Science World Greenhouse

Good day,

Yesterday we had our final presentation with Mila and Georgia at Science World. We had a full rendered SketchUp drawing of our greenhouse followed by a powerpoint presentation that went over the features of the greenhouse, the sun charts that detailed the hours of daylight, the materials choices, and the ideas for public interactivity.

They were very pleased with our research, methodology, and said that our work will be useful to them when they begin the next phase of design.  In particular the bubble wrap, glass planter box, and sun charts were the most intriguing to them.  The rest of the afternoon consisted of a team bonding exercise where we visited the Lego exhibit in Science World and built several structures out of Lego.

Overall this project was thoughtful, productive, and good experience for the design process.

Now we are in the process of finalizing our documentation and reports for submission this Monday.

Thanks for the memories.  You stay classy, Vancouver.

Cheers,

Bradley

With reading break in full swing and most of our group members dispersed across the province, this week was uneventful for our project.

We are now in the final stages of our Greenhouse design, and are meeting with Mila on March 1st to present our deliverables: an Exhibit Concept Document (ECD), a report justifying our material choices, and a report outlining the anticipated sun on the greenhouse. We have mostly finished our deliverables, but have some final adjustments to make before the big presentation. We will be meeting as a group on Monday finalize the details and prepare for our meeting with Mila.

Tune in next week for our final blog!

Cheers!

UBC CSL – KSSP Greenhouse Project

We’re glad that reading break is coming!

The week of February 13th was pretty busy for us (Labs, Reports, and Midterms), hence we were not as productive as usual.

However, we have some updates about the sun trajectory and at what times the greenhouse will be shaded by the dome of the Science World. In our previous calculation, we just assumed that the height of the building is infinitely tall, hence the greenhouse will be shaded at around 3pm all year long. Now, the spherical shape of the dome, and the height of the pedestal of the dome (i.e. the building that houses the lobby – we assumed it’s about 12m tall) are being considered. Therefore, we came up with new approximations.

The Greenhouse will start be shaded:

• at around 2pm on Winter Solstice (December 21),
• at around 3pm in October and March,
• at around 4pm in May and August,
• and around 5pm on Summer Solstice (June 20)

We used Sun Path Diagram (downloaded from http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/vancouver.html ) and superimpose it on the greenhouse on the Plan view of KSSP Science World sent by our client.

The Yellow colored area are the all possible trajectory path of the sun throughout the year. The blue line is the sun path during winter solstice (21 December), and the green line is the path on summer solstice. Those lines are also numbered (06, 09, 12, 15, 18, etc) to tell where the sun is at 06 o’clock, 09 o’clock, 15 o’clock, etc. The geodesic dome of Science World is located approximately at west-southwest of the greenhouse. Therefore, the greenhouse is more likely to be shaded sometime between noon and sunset.

The approximation needs a lot of iterations which will be too long to be posted on a blogpost. A more comprehensive explanation will be submitted along with the ECD (as our client asked). Our deliverables to the Science World will be an ECD, a report about material options for the greenhouse, and a report about the sun trajectory. The ECD will also be sent to Susan Nesbit.

Our possible next meeting with the client is on Thursday, March 1st 2012. Mila told us to avoid Friday, so that more people from Science World can attend the meeting for our presentation.

We are looking forward to it!

Cheers!

UBC CSL – KSSP Greenhouse Project

Hello everyone, it’s Charles Noftall coming to you this week with this week’s blog submission…

Today we capped off a very productive week with a visit to Science World where we met with Mila and Georgia about our project. This week we also had a visit with David Kaplan of the UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems, as a follow up to last week’s meeting with Laura Sand, and we made a first copy of our project ECD.

Our meeting with David Kaplan went well as we were able to ask him lots of questions about his greenhouse, which is more sophisticated than the one which Laura Sand manages. We specifically asked him questions about automating our heating and ventilation systems, which he believes to be a necessity in a greenhouse. David was very accommodating to our request and generous with his time and we are using lots of his suggestions in our design. In addition to the automated ventilation, he also suggested using sun shades (which could also be automated) and concrete flooring rather than gravel. David also gave us a very good suggestion in using electric heat tracing cables to warm any soil which may be exposed to colder temperatures, such as the clear soil-profile box. After the meeting with David we went to the Agorra Cafe for a mid-afternoon snack and drew up the first draft of the ECD. It feels great to have everything on paper!

