Project Utopia Reflection – The Fremantle Port
Introduction to the Project
During our InnovatED lessons in class, we have been working on Project Utopia for the Fremantle Port. In this project, we were asked to redesign the Fremantle Port area because the port itself was going to be relocated. We eventually were split into groups of three or four and were given one block of the Fremantle Port to work on. Each group covered different areas of livability. My group was working on sustainability. Our main idea was to include a reserve in this plan for Fremantle Port and then after that came up with more ideas like sustainable transport and more green areas. We were given lots of time in class so that we’d be ready to finally pitch our ideas to others. We first pitched our ideas to the class, then we presented them with our parents watching. We made sure to include the Global Goals and the Design Thinking Process throughout this journey. This has been a positive experience that taught me many things about people’s needs and wants.
Our Idea and the Global Goals
As I have mentioned in the introduction, my group’s central idea was a reserve. This was based on sustainability in the Port and changing the Port to make people’s health better. Our idea was trying to connect with Global Goal Numbers: 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land). It connects to goal number 3 because a reserve would be partially open to humans giving people motivation and a chance to get up and stretch their legs. This would offer a peaceful area where people could have a picnic (If they picked up after themselves) and a place to run around. A reserve also connects to goal 13 because the reserve will have a tram line running close to it, and will be within walking distance to a neighbourhood, promoting less use of cars. Finally, our project connects to global goal 15. This is because we are making a reserve for native wildlife to thrive. There will be a whole other part of the reserve for only animals and maintenance. This project will also create some jobs, for the people who maintain it, but it isn’t something that we focused on. Almost every Global Goal will be achieved across our cohort.
Models and the Vision Board
One of our jobs as a group was to make a vision board. This showed many challenges as a group. Some members weren’t doing enough work, and others were doing too much. We even had simple arguments about the font of the title. Our group was falling behind and no work was getting done. We finished the vision board at the last minute and were able to present in front of the grandparents that came for grandparents’ day.
When we were split into different groups again, I found that my group worked much better than the last one. We got work done and were able to make two models, a hardcopy one that showed the reserve compared to the rest of the port, and a digital version that showed the reserve in close-up using CoSpaces. The physical model didn’t take that long because we didn’t have to put that much on it. We did argue about the scaling because it wasn’t very clear from the start. We ended up making the buildings on our model way too big. The tram stations on the model weren’t scaled perfectly either and the colour of it distracts the person looking at the model. The digital copy had a couple of misunderstandings which slowed the group down, but our group managed to overcome these after speaking with our teacher. We could have used these models more because when we presented, we showed a static image on the board and barely mentioned the physical model. Overall the models that we made were satisfactory.
ASC Capabilities
Keeping the ASC Capabilities in mind for any project is crucial. This project in particular required collaboration, leadership, effective communication and organisation. I think that throughout this project, I have shown these in different areas. Collaboration required everyone in the group to work with each other and support other members in areas they struggle with. I feel that in my second group, we worked better as a team and got more work done. Everyone helped each other if they were stuck with the script or the models. I was very passionate about the idea of a reserve. So in the last part of this project, I became the leader of the reserve group. I helped everyone know what they should be doing (At least I tried) and pulled my weight at the same time. This project involved lots of public speaking and communicating, that’s why effective communication was so important. I was very nervous when doing these speeches, but I showed effective communication when working in groups. I don’t think that I showed that much organisation throughout this project (mainly because we were handing everything in at the last minute). I think this is something I should work on for future projects because it makes everything more stressful.
Presentation
Our final challenge to overcome was the presentations. This showed many problems, for instance, practising and just the overall nervousness that it caused were hard to overcome. We spoke too quickly at times, but in the end, we got the hang of it (after doing the speech too many times to count). I think that we had organised the speech well, it’s just that we didn’t execute it to the best that we could have. I put a lot of effort into this project, and it disappointed me how the actual results came out. I tried really hard and practised a lot but when I speak in public that all flies out the window. We just kept making our pace faster and faster due to nervousness. Overall, I am happy with the fact that the speech is over but disappointed that the speech wasn’t to a high standard.