding what needs to be at our location. We decided that we need things like internet access, close to bathrooms, in a quiet place, and little wind. Then we went looking. Our top choices were the area by the cafeteria, an open lot by the Spanish buildings, and a hill behind the art building. We decided on the box location near the cafeteria.
Client Need
We wanted to make sure our outdoor classroom accommodated what the clients wanted. Our clients were the students and staff of San Marin, so we decided to construct a survey to give them. Over a hundred people took this survey, which helped us design the classroom better. We incorporated the two top seating styles, amphitheater and group work seating, into one for our classroom.
Here is the results
Here is the results
Final Presentation
Our final design had a white board, shade structure, tables, and more. It has amphitheater style seating where the seats in front are lower than the row behind. We also have a shade sail that can be adjusted depending on where the sun is. Finally we had swiveling tables that can be adjusted for individual or group work.
We presented to the judges with a slideshow. Here is the link to it. https://docs.google.com/a/students.nusd.org/presentation/d/1nI39oS_pL21PYwAB4qPKiHY8zJCBqyIzlBRd1BgKmnQ/edit?usp=docslist_api
We also created a 3D model of our outdoor classroom which really shows what it will look like.
Here are some blueprints for the seating layout with measurements
Materials And Budget
We had a budget of $3,000 which was not a problem for us. This would cover all the wood, paint, dirt, tarps, and anything else needed for the project. Our total was $2,259 leaving us some leftover.
Here is is our full materials and budget list
Here is is our full materials and budget list
Concepts
Nucleus-Center of an atom
Conduction- Transfer of heat through a solid.
Convection-Transfer of heat through fluid (liquid and gas).
States of matter- Liquid: Molecules are free flowing and molecules are denser than gas but less dense than solids
Solid: Denser than liquid and gas
Gas:Least dense
Radiation: Energy transmitted by rays, waves, or particles.
Specific Heat: The amount of heat that must be added or removed from a mass to change its temperature by 1 degree. The higher an objects specific heat, the slower it absorbs and releases heat, the lower, the faster it absorbs and losses heat.
Laws of Thermodynamics: The 0th, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laws of thermodynamics:
0th;If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a 3rd system, they are in equilibrium with each other.
1st:Energy is neither created or destroyed, heat in a form of energy.
2nd:Entropy(Disorder in the general universe, including the spread and disorganization of heat) increases with time.
3rd:Absolute zero (0 energy in a system) can not be achieved.
Justification of Energy: for this project we learned about different types of energy and the pros and cons of each. Here are the notes we took. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xNlfcVQ0EfdhCoEf6vTE0RzP6w0dYkSAyULe8hU66TA/edit
Sun Angles: We also learned about the angles of the sun at different times of day. This helped us with where to place the shade structure and choosing our location. Here is a chart showing this.
Conduction- Transfer of heat through a solid.
Convection-Transfer of heat through fluid (liquid and gas).
States of matter- Liquid: Molecules are free flowing and molecules are denser than gas but less dense than solids
Solid: Denser than liquid and gas
Gas:Least dense
Radiation: Energy transmitted by rays, waves, or particles.
Specific Heat: The amount of heat that must be added or removed from a mass to change its temperature by 1 degree. The higher an objects specific heat, the slower it absorbs and releases heat, the lower, the faster it absorbs and losses heat.
Laws of Thermodynamics: The 0th, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laws of thermodynamics:
0th;If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a 3rd system, they are in equilibrium with each other.
1st:Energy is neither created or destroyed, heat in a form of energy.
2nd:Entropy(Disorder in the general universe, including the spread and disorganization of heat) increases with time.
3rd:Absolute zero (0 energy in a system) can not be achieved.
Justification of Energy: for this project we learned about different types of energy and the pros and cons of each. Here are the notes we took. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xNlfcVQ0EfdhCoEf6vTE0RzP6w0dYkSAyULe8hU66TA/edit
Sun Angles: We also learned about the angles of the sun at different times of day. This helped us with where to place the shade structure and choosing our location. Here is a chart showing this.
Reflection
Our group worked well on this project. My group consisted of Blake, Michelle, Olivia, and I. We all brought different things to the group which when out together let us create a great design. Some problems my group faced were struggling with communication. Often the whole group wasn't there and sometimes we didn't all work together, instead on individual parts of our project. We completed this project in about 2 and a half months and did a good job managing our time. Another thing we did great was coming up with ideas. We never ran out of new ideas and were able to always decide which idea was best without argument. This project was great and everyone worked hard to complete it.