Your Name: ___________________________ Period:____ Group:____ Date: ________ Group Members: _________________________________________________________

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Energy  Efficient  Classroom  Design  Project    

DESIGNING  YOUR  ENERGY  EFFICIENT  CLASSROOM  

What is the Right Size for a “Universal Dwelling”?

 WHAT  DO  YOU  THINK?  

 

   In  some  prisons  in  the  United  States,  two  inmates  occupy  an  8-­‐foot  by  10-­‐foot  cell.  On  the  other  hand,  some  people  live  in  mansions  of  10,000  to  20,000  square  feet!    Question:  How  much  space  do  people  need  in  their  shelters  to  have  a  decent,  humane  life?    Discuss  your  responses  with  your  small  group  and  record  your  ideas  below.  Be  prepared  to  discuss  your  responses  with  the  class.    ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________        

Your Name: ___________________________ Period:____ Group:____ Date: ________ Group Members: _________________________________________________________

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FOR  YOU  TO  DO    1.  Give  the  “Total  Floor  Area  of  your  classroom”  page  that  you  completed  in  advance  for  today’s  class  to  your  teacher.  She  will  then  read  aloud  the  Grand  Totals  of  the  classroom  spaces  in  square  feet  and  the  number  of  people  who  occupy  some  of  the  classrooms.      a.   Enter  these  numbers  in  the  table  below.  b.   Calculate  the  average  number  of  square  feet  per  person  for  five  of  the  

classrooms  in  your  school.       GRAND TOTAL of all classroom

spaces in square feet  Number of People occupying the Space  

Number  of  Square  Feet  per  Person  

1      

   

2      

   

3      

   

4      

   

5      

   

   2.  Discuss  the  answers  to  the  questions  below  with  your  group  and  then  record  the  answers  in  the  spaces  provided.    a.   How  much  total  activity  space  for  all  functions  should  your  energy  efficient  

classroom  have  per  person?              b.   Could  you  design  an  energy  efficient  classroom  that  will  combine  some  activity  

space  functions?  If  so,  how  might  you  do  this?              

Your Name: ___________________________ Period:____ Group:____ Date: ________ Group Members: _________________________________________________________

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c.   Would  bathroom  space  be  necessary  for  your  energy  efficient  classroom?  If  not,  explain  how  you  might  modify  your  classroom  if  no  indoor  plumbing  will  be  available.  (Indoor  plumbing  is  not  available  to  many  people  in  many  countries).  

           d.    What  size  class  (number  of  people)  and  what  total  square  footage  will  you  use  

for  designing  your  energy  efficient  classroom?  Explain  your  group’s  reasoning  for  choosing  your  class  and  dwelling  sizes.  

           e.   Decide  on  two  additional  sizes  for  your  energy  efficient  classroom,  the  first  to  

accommodate  a  larger  class  and  the  second  to  accommodate  a  smaller  class.  What  will  the  square  footage  and  class  sizes  of  these  versions  be?  What  is  your  group’s  reasoning  for  deciding  upon  these  specific  larger  and  smaller  sizes?    

                   REFLECTING  ON  THE  ACTIVITY  AND  THE  CHALLENGE    Based  upon  the  data  that  your  class  has  collected,  and  your  group  discussions  about  what  is  needed  in  terms  of  living  space  for  a  universal  dwelling,  your  group  and  other  groups  in  the  class  have  probably  decided  on  energy  efficient  classrooms  of  various  sizes.  This  is  another  step  toward  completing  your  design  project.  You  did  not  just  draw  a  size  out  of  a  hat.  Your  decision  on  size  can  be  defended  in  terms  of  the  data  that  you  have  collected  about  the  sizes  of  classrooms  of  class  members.  You  have  also  included  necessary  functions  and  various  class  sizes  as  factors  in  your  decision.  There  is  probably  a  range  of  appropriate  answers,  but  there  is  also  opportunity  to  make  changes  and  improvements  as  you  proceed.      

Your Name: ___________________________ Period:____ Group:____ Date: ________ Group Members: _________________________________________________________

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 PHYSICS  TO  GO    1.   Make  a  floor  plan  drawing  of  your  classroom.  A  floor  plan  drawing  shows  what  the  room  looks  like  when  viewed  from  above.  It  should  show  the  shape  of  the  room  and  the  positions  of  the  doors  and  windows.  You  will  need  a  scale  for  your  drawing;  for  example,  one  square  on  a  sheet  of  graph  paper  could  equal  one  square  foot.    2.   Make  a  vertical  cross-­‐section  drawing  of  the  same  classroom  you  used  in  question  1.  A  vertical  cross-­‐section  drawing  should  show  what  the  room  looks  like  when  viewed  from  the  side,  including  how  high  it  is,  and  the  shape  and  size  of  the  windows  and  doors.      

   3.     A  house  lived  in  by  an  elderly  man  and  woman  has  1,500  square  feet  of  area.  Calculate  the  individual  living  space  in  square  feet  per  person.              4.   The  house  described  in  question  3  is  sold  to  a  young  man  and  woman  who  have  three  children.  Calculate  the  individual  living  space  for  the  new  family.              5.   Here  is  a  floor  plan  for  houses  being  built  for  some  people  in  Southern  India.  

Your Name: ___________________________ Period:____ Group:____ Date: ________ Group Members: _________________________________________________________

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 a.   Calculate  the  number  of  square  feet  of  living  space  the  house  has.              b.   If  the  average  family  size  is  6  to  8  persons,  what  is  the  average  living  space  per  

person?            

     

Your Name: ___________________________ Period:____ Group:____ Date: ________ Group Members: _________________________________________________________

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6.   Look  at  the  floor  plan  from  Malawi  of  “a  house  that  grows”.  It  allows  the  homeowners  to  add  rooms  to  the  house  as  the  household  income  or  family  grows.      

   a.   Calculate  the  number  of  square  feet  per  person  for  a  newly  married  couple  who  builds  Stage  1  (Room  1).        b.   The  couple  has  two  children  and  decides  to  build  Stage  II  (Rooms  2  &  3).    Calculate  how  many  square  feet  there  are  per  person  for  this  family  of  four.        c.   The  couple  has  two  more  children  and  then  builds  Stage  3  (Rooms  4  &  5).  Calculate  the  number  of  square  feet  per  person  for  this  family  of  six.        7.   Make  a  floor  plan  drawing  and  a  vertical  cross-­‐section  drawing  for  your  energy-­‐efficient  classroom.  Show  the  total  square  footage  of  each  room  and  the  total  square  footage  of  the  entire  classroom.  Include  a  scale  for  your  drawing.  (Use  graph  papers).    Exercise    1.  Do  a  research  on  the  Internet  to  find  information  on  the  size  of  the  “average  American  classrooms.”      2.   Locate  information  on  the  amount  of  living  space  used  by  an  average  person  in  another  country.      *Adapted  from  Active  Physics:  Home  by  Arthur  Eisenkraft