Here's an update from Darren Bowman - Building Designer, working with Napoleons Primary School:
At the end of Term two Trevor and I presented a background class on
sustainability principles and sustainable building. The 15 children in
our Eco-Cubby group were enthusiastic and very 'switched-on'. We let
the kids provide a lot of the information and their knowledge and
ability to learn really impressed me! All of the kids have started
their own journals and plans were made to prepare a class PowerPoint
presentation as we progress.
In our first class for Term three I
presented a slideshow with images of houses from around the world,
including historic Norse sod-roofed houses, some using 'alternative'
materials and some typical local houses - both old and new. I got the
kids to point out sustainable design features and materials as we went.
Quick learners! After the break we created a project brief from the
information already gathered. This 'wish-list' determined what was
required in the way of siting of our Eco-Cubby'. With this fresh in our
minds we went outside and the kids showed me the existing sustainable
features of the school. These included solar panels, water tanks, a
frog bog, veggie garden and compost bin. The kids already have a good
understanding of the benefits of these systems. The school is also
involved in tree planting and we identified areas that are earmarked for
future planting.
Our goal was to establish a site for
Eco-Cubby by site analysis. We were able to determine a possible site
that is located close to the Eastern boundary of the school and
sheltered by a trees on a neighboring site to the east. The site has
good solar access and is located close to the existing veggie garden and
playground.
Locating north with a compass
Students with the school solar panels
At the veggie patch
Site analysis