Recently, we had a really long project that related to solar energy and how we can use it instead of normal things like natural gas and oil, which are most commonly used but finite and pollution-causing. We all had tons of projects to do in the past 3 months that need up teaching us the pros and cons of solar power and heat and how they can be used in architecture. These were some of the projects that taught us about them:
1. Hot water heater
Our group had to design a hot water heater and be able to heat water up with it. The idea was to teach us how we could use natural heat (the sun) to our advantage instead of using a furnace or something similar. So we decided to make a copper pipe run through a shoebox that was painted black on the inside and was open to the sunlight. The water would run through the pipe and get heated up as it slowly passed. These are some pictures of the water heater in action:
We were able to raise the heat of the water, but unfortunately only by about 3ºC. However, that was pretty much the average that the rest of the class got.
There were a few flaws with our heater. One was that it seemed to leak more than half the water somewhere between the water tank and the pipe to the heater. After the experiment was over, it turned out that the copper pipe WASN'T ACTUALLY CONNECTED TO THE TANK and that's why so much was leaking out. It didn't have a clear path! The reason we didn't realize this until the end was that the tank was surrounded with insulation and we couldn't see in there. Another thing to consider next time was that our idea wasn't exactly original, as most of the other groups in our classroom used this idea as well. We did, however, have some positive points, like the little details. I believe we were the first group to spray paint our copper pipe black. And we got our first understanding of how heat works and we would use this in projects to come.
There were a few flaws with our heater. One was that it seemed to leak more than half the water somewhere between the water tank and the pipe to the heater. After the experiment was over, it turned out that the copper pipe WASN'T ACTUALLY CONNECTED TO THE TANK and that's why so much was leaking out. It didn't have a clear path! The reason we didn't realize this until the end was that the tank was surrounded with insulation and we couldn't see in there. Another thing to consider next time was that our idea wasn't exactly original, as most of the other groups in our classroom used this idea as well. We did, however, have some positive points, like the little details. I believe we were the first group to spray paint our copper pipe black. And we got our first understanding of how heat works and we would use this in projects to come.
2: Daylighting design activity
For this activity, we had to figure out a design for a 1000 sq. ft. house with all of the necessary things it needs like a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, etc. and then figure out approximately how much electricity would be used up lighting the whole house (assuming there are no windows or any way to get light). Afterwards, we redesigned the house but using special lighting techniques such as skylights and clerestory windows.
The good news was that we learned some great new ideas, including our somewhat "innovative" roof (I only say innovative because I'm pretty sure nobody else in the classroom did it) and we learned all of the different techniques that architects and contractors use to get light into the homes. However, while the roof was the best part, ironically it was also the worst part. We originally thought of having the roof flat so that light could reach a skylight in the northern areas of the house, but then we came up with the other idea. But the only way the roof design would work is to slope the roof instead of keeping it flat. And because we sloped it, that meant no light could get into the northern side of the house because the shape of the roof blocked out any sun.
3: Site selection
I never realized that if you wanted to build something somewhere you would have to consider pretty much everything about the location. And that is what this assignment taught me.
You can't just place a house just on a field without thinking about it. You have to consider everything about the field, such as: "Is the view good?" "Is it normally noisy in this area?" "Can this easily be accessed or is it connected to a road?" "Am I going to build this house on strong sturdy land or a marsh?"
So that's when my group went out and looked for a place to build a house, and we tried many places. We had four options:
1. The Soccer Field
2. Behind the basketball court
3. Next to the STEM Solar Studio
4. The dirt road near the back of the school
We ended up going with option 4. Option 1 & 2's biggest downfalls were that while they were in sun and could easily be accessed, it wouldn't exactly be private and quiet there considering that these are places where people play sports. Option 3 had a slope and was right next to a big road, so it would be too noisy and not so private. We ended up with the dirt road/exit at the back of the school. A picture of it is here.
You can't just place a house just on a field without thinking about it. You have to consider everything about the field, such as: "Is the view good?" "Is it normally noisy in this area?" "Can this easily be accessed or is it connected to a road?" "Am I going to build this house on strong sturdy land or a marsh?"
So that's when my group went out and looked for a place to build a house, and we tried many places. We had four options:
1. The Soccer Field
2. Behind the basketball court
3. Next to the STEM Solar Studio
4. The dirt road near the back of the school
We ended up going with option 4. Option 1 & 2's biggest downfalls were that while they were in sun and could easily be accessed, it wouldn't exactly be private and quiet there considering that these are places where people play sports. Option 3 had a slope and was right next to a big road, so it would be too noisy and not so private. We ended up with the dirt road/exit at the back of the school. A picture of it is here.
We chose this place specifically because it got sunlight in certain areas, it is easy to access, but surprisingly not too many people use this entrance so its privacy is surprisingly higher. Other positive features is its solid land surface and slope.
I learned a lot about what you have to consider when you build a house from this, and it was fun walking around school trying to see where we could build a house.
I learned a lot about what you have to consider when you build a house from this, and it was fun walking around school trying to see where we could build a house.
4. Materials Testing Lab
This was a really big lab. In this experiment, we had to see what kinds of materials would gain and hold as much heat as possible and how we could use them while making the cold frame. First we had to figure out what materials we might use. We came up with a giant list:
Sand
Dirt
Water
Brick
Steel
Aluminum
Copper
Nails
Plywood
OSB
Glass
Screen Wrap
Paint
Mirror
Rubber
PVC
Fabric
Foam
and much more.
