2.1 Specifications for a new classroom

Technology

Grade 9

Architectural planning

Module 7

Specifications for a new classroom

Activity 1:

To write a design brief and specifications for a new classroom

Situation:

• Due the large intake this year in your school an additional classroom must be planned and built. You must work in groups (2 - 4) and make a decision on where this additional building will be built. Your group must measure (in meters) the available site and make notes of the existing infrastructure such as existing buildings, water points and environmental features like trees, etc.

Focus task A

1. Write a design brief for the given problem.

2. Write specifications for your new classroom.

3. Make a 2-D sketch of the existing buildings and environmental features of the area in which you are planning to build the new classroom. Consider the impact that this new classroom might have on the environment.

• Possible impact on environment

Activity 2:

To collect information on the requirements regarding the new classroom

• In order for us to design a new classroom we need to gather data from various parties like the principal, teachers, learners, parents, etc. to be able to produce solutions to the problem. Through this investigation you must show an understanding of the existing school design and construction, the size required, the money available, etc.

Focus task B

1. Design and develop a questionnaire that can be used to survey opinions from the school community. Use your own paper and insert the questionnaire as additional pages to follow after this one.

2. Present the data gathered by the questionnaire in a graph. (Use excel or powerpoint if possible). Insert the graph as an additional page.

Activity 3:

To present ideas concerning the new classroom by means of oblique drawings

Focus task C

• Produce ideas of how your group is planning to build the new classroom. Use oblique drawings.

Activity 4:

To draw a block plan to show the positioning of the new classroom

Focus task D

• Also draw a block plan which shows the roads, outlines of the buildings and site boundaries. It is important to indicate where North is on this plan. Indicate North by using an arrow (↑).
• You can include the outline dimensions, waste pipe, trees, manhole and drainpipes on the sketch to make it a site plan.

Activity 5:

To master the skill of drawing to scale

You will understand that it will be impossible to draw the classroom in its actual size on an A4 sized paper. It is always desirable to draw an object to its actual size (scale 1:1) which means that 1 mm on the drawing equals 1 mm of the actual size of the item. However many items are just too big and must be scaled down to fit on paper while others, like electric components are just too small and must be scaled up.

In the formula that is used to indicate the scale, the first number represents the measurement unit that is used in the drawing, while the second number says what size this unit represents on the real object. This means that a drawing made to a scale of 1:2 is a reduction (half full size): the unit by which the drawing is measured, represents 2 such units on the real object. In other words, 1 mm on the drawing will be 2 mm on the real object. A scale of 2:1 on the contrary, means that the drawing is an enlargement, twice the full size of the object.