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Dynamic Designs

By dynamicdesign | L Redesign your school cafeteria

Overview Instructions

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The first step of the design process involves thinking about the big picture – the Overview.  It’s where you define and state the problem you are trying to solve. 

You’ll need to really understand the problem that exits before chasing after solutions.  How is your school's cafeteria designed now?  Start by making notes about what’s working and what isn’t working with the existing design.

Next, write and post a statement about out who are the people that have the need for a new design?  How long has this situation been a problem? Have others tried to solve this design problem before you?  What was the result?

Then write and post a short, but clear, success statement.  How will you know if you have a successful solution when you’re done?  When you’re nearly finished with your design project, you can go back to this success statement to see if your design has met the criteria you first proposed.

Dynamic Designs is a firm that rebuilds structures to make more space and to ensure that the building is energy efficient. The main project our team is working on right now is the reconstruction of Mira Loma High School’s cafeteria. Currently, the cafeteria and kitchen are too small and has equipment standing in the cafeteria that takes up plenty of room. The team wishes to make the cafeteria a two story building to give the students and staff plenty of room. Also, to conserve energy, the team will make the cafeteria more energy efficient and water efficient.

The team consists of six directors, where each person has a specific job and their full focus is to make their area that best possible.
• Director of Exterior Building Design: Nadiya Klymenko is responsible for the exterior building design based on input from team members and architect mentors.
• Director of Interior Building Design: Diana Kravets is responsible for the interior building design based on input from team members and architect mentors.
• Director of Interior Décor Design: Mariya Skots is responsible for designing the interior décor of the building based on input from team members and architect mentors.
• Director of Landscape Design: Anna Merkushev is responsible for the landscape design both outside and inside the cafeteria.
• Director of Community Relations: Rufa Pazyuk is responsible for designing space, security, and access for senior citizens, children, and other community groups based on input from team members and architect mentors.
• Director of Sustainability and Energy: Vera Barsukova is responsible for designing places, products, and systems to ensure sustainability and energy efficiency based on input from team members and architect mentors.

Mira Loma High School is currently located in Sacramento County, Sacramento, California. Mira Loma is part of the San Juan Unified School District, and is a public school open to all students. The school first opened in 1960. It can hold up to 1,900 students each year, currently this year there are 1,625 students with sixty-one teachers. The school currently has three counselors, eleven administrators, and the current number of the support staff personnel is twelve. This is a little information about Mira Loma High School.

Comments

I think you meant "conserve energy" vs. "consume energy". (Edit) Good start.

By bgrueneberger, Educator at 12:25 pm, 05 September 2012

Dynamic Designs fixed it. Thanks for letting us know. We appreciate it! :)

By dynamicdesign, Student at 11:21 pm, 06 September 2012

What makes your group unique.. what is your niche in the architecture field? Every group "rebuilds structures to make more space and to ensure that the building is energy efficient".. what makes you different?

By Stiles-Roberts, Educator at 11:31 am, 07 September 2012

Curious about the instructions for this step of this cafeteria redesign problem? >>

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In the Collect Info step of the design process, you try to gather as much information as possible about your school's existing cafeteria.  You also want to learn as much as you can about the students and staff who will use it. You can't propose new solutions until you figure out and document what the existing problems are.  That's what this step is for.

Try This

  • Do a site visit of your school's existing cafeteria and kitchen facilities and make notes, sketches, and take lots of photographs. Note conditions that are unsecure or less than ideal.

  • Sit and study photographs of your site visit.  Post images and comments of what you remember and note where you might change things and how.

  • Interview your school's head cook and least 4 other students and ask them what they like and dislike about the current cafeteria.

  • Calculate the number of students who eat in the cafeteria each day. How many different lunch periods does your school have?  Consider how this information will affect your redesigned cafeteria.

  • Do an analysis at different times of the day, week, or school year and create a chart or diagram with average usage and high / low points.

  • View an aerial photo of your school on Google maps. Note where the existing cafeteria is located.  What are the existing overall dimensions of the cafeteria?  IMPORTANT! Post a screencapture of this aerial photo and explain its location so everyone can understand the relationship between your school building as a whole and the proposed location of the new cafeteria. Describe the other rooms in the school surrounding the cafeteria.

  • Draw a basic floor plan sketch of the existing cafeteria and note surrounding rooms.  Include dimensions on your sketch so every can understand the size of the cafeteria. IMPORTANT! Post this existing floor plan.

dynamicdesign's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
The measurement of the current space in Mira Loma High School's cafeteria is forty-seven meters by twenty-eight meters.
The members of Dynamic Designs.
5 comments
Google Satellite image of Mira Loma High School. The cafeteria that Dynamic Designs will be...
3 comments
These are the stalls in the restroom in the cafeteria. Some problems with the restroom is it only...
5 comments
Exterior shots of Mira Loma's cafeteria. As you can see, the current cafeteria has windows...
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Interior picture of the cafeteria. In the current cafeteria the walls are a very light shade of...
2 comments
View of the cafeteria through the kitchen. As shown in the picture above, the kitchen is very...
1 comment
Mira Loma's cafeteria filled with students. Five hundred fifty-five students can be seated and...
2 comments

Curious about the instructions for this step of this cafeteria redesign problem? >>

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In the Brainstorm Ideas step of the design process, you start to be inspired by new places and you put some early ideas down on paper that show what you've found in the Collect Info step.

