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Design Brief

The students are asked to design and build an earthquake-proof model building to present to their partner school in New Zealand to help with designing a new science lab. They must generate initial designs and select a final design to build with recycled materials. The model must withstand shaking without damage and be presented along with an explanation of the recommended materials and features. The partner school will select winning designs to guide their construction of the new science lab.

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71 views

Design Brief

The students are asked to design and build an earthquake-proof model building to present to their partner school in New Zealand to help with designing a new science lab. They must generate initial designs and select a final design to build with recycled materials. The model must withstand shaking without damage and be presented along with an explanation of the recommended materials and features. The partner school will select winning designs to guide their construction of the new science lab.

Uploaded by

api-397727051
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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YEAR 6 DESIGN BRIEF

EARTHQUAKE-PROOF BUILDING
Introduction
Our partner school in New Zealand have just begun planning for the

building of their brand-new science lab. They have asked for our help to

design and build some models of earthquake-proof buildings in order to

help them select the sturdiest designs and materials for their science

lab.

New Zealand lies on the border of the Australian and Pacific tectonic

plates, on what is known as the Alpine Fault. Earthquakes, volcanoes

and mountains are extremely common along this fault line.

Brief
Your task is to design and construct an earthquake-proof model

building to present to our partner school in New Zealand. It must have

suitable features and specifications for a science lab. Our partner

school will select several winning designs to assist them in building their

science lab.

Since your building is a model, you will not be constructing it using ‘real’

materials, such as concrete. Think carefully about what materials you

would recommend to our partner school in your presentation and what

substitutions you will use in your model.

Generating Designs
You will be asked to generate four initial, basic designs through

drawing. In these designs, you should label the materials and features

that you recommend be included by our partner school, based on your

in-class research. Select your best design and draw a final copy before

beginning construction.
Project Specifications
When building your prototype, our partner school has asked you to use:

- Only recycled materials (brought in from home, or taken from a limited

selection in the classroom)

- PVA glue, a hot glue gun, a stapler or a limited amount of sticky tape

to attach your materials (the hot glue gun is only allowed to be used

with adult supervision)

- Permanent marker (to indicate the position of doors, windows and

other features)

You must ensure that your prototype:

- Is between 30 and 40cm in width, length and height

- Contains at least three internal walls

- Contains adequate 'furniture' for a science lab

- Can withstand shaking of 5m/s squared for 30 seconds on the

acceleration app (Vibration meter - Seismometer) without any internal

or external walls becoming damaged

Project Management
1. Research the materials and features required for an earthquake-

proof building.

2. Create four initial, basic designs, containing internal walls and

furniture, and label them with the materials and features you would

recommend to our partner school, based on your research.

3. Select your best design, and draw a final copy.

4. In your final copy, label the materials you would recommend to our

partner school, as well as the substitute materials you will be using

for your prototype. Also label the features you would recommend to our

partner school.

5. Collect recycled materials at home to use in building your prototype.

6. Bring your recycled materials to school by the 21st of October.

7. Use your recycled materials, PVA glue, a hot glue gun (only allowed

to be used with adult supervision), a stapler and a limited amount of

sticky tape to build your prototype.

8. Present your final design and your prototype building on a video-

conferencing link to the principal and deputy principal of our partner

school in New Zealand.


Evaluation
Your prototype should follow the criteria in the 'Project Specifications'

section. You will have access to rulers and the acceleration app

(Vibration meter - Seismometer) to test your prototype during the

construction process.

Presentation
On the 12th of November, you will be asked to give a short presentation

(minimum of 2 minutes, maximum of 4 minutes) to our class and the

principal and deputy of our partner school in New Zealand (via video-

conferencing link) about your final design and your prototype building.

Our partner school will select several winning prototype buildings to be

used as guides during the building process for their science lab. In your

presentation, you must explain:

- The criteria you used to select your best design for construction

- The materials in your design, and why you recommend our partner

school use them

- The features in your design and building, and why you recommend our

partner school use them

- Why you believe your design should be selected for use as a guide for

the building process

Time
You will have six lessons to research, design, construct and present your

prototype building.

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