Today’s meeting with Mila and Georgia also went well. We were able to present our ECD and the Google SketchUp model that Logan made. They seemed to be pleased with our progress and liked our ideas, and they also had some really good feedback for us to consider before our final submission, including:

• Reducing the size of the transparent soil profile box to maximize usable space in the greenhouse
• Putting in some research on whether or not mold/algae/other foreign organisms may grow on the edges of the soil profile box and, if so, is there something we can do to prevent that (i.e.-a clear plastic membrane of some sort?)
• Since there are already some plants similar to the hanging wall/vines at the back of the greenhouse, could we put more shelves in so we could have more plants.
• Could we revisit the exterior material choices to see if there is something that may have better insulation than the double-paned glass without compromising viewer enjoyment (i.e.-transparency)
• Could we put the post and beam structure on the SketchUp drawings to give a more realistic idea of what it will look like (rather than the idealized view currently being represented)

Mila and Georgia also requested that we submit our justifications/research for our project, so they have them as they move forward on the project once we are finished. Finally, they requested that we move our final submission date from next Friday, and we tentatively agreed on moving it to the week after mid-semester’s break as Friday afternoons do not work well for the Science World staff.

All in all, I think this week may have been our most rewarding week to date as we are beginning to see our design really come together and we now have more tangible evidence of all the hard work we’ve put into it. We still have work to do, but we are definitely up for it!

Today, on Friday, February 3^rd, we finally had the chance to meet Laura Sand, the manager and horticulturist at the UBC Greenhouse, to give us a tour at two of the greenhouses at UBC. They are located at the rooftop of Biological Science Building North Wing. She was very helpful, and even let us to visit the greenhouse anytime we want. Here are some of our findings:

• Sunlight catchment is very important for greenhouse as it is the primary source of heating, and is essential for photosynthesis. Since the KSSP greenhouse will be built close to the main building, by checking the sun trajectory of Vancouver, the greenhouse will be shaded by the dome after 3pm throughout the year. Therefore, we need to maximize the catchment of sunlight by placing the slope of the roof towards southeast direction.
• In the greenhouses, some sodium lightings are installed to mimic the light intensity of sun. Laura mentioned 1 or 2 lightings will be sufficient for 1.6×2.2 m² greenhouse, and be turned on according to the needs of the plants. Each lighting fixtures will cost approximately $60. Even though it’s not the main purpose of the sodium lightings, they also contribute to the heating of the greenhouse. The temperature in the greenhouse was about 28 degree Celsius.
• As for air circulation, a manually operated vents and electric fans were installed in the greenhouses.

We also came up with some decisions during our regular class meeting on Monday, January 30^th. These are the highlights of the group meeting:

Materials:

• We decided on galvanized steel frame (little maintenance required, low cost, almost completely recycled / recyclable) and glass (recycled / repurposed product, traditional aesthetics, highly transparent allowing lights to come in).
• Did you know that bubble wrap can also be used for insulation? Just smear a little water on the window, lay the bubble wrap on it. Once the water dries, the bubble wrap will stick there and retain the heat.

Interactivity: Considering that the majority of visitors are kids around 9-13 years old along with their parents (Source: Science World media kit), we came up with 2 interest points for the greenhouse.

• One is a transparent pane of glass along a plane bed put near the glass wall to allow small kids to see the soil profile, plants’ roots and hopefully some potatoes or carrots that are growing underground.
• Second, screens and fixed panels with pictures can be installed for adults to be engaged with the greenhouse while their kids are busy getting fascinated with the soil profile. The screen and panels will include facts related to sustainability, local food production, or perhaps, a calculation breakdown about how much money and greenhouse gases can be saved by growing your own food.

And finally, to make the greenhouse more appealing, colorful plants such as purple cabbage, capsicum, tomatoes, carrots, herbs, and edible flowers can be planted.

Charles seems to be enthusiastic to learn more about greenhouse, and he’s setting up another meeting with expert, David Kaplan from UBC Land & Food System Faculty, for a tour of another greenhouse. We are looking forward to it and hopefully can learn more about designing an efficient and sustainable greenhouse.

Cheers,

Matthew

Hi everyone,

I am Rindra, your mentor for amazing Greenhouse team. I have finally managed to access the blog and want to add few words about me.

I am an international student from Madagascar and started my PhD last fall. Although I spend most of my time doing research in wireless communications systems, I am also very interested in education and sustainability.