Try This

  • Go online and research other schools, universities, or restaurants to determine good / bad examples of how these eating spaces are designed. What inspires you?

  • Save copies of these images and post them in the slides for your project.  Include a hyperlink to the photo in the caption, to credit the photographer.

  • Gather all your notes from your interviews and post a summary of the results in the text box for your project.

  • Make a list of all the unique spaces and features you plan to have in your cafeteria.  Write this list of items in the text box for your project. 

  • You may redesign the interior of the existing cafeteria space, expand on the existing space, or design a completely new addition on to your school building.  It's your choice.
  • Your cafteria can include any types of spaces and features you feel are most important for your particular school, but here are a few suggestions:
    + variety of seating options for students
    + kitchen with food prep, storage, and clean up areas
    + oudoor access for student seating, if possible
    + outdoor access for food deliveries and waste
    + sustainability issues and the environmental impact of your design
  • Determine the best location for your new cafeteria. Make side notes of where new elements may go or how you would change what is currently in place.

  • Take note of conditions that do not make sense, for example: not enough space for all students to eat; confusing patterns for moving through the lunchline; not enough food choice areas; no opportunities for quiet areas to study during lunch.

dynamicdesign's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
The new remolded cafeteria at Mira Loma High School will have the entrance wall made completely out of glass, the glass will be tinted, allowing less heat from the sun to enter in.
Image of the exterior view of Mira Loma's new cafeteria. As seen in the image, the front wall...
3 comments
For our interior design of our Cafeteria, the team decided to paint the walls a yellow color and a...
2 comments
These four images represent some of the areas that the team was inspired to incorporate in the new...
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Interior Decor: These tables will be located in the cafeteria during lunch and school hours....
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The drawing of Mira Loma High School with our sketch of an idea how the team wants the new...
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The top left hand photo is a building in New York City that inspired our firm to use solar glass...
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This is some of the landscaping that we will use for the entrance into the cafeteria. Palm trees...
0 comments

Curious about the instructions for this step of this cafeteria redesign problem? >>

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In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas come together with drawings and models that can show others your solutions for a new cafeteria.

Try This

  • Use cardboard to create a 3D study model of early ideas. Or use create a rough digital study model of your ideas. These models don't need to show detail, just the overall size and massing for your cafeteria.

  • Try out different ideas and save each “version”. You do not want to lose a good idea later!  Other people viewing your project - other students around the country, your teacher, and mentors - want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that if you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.  If you're working on a physical model, take photos of it before working on it each day.
  • Show your ideas to your teacher and peers for some feedback. You can also review your progress with the test group you may have interviewed and test whether your design would meet their needs or address their concerns. Learn from the feedback you receive and incorporate into your final design solution.
  • Be sure to check out and make comments on other student design projects.  Post a link to your project on your Facebook account.
  • Do not leave work for the last minute! Going through a detailed design process requires time to gather information, develop ideas, and make improvements. This is difficult or impossible if you try to pull everything together a week before your project is due. Projects that are researched, developed, and well executed will always stand out!

dynamicdesign's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
Dynamic Designs began focusing on how to make the cafeteria eco-friendly. The team decided to use solar glass windows for the entire front wall of the cafeteria.
Newest version of the exterior front view. The team used solar glass windows. The glass used to...
20 comments
Interior images of our kitchen and serving lines. The top image is a picture of the kitchen, it...
7 comments
This image is artwork done by students currently attending Mira Loma. In addition to the events...
5 comments
Office Décor: There is a 9’x9’ office for the lunch servers. It is a place where they can come to...
4 comments
The design of our cafeteria will have a remarkable sense of style. These pictures are the...
5 comments
In this image, the two top pictures are a sketch of how the team wanted the top of the cafeteria to...
4 comments
The early stages of the garden.
1 comment

Curious about the instructions for this step of this athletic cafeteria redesign problem? >>

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The Final Design step of the design process is to create more finished drawings and models that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text, and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited your school.

Try This

  • Review your design and test it against your original sucess statement that you wrote for the Overview. Does it meet this criteria?

  • Does your final design meet the expectations of the students and cafeteria staff that you interviewed?  If not, you may need to go back to the drawing board and revise your design.

  • Make a list of your ideas, sketches, and study models. For your final design you will want to write and post a short but effective paragraph of your process and the unique solutions you developed.  Tell us about your ideas.

  • Your teacher (and architectural mentors, if you're working with any) will be looking for these things:

    + originality in your design
    + your ability to creatively solve the design challenge
    + the quality of images, sketches, drawings, and models you have uploaded in each of the five design process steps (Overview, Collect Info, Brainstorm Ideas, Develop Solutions, and Final Design).
    + how well you have written about and explained your thinking in each of the design process steps

dynamicdesign's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
Dynamic Designs is an architecture firm that rebuilds structures to make the building more modern, have more space, and to ensure that the building is eco-friendly.
Above are pictures of our scaled model. The scale of the model is 1in=6ft. We added tables into the...
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We built a community garden on top of the roof. We decided to plant fruits, vegetable, and flowers...
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These are the pictures of the restrooms. The women's is on the left and the men's on the...
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The dimensions are 95 feet by 160 feet. The rectangular design will be able to support the glass...
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The main support for the building is the sturdy yellowish copper walls. On the glass wall there is...
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The cafeteria tables are approximately 4 feet away from each other on all sides. They are spread...
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A more detailed look a the scaled model.
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