We each placed a lightbulb 4 inches from the materials and took the initial temperature of all items. Then we turned on the lightbulb and took the temperature of the items every 4 minutes until 16 minutes had passed. Then we turned off the light and recorded how quickly it cooled down every 4 mins for another 16 mins. Everyone did that for a certain item and then we all pooled in our results.
The biggest downer is that it turns out the results are inconclusive, There was too much human error to find out a good answer. Since we were in different groups, some of us tested differently. Some people recorded temperature on the edge of the material, others used the center. Also, we were using a thermometer to test, so that wasn't very accurate. It also would have been much more accurate if we tested over a longer period of time instead of 16 mins, but realistically, we were in school and just didn't have that much time. In the end this was all worthless information, but we learned some things, like having to communicate with others so we carry out tests the same way, and we got to learn how messed up your science experiment can be when you leave your controlled factors, well, uncontrolled.
Sand
Dirt
Water
Brick
Steel
Aluminum
Copper
Nails
Plywood
OSB
Glass
Screen Wrap
Paint
Mirror
Rubber
PVC
Fabric
Foam
and much more.
We each placed a lightbulb 4 inches from the materials and took the initial temperature of all items. Then we turned on the lightbulb and took the temperature of the items every 4 minutes until 16 minutes had passed. Then we turned off the light and recorded how quickly it cooled down every 4 mins for another 16 mins. Everyone did that for a certain item and then we all pooled in our results.
The biggest downer is that it turns out the results are inconclusive, There was too much human error to find out a good answer. Since we were in different groups, some of us tested differently. Some people recorded temperature on the edge of the material, others used the center. Also, we were using a thermometer to test, so that wasn't very accurate. It also would have been much more accurate if we tested over a longer period of time instead of 16 mins, but realistically, we were in school and just didn't have that much time. In the end this was all worthless information, but we learned some things, like having to communicate with others so we carry out tests the same way, and we got to learn how messed up your science experiment can be when you leave your controlled factors, well, uncontrolled.
5. COldframe Idea
We came up with a great idea for the cold frame and we are really proud of it.
This was a great idea and I had a lot of fun making the design and presentation. I got really annoyed with Sketchup while making this and I still have to learn how to use it. But it gave me a chance to look for alternatives. One of them was actually Minecraft, and I learned how I could use that to my advantage in presentations.
6. solar Reflector
We also had to come up with a design for the north window of the STEM Solar Studio to get light into the window. Our idea wasn't as great.
If you're asking why the idea was kind of horrible, I'll give you a legit answer: we had no idea what to do and were running out of time. This idea popped into my mind and we decided to do it. We knew it wasn't great, but we had no other choice. The lesson to be learned here is to always plan ahead, and I will have to work on that in the future. We also have to learn to think about every problem about our design before we present it.
On the bright side, this could all be considered a practice run for the future when we will be really trying to present ideas to giant corporations, only this time, we'll be ready.
On the bright side, this could all be considered a practice run for the future when we will be really trying to present ideas to giant corporations, only this time, we'll be ready.
7: bonus design
We also did a third design. It in no way has anything to do with heat but we thought it would be a cool idea.
One thing that I think we were proficient on was getting everything about the deck exact. That was a great thing because we could figure out everything we needed and the price of all of them. Another good thing was that, like all of the above, we practiced our presenting skills.
The judges loved our idea, but they gave us some pointers, like doing MORE research and maybe then we'd realize that it should not be made of pressure-treated wood (because apparently touching that stuff is harmful to your health). I also need to work on not having to look at the screen while presenting. But like I said before, it's all practice for the real thing some years into the future.
The judges loved our idea, but they gave us some pointers, like doing MORE research and maybe then we'd realize that it should not be made of pressure-treated wood (because apparently touching that stuff is harmful to your health). I also need to work on not having to look at the screen while presenting. But like I said before, it's all practice for the real thing some years into the future.
8. Justification
9. Wind Turbines
The last thing we did was figure out how we could use wind to make energy with wind turbines and what the best design was. There were two basic types: HAWT, which is Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine and VAWT, Vertical Axis Wind Turbine.
Our design was a HAWT that had three propellers, but we curved them sort of like what you see on the very end of the Hot Wheels logo. We cut out construction paper and then used that to make the blades.
It was a good design and caught a good amount of air, but we didn't research too much into it and it was just a random idea we came up with, so I bet if we did more research into the project we would get a better design. I did learn some good cutting skills from this though.
So that's what I've been doing during these 3 months. If you want you can check out the other members of the group I worked with: Brandon Yu and Rachel Stevens.
Our design was a HAWT that had three propellers, but we curved them sort of like what you see on the very end of the Hot Wheels logo. We cut out construction paper and then used that to make the blades.
It was a good design and caught a good amount of air, but we didn't research too much into it and it was just a random idea we came up with, so I bet if we did more research into the project we would get a better design. I did learn some good cutting skills from this though.
So that's what I've been doing during these 3 months. If you want you can check out the other members of the group I worked with: Brandon Yu and Rachel Stevens.