Abstract
This project was created to preserve the outdoor learning area at Six Rivers Charter School in Arcata, California. A retaining wall, extra bench, improved footing, and pirate-themed design were added to the learning square to allow improved educational usage. The project was designed to both maintain the existing garden space as well as further its availability as an outdoor learning environment.
Background
Representatives from Six Rivers Charter School wished to improve the existing garden area on campus, which had been becoming rundown. This need was met by a group from the Fall 2018 Intro to Design engineering class at Humboldt State University, under instructor Lonny Grafman. The team took the open-ended task and narrowed its focus to improving the educational use of the existing space used for teaching, with the endgoal being to allow any class to utilize the space for outdoor lectures and learning.
Problem statement and criteria
The garden area at Six Rivers Charter School needed to be generally improved, and the group needed to decide how to best help achieve that goal. The final decision was centered around preventing a landslide into the garden area, and took into account the following criteria. Each criteria was assigned a weight in respect to a fixed set of constraints.
| Criteria | Weight | Constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Value | 8 | Must have an educational aspect |
| Maintainability | 8 | Must require two days of maintenance a week or less |
| Time | 7 | Must take ten weeks or less to complete |
| Longevity | 6 | Must remain functional for at least a year |
| Sustainability | 6 | Must include at least three sustainable methods |
| Cost | 5 | Must be less than or equal to $325 in expenses |
Description of final project
The final design involved replacing a retaining wall, leveling the ground, adding pea gravel and an additional bench, and applying a pirate theme to the retaining wall area. The retaining wall replaced a pre-existing rotted wooden retaining wall, and consists of 26 ft of gabion cages on the hill behind the pre-existing student bench used for outdoor classes. The ground in the square was leveled and covered in pea gravel to allow classes to be held outside after rain. An additional bench length was added next to the existing bench to allow a full class to sit for outdoor lectures, enabling more than just agricultural classes to utilize the space. Finally, manilla rope was draped across the gabion cages to incorporate the school theme into the square.
Include a how to use and maintain section. See the how to template below.
Prototyping
Due to the long-term use and public knowledge of gabion cages, benches, and leveling, the group used design ideas in lieu of prototyping to decide upon a final design.
The first ideas included a variety of specific ideas that could improve different aspects of the garden area in general.
Correspondence with the charter school representatives led to a narrowed focus pertaining to the retaining wall.
After consulting an architect at Humboldt State University, the final design shifted from a wooden to gabion retaining wall, but retained the nautical-themed characteristics.
Costs
Use Help:Table_examples#Cost_Table.
| Item | Quantity | The Solution's Cost per yard | Retail Cost per yard | The Solution's Cost | Retail Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabion Cages
1 (8ft x 3ft x 4ft) 3 (6ft x 3ft x 4ft) |
18.5 yds^3 | n/a | $35.00/yds^3 | Donated | $650.00 |
| Gabion Cage Rocks | 8.0 yds^3 | n/a | $35.00 /yd^3 | Donated | $277.76 |
| Pea Gravel | 3.5 yds^3 | n/a | $50.00/yd ^3 | Donated | $175.00 |
| 1 1/2 in Manila Rope | 30 ft | $1.7/ft | n/a | $51.00 | $51.00 |
| Lumber | 12 ft | n/a | ...... | ........ | ...... |
| Plotting Supplies | Cordage and Stakes | n/a | n/a | $11.00 | $11.00 |
| Total Cost | $72.00 | $1153.76 | |||
Testing Results
How to build
Use Template:How_to
Maintenance
Introduce this maintenance section.
Schedule
This is when to maintain what.
- Weekly
- Weeding
- General Upkeep
- Yearly
- a yearly task
- a yearly task
- Every 5 years
- Re-leveling ground / gravel replacement
- Every 25 years
- Replace Gabion Cages
Instructions
This is how to maintain. The step by step how to template {{How to}} is most likely best for this part.
Troubleshooting
Basic troubleshooting guidance
| Problem | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Rope fell down | Find corner where rope was attached and re-attach |
| Metal attachments rusted or missing | Remember to use leftover replacement pieces |
Discussion and next steps
Suggestions for future changes
Future projects would be improved upon by interacting with the students more before finalizing a design. The group has no current way of knowing if the learning space will accommodate student needs, or whether students will enjoy the theme or find it too cheesy.
References
See Help:Footnotes for more. Template:Reflist