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PHOTOS: Lower School Students Use 3D-Modeling Program to Create Sustainable Housing Designs
The students completed a planning sheet to design the exterior of the home, as well as an interior floor plan before making a 3D design using Tinkercad.
Using the popular 3D-modeling program Tinkercad, students in grade 4 and grade 5 applied their creativity in an exciting, innovative way--designing a sustainable living space inspired by two of the United Nations Sustainable Goals for creating a better world.
Students completed the sustainable housing project in the Lower School STEAM Center’s technology lab (iLab) with Lower School computer science teacher Laura Redman.
The students learned more about numerous sustainable housing options they could model their space after, including prefabricated homes, dome houses, storage unit homes, earth-covered homes, bamboo homes and rammed-earth homes.
“The students learned how different homes are built with natural insulation so no heating or air conditioning is needed, and how others are made of recycled materials or on-site materials,” Mrs. Redman said. “They learned that other types of homes are built in factories and transported to home sites, eliminating excess waste and daily transportation by workers.”
Inspired by real-world applications, the students completed a planning sheet to design the exterior of the home, as well as an interior floor plan that included visible sustainable details. They then took their ideas to Tinkercad, a web-based computer-aided design (CAD) app that builds foundational skills in 3D design.
The students came up with numerous creative ideas, from earth-covered homes tucked underneath an orchard to a dome-shaped house with a pink roof.
Sustainable living spaces align with United Nations Sustainable Development goals number 7 (affordable and clean energy) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities). The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Goals are urgent calls for action by all countries in a global partnership, and are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all UN member states in 2015. Other goals involve issues like poverty, education, gender equality and economic growth.
St. Margaret’s uses the UN Sustainable Goals as guideposts for meaningful project-based learning and service learning in the Lower School.
An Independent Preschool Through Grade 12 College-Preparatory Day School in Orange County California
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