Representation of the Project

For our assessment we were given the task of creating a building/structure made completely out of spaghetti and blue tac that could withstand the force and pressure of an earthquake simulation. The problem that we had to solve was that buildings are always influenced by natural forces such as wind but when an earthquake occurs, many buildings aren’t constructed so they can withstand the force of small and large seismic waves. To solve this issue, we had to research design features that engineers use to withstand earthquakes and create our own that can withstand a simulation.

Overview of the Engineering Process

The engineering process of this task was very sophisticated and time consuming, that done over I would make some changes to increase the productivity of the task. Firstly, we had to create a prototype for our structure and find out if the costs were feasible. After, we built it in real life and tested it on the earthquake simulator. We then analysed what our structure did well, and what needed improving so we could improve on our next design. We then designed and built our second prototype which we then tested on the earthquake simulation, to see that it could withstand the seismic waves. If I were to do this task again, I would go through the assessment and plan out when we had to complete different tasks by. This is so I could stay on track as I knew what I had to get done each lesson. This would also have been very important to do as Orlando was away overseas for many lessons, meaning Advait and I had to continue without him. If I had planned what I had to complete and by when, then I think that the engineering process would have been easier and less stressful.

Teamwork and Collaboration

For this assessment I had to seek help/advice, and make sure that everything was ready by the deadline, Orlando made sure that everyone knew what to do and Advait gathered the materials needed and cleaned up. Tenacity was important for my role, as Orlando was away, so I had to sacrifice my spare time to complete everything on time. Orlando’s communication skills allowed us to understand everything and Advait’s perseverance allowed us to always get the recourses that we needed for our assessment. By everyone working together and fulfilling their role we were able to complete the engineering challenge.

See below for images and videos of our completed structure: