Disaster Proof Housing Project Blog 5/13/18

Our Disaster Proof Housing Website Link

Summary:

       This week in science we finished our disaster proof housing project. For this project we had to create a home that could withstand a certain disaster in a certain area (my group chose floods in Belarus). Through this project I learned many things such as certain techniques and materials you should use when creating a flood proof house. The main technique used when creating a flood proof house is to elevate it through using bricks or wooden stilts. The main material that is used in Belarus for homes that are flood proof are concrete, brick, and wood. Another thing that I learned through doing this project is how people in Belarus are affected by floods. People are affected by floods in Belarus by being forced to evacuate their homes and being left cold and homeless. They also will lose many important belongings. But floods in Belarus not only affect people, but the economy as well. If any community members farmed for the area, their crops would be underwater or had been swept away by the current. Along with this, floods can also damage power plants and nearby electricity sources. This leaves Belarus out of power and losing money by the second. One other thing I learned is that weight is also important in creating a flood proof home. If there's a flood with very strong water currents and your house is not very heavy, then your house can get swept away or get lifted off of the ground. This is why it is important to make sure that your home is heavy enough so that those things do not happen to it.


Backward-Looking:

       The amount I knew about the subject before we started was very little. What I knew about the subject was how floods can occur and certain places that are prone to floods. The ways that I knew floods could occur were through rain and through dams. If there is a lot of rain then that means that water levels will rise and may grow to be very tall causing a flood. Also, if to much water is in dams then that means that dams can either be destroyed or get overflowed. If a dam gets destroyed then that means that tons of water will be released causing the water levels to increase thus creating a flood. Or if their is to much water in a dam, water will spill because the dam won't be able to hold the water. If to much water spills then that can cause a flood. The process I went through to create this piece was a six part process. The first step I took was creating a floor plan for the home. The second step I took was figuring out which materials to use to build the home. The third step I took was researching for the website we had to create. The next step I took was actually creating the website. The fifth step I took was creating the home. The sixth and final step I took was testing the prototype and recording the results. I have done similar work like this in the past. The work that I did that was similar to this project was a math project where we had to create a blueprint of a home, then create a prototype of it using the blueprint, lastly figuring out how much it would cost if we were to actually build the home and sell it.

Inward-Looking:

       I feel pretty good about this piece of work. This is because we followed the rubric which means that we did it correctly. The part of this project that I like is the website. I like the website because of the fact that it looks very professional and attractive. The part of the project that I dislike is how the exterior walls have duct tape on them and how the exterior walls are made of two different materials. I like this because I always feel like the more professional you make something look, the better it is. I dislike this because I feel that the duct tape does not really math any actual material that would be used if we were to actually create this project. I dislike how the exterior walls are made of two different materials because of the fact that I feel that most homes would not have it like that meaning that are home is partly unrealistic. My standards for this project was that the prototype that I built would be flood proof and pass the flood test. I did meet these standards because our home did not get flooded when it was tested.

Outward-Looking:

       My work was done similarly and differently than the they ways others did theirs. This is because of the fact that other homes also used duct tape to ensure that the home did not get flooded. The ways my project was done differently than others was that our home was one of the only homes that used different materials for the exterior. Most people made the exterior all one material, but we decided to make our exterior two different materials to add variety and weight. If I was a teacher the comments I would make about this piece are that the website is very well done. This is because of the fact that it looks professional and is very simple yet unique. The grade I would give it is an A. This is because of the fact that it follows the rubric, the prototype of the home passed the flood test, and the website is very well done.

Forward-Looking:

       One thing I would like to improve upon is my group working skills. Throughout a lot of projects that I have done over the years I have heard that I am very bossy. I would like to improve upon this and not be bossy so that more people will want to work with me in the future. Also so that projects will run more smoothly and so that my teammates and I can work better together. What I would like to change if I had the chance to do this piece over again is our prototype. I would like to change our prototype so that the exterior walls are all one material instead of two different ones. I would also like to try and be more realistic through trying to stay away from using duct tape. I would like to do these things to because I feel that they can elevate our project and take it to a new level. One goal I would like to set for myself for next time is to have an even better prototype with furniture inside to enhance it.