Investigate possible methods of storing rain water at the College and develop a proposition that could be immediately implemented. :Investigate possible methods of storing rain water at the College and develop a proposition that could be immediately implemented. By: Augustine Kwong, Jason Lau, Jimmy Ha, Winston Kam, Daryll Cheng and Jonathan Ma


Initial ideas :Initial ideas Canopy drainage system Slides installed onto the 5th floor sheds Canvas drainage system in Cricket Cage These are the 3 main ideas, which are assessed and evaluated. A final decision is made at the end.


Pros/Cons (I) :Pros/Cons (I) Canopy drainage system Pros: Low costs Large volume of water collected Easy to set up Physically appealing Environmentally friendly Sustainable Cons: Difficult to transport water collected Water tanks will use up space Hard to store (overflow) Can only collect water from specific places.


Pros/Cons (II) :Pros/Cons (II) Slides installed onto the 5th floor sheds Pros: Low costs Water transportation is convenient for EAG activities Sustainable Easy to set up Utilize unused material Good use of space Does not require human labor (Year 7s) for carrying water Cons: Small volume of water collected Small area of the school covered Unable to regulate water levels without human intervention Prone to typhoons (requires some form of protection)


Pros/Cons (III) :Pros/Cons (III) Canvas drainage system Pros: Easy to set up Low costs Design simple, can be easily implemented without much problem Flexible, can be moved easily around Can easily collect water Requires little amount of money to make model Model can be made from recycling material Little space is needed Cons: Physically unappealing Fragile At current position, model not tested- practicality unsure Durability questionable - will it be wrecked going through storms and typhoons? Not sure how much water will collected May block staff/technicians from accessing certain places (ie. Air conditioning area)


Criteria :Criteria Our ideas will be assessed and evaluated based on this criteria Will it obstruct the air conditioner’s gate? Under heavy wind conditions, can it still be used? Will the design be able to be used on a long term basis? Will the water not flow into the container? Will the opportunity costs be higher than the potential gained from rain water?


Practicality of Canopy drainage system :Practicality of Canopy drainage system Will it cause obstruction? E.g. towards air-conditioner gates This method does not cause any obstruction since it hangs on the walls of block 1 & 2 Can it still be used under extreme weather? Depends on the material used. Is the system sustainable and usable on a long-term basis? This depends on the material to be used in producing the model. Plastic is the most suitable material to be used for production Will the water flow into the container? Yes Is the opportunity cost greater than the benefits reaped by implementing this system? In long term, it would be beneficial if the model is durable and able to collect expected amount of water


Practicality of Slide :Practicality of Slide Will it cause obstruction? E.g. towards air-conditioner gates No, since this method uses the top of the storage sheds in the rooftop. Can it still be used under extreme weather? Under extreme weather, a system will be needed to secure the slides onto the storage shed. However, a design for this security has yet to be developed. Is the system sustainable and usable on a long-term basis? Yes, this method is very sustainable – how long the system can be used depends on the durability of the slide itself. If the slide becomes dented (which affects water flow) then a new slide will need to be made in order for the system to be functional again. Will the water flow into the container? Due to the design of the slide, water flows steadily into the canal on the top of the storage shed. Water then drips into a container, placed at the foot of the storage shed. Is the opportunity cost greater than the benefits reaped by implementing this system? As the surface area covered by the slide is relatively low, a different method is suggested so that it does not rely on the structure of storage sheds and can be implemented anywhere in school.


Practicality of Canvas drainage system :Practicality of Canvas drainage system Will it cause obstruction? E.g. towards air-conditioner gates No, the area that has been selected, is inside the unused cricket cage, where there is plenty of unused space. Can it still be used under extreme weather? The collection system, is low rise, and will be surrounded by the walls, this will keep the system under protection, even from extreme winds. Is the system sustainable and usable on a long-term basis? It will depend on the future of the cricket cage, as we are unsure whether or not it will be unused on the long term. Will the water flow into the container? The design ensures, that the rain water will slide directly into the containers.


Final Solution :Final Solution


Practicality :Practicality Will it cause obstruction? E.g. towards air-conditioner gates It will cause minor obstruction in the rooftop, as it uses the caged air-conditioner gates as support. However, access to the machines is still available –simply lift the plastic material. Can it still be used under extreme weather? Under strong winds, the plastic material may be blown/ripped due to its tightly-stretched nature. The mini-canopies can be unhooked from the gates during typhoon conditions. Is the system sustainable and usable on a long-term basis? The materials will need some form of reinforcement to last a long time – the punched holes at the edges of the materials may require some stitching in order to prevent fraying. The G-clamps will also require some covering or extra layer of paint to protect it from rusting. The system uses old/unused plastic containers from several departments in the school (e.g. English, Art) and the library. Will the water flow into the container? The G-Clamps will adjust the angle of the mini-canopies so that water drops down into the plastic container. Is the opportunity cost greater than the benefits reaped by implementing this system? We are attempting to minimize materials, and use pre existing materials. The only material that we might need to purchase are suitable containers, if the school doesn’t have them, however they are easily accessible and affordable, therefore opportunity costs should be lower.


Pros/Cons :Pros/Cons Pros: Design simple, can be easily implemented without much problem Flexible, can be moved easily around Can easily collect water Requires little amount of money to make model Model can be made from recycling material Little space is needed   Cons: At current position, model not tested- practicality unsure Durability questionable- will it be wrecked going through storms and typhoons? Not sure how much water will collected May block staff/technicians from accessing certain places (ie. Air conditioning area)


Costs :Costs


Area of Application :Area of Application


Why it can be implemented immediately :Why it can be implemented immediately Materials can be collected from separate departments around the school: The plastic collection boxes can be obtained from the English department or the library; The polythene mini-canopy comes from the science department; G-clamps used to secure the canopies to the boxes come from the D.T department Therefore, after viewing the video, we can see how simple and effective the drainage system is.


Diary (Recap) :Diary (Recap) Day One Assessed the layout of the rooftop garden (area) Noticed the storage sheds were largely ignored (wasted space) Observation of storage shed design


Slide 17:Looked at the unused resources available in the rooftop garden (e.g. fences, spades)


Slide 18:Made alterations to the design of the original slide method Revisited the rooftop garden and noted the mesh-like surface of the air-conditioning cages and the cricket area. EMPTY SPACE


Slide 19:Day Two Critically assessed each individual method Made alterations and merged two methods (canopy + cricket) together to form final solution Commented on the practicality and effectiveness of the final solution


Slide 20:Visited D.T department to ask for price quotas of individual parts (e.g. G-clamp) Created 3D models of each method using Google Sketchup Pro Implemented a model of the final solution and tested it


Modeling of final solution :Modeling of final solution Attempted to use the G cramps in the model, With Success. Developed a way to securely fasten the sheet, to ensure all the water was collected. We couldn’t find any mesh caging material to used, instead, we used the clamps to attach and simulate the angle of the sheet.


Modeling of final solution :Modeling of final solution Created a realistic representation of the angle of the canopy. Completed a model of the design, that was ready for simulation using pipettes and beakers.