Outdoor Classroom
OverviewTitle: Husky Outdoor Working Space
Size: 19 x 29 inches Medium: Digital Poster Completion: April 2023 Exhibition TextThe outdoor classroom I designed is meant to provide a safe space for students to feel comfortable in a setting that actually accommodates to their ideal workspace. This classroom can be a place that teachers can book for a day outside. The classroom takes inspiration from the engineers that created Sunbolt. My final design was created using Photopea.
|
inspiration
While researching outdoor classroom layouts and features, I happened upon the Sunbolt brand, from whom I took primary inspiration. Sunbolt is a company run by Ian Jones and Jim Innes that designs solar tables for outdoor workspaces made from architectural grade, eco-friendly materials. "With multiple charging outlets, customizable branding options, and outstanding durability, Sunbolt Solar Workstations deliver reliable power that will enhance any outdoor space. These off-grid, NEC-compliant workstations are ideal for charging smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other mobile electronics that utilize a battery." (Sunbolt - Solar Charging Station and Table for Outdoor Working).
Ian Jones and Jim Innes decided to create these workspaces following Hurricane Sandy after having a common concern, as millions of people were without power. The pair teamed up to create the ConnecTable (renamed to Sunbolt in 2018) solar charging station; the tables provided a green way of gaining electricity to charge electronics such as phones and computers for those in need.
I took heavy inspiration from the duo, as shown in my current layout for the outdoor classroom. Since one of the main problems inside the classroom was a lack of nearby outlets, I felt a strong need to include a feature that accommodates that problem in the outdoor classroom. I also took interest in the concept of solar energy as well as the use of solar panels. While incorporating those features, I also wanted to include features that most students at Ronald Reagan Highschool would appreciate, such as comfier, cushioned chairs, speakers built into the tables and plant pots to better hear announcements, four compactable smartboards placed strategically around the outdoor classroom to make sure that no one would have trouble seeing, and water pipes built into the tables that allow rainwater to fall through and water the plants from the bottom up.
planning
Prior to creating any sketches, I went around Ronald Reagan Highschool to ask fellow students and peers their opinions on the classrooms they walk into on a daily basis. I often heard that students don't like the chairs they sit in. The chairs around the school are described to be uncomfortable. I also acknowledged that many students have a hard time seeing the board, especially if students tend to sit near the back of the classrooms. Something else I noticed during my classes was the number of students moving to the back of the classrooms to charge their school laptops. To fix these problems, I designed a layout for a classroom, intended to be outdoors, in an effort to fix these problems as Ronald Reagan Highschool begins its remodeling process.
After taking the designs to a whiteboard, I allowed myself to take inspiration from fellow classmates. While I didn't add any new features to my outdoor classroom, I realized my original layout didn't have as much space for a large capacity. In my original layout, I planned to have five tables with a maximum capacity of 40 but soon realized that, ideally, the outdoor classroom would be popular and should have a larger capacity. I ended up with a layout that includes 8 tables and a capacity of 64. |
process
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/2/8/142850208/editor/053c0aaa-ceee-49ca-9c9e-bb570a45b103-1-201-a.jpeg?1682040460)
Before creating my final poster, we created draft posters to present our ideas to professors who teach at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. I sketched out my outdoor classroom idea along with its key features onto white paper. I then scanned the papers through the "scan documents" option in the Apple Notes app, making sure to line up the edges of the paper nicely. I adjusted the color on the photos to get the background of the sketches as close to white as possible to ensure that they blend nicely with the background of the poster. Then, on the Photopea website, I created a new project with 170 dpi and size 19 inches by 29 inches. I created two posters, and cropped the photos onto them. I added five images on the first poster and added information that related to each feature next to their respective image. I also incorporated an image of a person for better understanding of the size and height of each object shown. On the second poster, I created the ideal color-coded layout of my outdoor classroom. Under the layout, I typed out a statement titled, "Understanding the Problem," which spoke on my research and the information I gathered from my fellow peers that I spoke to regarding their feelings on the classrooms they are taught in.
After presenting, we were tasked with creating a new and improved final draft of our original posters. In order to make my poster look more sleek, I decided to use Adobe Fresco, and outline my sketches used in the first poster to ensure that the background is completely white, and does not look "cut-out" against the poster, in efforts to avoid the mistake I made with my first posters. Instead of using bullet points, I mainly typed sentences of what I didn't want to say during my presentation, yet still wanted to be known. Lastly, I bolded key words in blue to draw the natural gaze towards that specific information.
