Daylighting Design
Posted on June 19th, 2020 by Mary Lord
High school students explore the many ways that engineers provide natural lighting to interior spaces by analyzing various methods of daylighting and then constructing model houses from foam core board based on their observations and calculations of the optimal use of available “sunlight.”
Hart Building atrium photo by the Architect of the Capitol
Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Daylighting Design
Tags: architectural engineering, Architecture, Class Activities, daylighting, energy conservation, Engineering Design Process, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, lighting engineering, Solar Energy, solstice, windows
Breakthrough technology from an engineering research center could help prevent blackouts while allowing the grid to run on solar and other clean energy sources.
While solar-powered cars have yet to cruise much beyond design competitions, Swiss engineer André Borschberg swooped across the Pacific and into the record books when his solar-powered plane landed in Hawaii on July 3, 205 – five days after taking off from Japan.
High school students working in teams of four learn how a device made with dye from berries can be used to convert light energy into electrical energy by building their own organic solar cells and measuring performance based on power output.
“The Power of Engineering” is the theme of the Technology Student Association’s 2015 TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) competition for middle and high school students. Groups hone their STEM skills and knowledge by addressing real-world challenges related to solar, nuclear, biofuels, and electrical energy, with top-ranked teams invited to participate in the national competition June 28 to July 2, 2015.
In this activity, student teams in grades 9 to 12 design and build a one-bedroom model house within design constraints that uses passive solar heating techniques to heat the house and sustain that temperature as long as possible.
What does it take to build a solar village, where homes not only are designed to create more energy than they use but are comfortable and cool to look at, too? For some 19 collegiate teams from the U.S. and aborad installing their entries to the 2011 Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., this past weekend, the answer is: lots of hands-on work involving hammers, wrenches, plumbing, and construction cranes.
On a hike through the Catskill Mountains in New York, Aidan Dwyer, a seventh-grader, noticed that the branches of oak trees seemed to follow a pattern. Inspired, he created a tree-like arrangement of small solar panels capable of generating 20-50% more energy than a traditional flat designs.
Student teams in grades 9-11 gain a better understanding of heat transfer and engineering by designing and building solar water-heating devices that mimic those used in residences. Once the model devices are constructed, students perform efficiency calculations and compare designs.
