Passive Solar Science Building Project
Home and Building Lighting: The purpose of this project was to design a building model that would allow for an optimal amount of light to be allowed into each room of our design.
Our Project: Our assignment was to design the new science building that is coming to our school. We wanted to design our building with a simple structure; including a single hallway, modern-industrial style and a central skylight. After making a design that fit that description we made the above power point presentation. We also reviewed Earth's Layers, the orbits, solar angles, atomic structure, and daylighting techniques throughout this project.
Daylighting: The attempt to improve natural light levels allowed into a room.
Before designing the science building our group ran a model experiment. The model we made included a plentiful amount of clerestory windows, a couple of light shelves and a skylight. When experimented upon, the light inside was about 75% of the light outside. We even put the light shelves on the east side so it could catch more light in the early morning. This was a great first attempt and we tried to improve upon it in our science building design. The reason for trying this was to allow as much light in and to cut down on energy prices.
Our study on Energy: Our project's main purpose was to cut down on energy usage. So to understand the need to do so we researched multiple ways to create energy and their effectiveness.
Earth's Layers: The Earth consists of the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core.
The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth and is 25 miles thick. This layer consists of mainly oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. The layer beneath the crust is the mantle. It is made up of magma and because of this, it fluctuates in thickness and temperature. It is roughly 1,793 miles thick and between 932 to 1,652 °Fahrenheit. The outer core is a liquid layer composed of nickel and iron. It is 1,500 miles thick, 10,800° Fahrenheit, and is thought to cause the magnetic field around the Earth. The inner core is also made of nickel and iron but is a solid state. It is around 776 miles thick and is between 932 to
1,652 °Fahrenheit like the outer core. With the temperature being so high the core is only able to keep a solid form because of the intense pressure deep inside the Earth. This information is only found because of scientists who used S and P waves to examine the inner Earth. By learning about the layers of the Earth it helped us choose materials based on natural disasters in that part of the world.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/natural_hazards/tectonic_plates_rev1.shtml
Model of the Solar System: My group was given the task of drawing a model of the solar system. The result was a simple design with a fairly inaccurate scale. After adding more detail to this model we began making a second draft. Our group chose to use the Sun, Earth, Mars and Moon for this model. Our mission was to find the gravity of a Planet X. We were given certain information about this planet to help us find its gravity such as the mass. However, we came across a block in which our equation could no longer move forward without the use of a computer. This may have been avoided if we chose our information better however our teacher did revealed the identity of the planet to us. The mysterious Planet X was really Eris, the dwarf planet situated behind Pluto. We were also given the gravity which was 0.82 m/s². The model of the solar showed us the alignment of planets and gave us a better idea of how to maximize light.
Solar Angles: In our effort to better our daylighting techniques we learned about solar angles. A solar angle is the direction that sunlight enters the Earth. One for example is direct or vertical sunlight. This occurs when the Sun is directly above in the sky and is found at the Equator. This solar angle causes your shadow to puddle near your feet and can be used effectively with a skylight. Knowing what solar angles will occur in your part of the world can help determine the best places to put windows in your home.
Atomic Structure: Atoms are some of the smallest matter known to humans. However the fact that we have never seen them shrouds them in mystery and confusion. For example electrons (negatively charged) circle the nucleus but do not keep a structure. They seem to act as waves and particles at the same time which does not make sense, but scientists who study this field have come up with several theories. One being the theory of wave-particle duality in which the particle is guided by ¨matter waves¨. The nucleus of the atom is better known. It consists of different numbers of protons (positively charged) and neutrons (no charge). The number protons, electrons and neutrons determine the element it is. An example is hydrogen which has one proton , one electron and is the only element without any neutrons. Atoms have stumped many and do not seem to match the larger universe. Even Albert Einstein became stuck when trying to find a connection between the our two worlds. By learning about this it helped us try to keep heat in by looking at the atomic level.
Reflection: During the project our team experienced highs and lows in order to complete our science building model. During the blueprint phase my team did well together by communicating. An example of this was when we decided our building needed to stand out, so we discussed different features and ultimately came to the dome which fit well with our building. We were also able to focus on multiple tasks in order to finish our project in time. An example of this was at the end of the project when we already knew our roles and finished our slides for the power point individually. However during this project we missed some opportunities to make our project better. One was making a 3D model of our building but we opted for an easier cardboard model. We also could have added more touches to our model. At the end of the project we painted our cardboard walls a stagnant color which could have looked better if planned more carefully. Overall our group worked well together but because of time and other reasons, left out details that would have made our project much better.