After presenting, we were tasked with creating a new and improved final draft of our original posters. In order to make my poster look more sleek, I decided to use Adobe Fresco, and outline my sketches used in the first poster to ensure that the background is completely white, and does not look "cut-out" against the poster, in efforts to avoid the mistake I made with my first posters. Instead of using bullet points, I mainly typed sentences of what I didn't want to say during my presentation, yet still wanted to be known. Lastly, I bolded key words in blue to draw the natural gaze towards that specific information.
experimentation
critique
While Sunbolt's designs are and have been built and manufactured, my designs are simply designs. Sunbolt's brand only creates tables, and my design, while it includes tables, is meant for an entire outdoor classroom. My intended design includes seating on all four sides of each table, while not entirely shown in my final poster, in contrast to Sunbolt's design which only has two seats opposite of each other. The seats that I incorporated in my design have backs, unlike Sunbolt's, and are cushioned to provide comfort to the students and people who decide to work at the tables. My table design includes outlets at each corner of the table, and Sunbolt has a box of outlets directly on top of the table on the pole that connects the solar panel to the table. While it is hardly shown, I don't believe that Sunbolt has any covers for the outlets in their table designs, different from my designs. As stated, my design is intended for a classroom, and Sunbolt's designs are specifically for tables that could be placed within an outdoor classroom. Some of the other key features I included within my classroom are speakers built into the table poles and the bases of the nearby plant pots. I also took into consideration how plants need maintenance. So I decided to incorporate an open-ended pole for the solar panel umbrellas to stand on. The open ended-pole would be able to capture water and transport it to the bottoms of the plant pots to assist in keeping the plants alive and healthy. My outdoor classroom layout also includes smartboards to be used during teaching lessons. My design includes four smartboards that are retractable and closed into a case-like structure to avoid any weather-related issues that would end up in a fire hazard.
|
Reflection
After creating and finalizing my last poster, I realized that I had not included the layout of my classroom, only the key features. While the key features are important, I was not interested in creating more than one poster for my final draft. While a layout would have taken up a large amount of space on the paper, I believe a layout would have been beneficial in the final draft to better portray my ideas of an outdoor classroom. I also neglected to incorporate measurements or a sketch of a being to illustrate the size of the objects and key features of my designed outdoor classroom. I think these issues could have been avoided if I had started designing my final poster earlier. Not using an adequate amount of time to create and outline the final draft of my outdoor classroom poster, I acknowledge, may have greatly affected the outcome of my presenting idea. I understand now that not adding this important information could also affect one's perspective of my project and the image it was meant to portray to the intended audience. Looking back at my final poster, I also think that I may have added too much information that it may be overpowering and could potentially bore the person reading it. I believe if I were to complete this project again, I could take more time to create, design, and sketch (etc.) to receive a more advanced result. While I was proud of my poster immediately after finishing, I realize that there was a large of information I disregarded to include and there may have been too much information to read.
AcT connection
1.) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork:
Since one of the main problems inside the classroom was a lack of nearby outlets, I felt a strong need to include a feature that accommodates that problem in the outdoor classroom. I also took interest in the concept of solar energy as well as the use of solar panels. I utilized both of these ideas from the engineers who founded Sunbolt.
2.) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
While Sunbolt wasn't originally intended for the use of an outdoor classroom, the technology soon came to colleges and universities across the nation. It is a green alternative to indoor classrooms while also primarily for the use of millions following natural disasters.
3.) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Through my research, I discovered that students often feel bored in class due to their setting/learning environment. Students have shown to be more engaged when they physically feel comfortable and when the classroom they are being taught in have decorations and natural lighting.
4.) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme surrounding my research was an outdoor space dedicated to learning. I also researched how the students feel in their average classroom learning spaces and also why students are often bored during class.
5.) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Without including the teachers who teach the students in the designated classrooms, the classrooms that are being used to teach students in are often set up with the desks in rows, excessively bright lighting, a lack of decorations, or uncomfortable seating, which greatly effects the students who are being taught in these learning environments.
Since one of the main problems inside the classroom was a lack of nearby outlets, I felt a strong need to include a feature that accommodates that problem in the outdoor classroom. I also took interest in the concept of solar energy as well as the use of solar panels. I utilized both of these ideas from the engineers who founded Sunbolt.
2.) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
While Sunbolt wasn't originally intended for the use of an outdoor classroom, the technology soon came to colleges and universities across the nation. It is a green alternative to indoor classrooms while also primarily for the use of millions following natural disasters.
3.) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Through my research, I discovered that students often feel bored in class due to their setting/learning environment. Students have shown to be more engaged when they physically feel comfortable and when the classroom they are being taught in have decorations and natural lighting.
4.) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme surrounding my research was an outdoor space dedicated to learning. I also researched how the students feel in their average classroom learning spaces and also why students are often bored during class.
5.) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Without including the teachers who teach the students in the designated classrooms, the classrooms that are being used to teach students in are often set up with the desks in rows, excessively bright lighting, a lack of decorations, or uncomfortable seating, which greatly effects the students who are being taught in these learning environments.
Citations
- “About Sunbolt - a Leading Innovator in Solar Technology.” Sunbolt, gosunbolt.com/about/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2023.
- “Solar Charging for Everyone!” Green Living Ideas, 23 Jan. 2014, greenlivingideas.com/2014/01/22/solar-charging-stations/.
- “Sunbolt - Solar Charging Station & Table for Outdoor Working.” Sunbolt, gosunbolt.com/.