I love playing pool, basketball. Also, I really like Salsa dancing. It was very nice meeting all of you! I will to giving my support . If you want to meet me, do not hesitate to text or call me on 604-368-0863 or drop a message to rindra@ece.ubc.ca.

Cheers! Go Team Greehouse!!

Rindra

Hello again, this is Bradley here with the latest and greatest regarding our progress.

Our weekly Monday Meeting has come and gone, marking our beginning steps into the concept phase of the project.

Some of the highlights of the meeting are as follows:

• install LCD screens displaying data (for interaction with public)
• balance too much information vs not enough
• need simple information for kids, but complex enough for adults to learn something from the display
• electric source from chicken coop
• watering is done by volunteers, no need for irrigation system
• food facts: how far the food much travel to reach your plate
• recycleability of materials
• must be able to grow many different crops
• make it tall to maximize plot space
• need a creative solution for the shelving to maximize sunlight. Logan said we use retractable shelves
• want a prefabricated shelving system (so it would be easier to build)

At this point in time, our goal is to set design goals, finalize the conceptual design, and begin research into our design possibilities.  We have decided to split up the research, and have each of us become leaders of the respective discussions and become experts regarding different facets of the greenhouse.  Because the nature of our project is mostly conceptual, and we have very limited background knowledge, we decided that researching precedent examples, and divying up the workload, was the most effective way to proceed.

Georgia has sent us an email including a site plan of the new KSSP with the location of the greenhouse marked.

10005- KSSP – IFC – 2011-10-12_5

Architecture: Matthew
Materials: Taylor
Ventilation/heating: Charles
User friendliness/public interactions: Bradley
Interior: Logan

Monday will mark the first of several sessions where we will discuss all the options of the greenhouse and decide which direction to take.  Additional meetings may be scheduled as required.

Go Canucks go, and stay classy, Vancouver.

Bradley

Hello!

Welcome to the Greenhouse blog.  For our CIVL 202 CSL project we are tasked with designing a greenhouse for Ken Spencer Science Park (KSSP) that is scheduled to open in July.

We met with our mentor, Rindra, this Monday over pizza, and he seemed eager to work with us and gave us an open invitation to ask him for any help that we may need.

Today we took a field trip to Science World to meet with our client correspondent, Mila.

The picture on the left shows the concept design for the KSSP.  It will be located outside of Science World and will host public events as well.  The picture on the right is a picture taken by myself of the site where the park will be developed.

At the meeting we were given a presentation about the ideas for the park and where our greenhouse would fit in.  The KSSP will be separated into sections with different themes all about sustainability.  Our greenhouse will be located in the Food section of the The greenhouse should have a base with dimensions of 2.2 by 1.6 metres.  Also, one of the walls that the greenhouse will be adjacent to is made of cedar.

Here are some of the suggestions for the design of the greenhouse:

• Recycled materials
• Natural
• Ventilation
• Insulation
• Child Friendly
• Space saving features
• Sustainability
• Adhere to building codes regarding greenhouses

There are not too many constraints or parameters that will impede the design process.  Overall this is a chance to try new ideas and be bold.

Our next meeting will be in the design studio during class time on Monday.  The meeting will be the first brainstorming of greenhouse designs and research into the construction and various types that are available.

Included are the introductions of our team members.

That’s all for me tonight, you stay classy Vancouver.

-Bradley

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Hello

My name is Logan Schrum, I am 21 years old and currently in my second year of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. I am very interested in sustainable technology and am looking forward to designing a unique and creative greenhouse.
Go team Greenhouse!

Logan

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Hello, my name is Charles Noftall. I am a second year civil engineering student interested in structures and project management; really anything to do with buildings. I chose to do civil engineering after working as an apprentice carpenter for four years, and I’m really happy with my choice so far. My number one time consumer outside of school is definitely soccer followed by golf, hockey and movies.

Go Team Greenhouse!

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Hi,

My name is Bradley Ho, and I am interested in structural and transportation engineering.  I have lived in Burnaby my whole life, but dream of backpacking around Europe and seeing more of the world.  Some sports I play include playing ball hockey, volleyball, and curling.  My hobbies include video gaming, model making, and reading comic books.  I enjoy romantic walks on the beach, with a 4 course dinner followed by star gazing and a night of dancing.

Cheers,

Bradley

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My name is Matthew, 20 years old international student from Indonesia. I am currently in second year Civil Engineering. I am interested in architecture, art, and design, and how it affects the public.

Cheers,

Matthew