Our task was to think like engineers to construct an earthquake proof building. All we had was blue tack and pasta. We also had to make sure it was within a 60$ budget and the tower had to be at least 60 cm tall.
The engineering process follows the stages of define, research, design, create, test and evaluate which compare to the design thinking process that I learnt about in Year 7. I feel like our group rushed through most of the stages before building that may have compromised the structural integrity of our building, so I believe that the that stages before building are the most important. It is also important to note the stages after testing the design are important as they give you direct feedback on what you can improve on. I wouldn’t get rid make any changes to the design thinking process as every stage has a specific purpose and all the stages combine together to create a well-engineered design has solved the targeted problem, In our case that would be the problem that most buildings in the world are not earthquake proof and that engineers are trying to come up with, which is what we tried to replicate by completing this challenge.
I was responsible for the construction if the building, this responsibility was brought on to me, mostly because my group members were away for this part of the process. I wouldn’t say it was my strength as the building kept breaking even outside of the scheduled testing. Amelie was responsible for the design of the building and when we were building it she made sure to remind of the design we should be following, India was responsible for the research and worked together with Amelie to make sure the design was research backed and followed the best ways to make our building earthquake proof.
Our First Attempt
Our Second Attempt
