La Revolution-ary Urban Planning in Havana, Cuba

For this Action Project I had to redesign a part of a city. I first looked for an area on Google Maps and I chose the Revolution Plaza in Havana, Cuba. I chose Havana, Cuba because I've been there before and I have family that lives there. I also chose Cuba because I love the architecture there. Throughout this unit we learned about finding the area and volume of different shapes. One thing we learned was finding the area of a triangle by using the equation 1/2*absinc. In class we also discussed good examples of urban planning and bad examples. One example of good urban planning is the Emerald Park in Boston, MA because it connects different parks together and is filled with nature. We also learned from TED talk speakers, Ellen Dunham-Jones, James Kunsler, and Majora Carter. They all spoke about urban planning and different ways that we can improve it. A few ways that we can improve urban planning is motivating people to walk more by extending sidewalks for pedestrians or urbanizing areas like the suburbs so people are driving less.

The center of the Revolution Plaza has a lot of open space so I wanted to create something useful that took some of it up. The Revolution Plaza was where a lot of political rallies took place that involved figures like Fidel Castro. The Plaza is also the 31st largest city square in the world. It has a lot of important history so I wanted to include a section that is like an outside art museum. It will be Cuban art like sculptures, murals, paintings, and more. The other half will be a skate park. Both sections are separated by a wall so you can either look at art or go to the park! The skate park is like any average park with ramps and an open space. On that side, instead of another grass area in the middle of the street, I put it closer to the park so it can be a resting area. This also gives cars more street space. On the side of the outside art museum, across the street there is an improved green area with seating and tables so that people can enjoy food or just hangout. The grey rectangles represent the streets.

Some problems I encountered with this was I wasn't sure what to do with the open space. To be honest, I thought it would be better to leave it the way it is because that's how the structure was built and the square is like a remembrance of the political Cuban rallies that took place. I thought leaving the space the way it was would be okay. I then realized that I can still make it relevant to Cubans and their history by including an area dedicated to Cuban art.

Two cities that inspired my design are Cambridge, MA and San Francisco, CA. They both inspired me artistically because they know how to take up space with art. In Central Square, an area in Cambridge, MA, there is an alley that has walls filled with graffiti. This wall is used by graffiti artists to create murals and more. I like that a basic alley was turned into a space where artists can go everyday to interact with others. That way, it isn't just a trashed out alley that no one really uses. It's a small space with a lot of purpose. I was inspired by San Francisco because when I traveled there I went to an art festival in a park. The park was was just grass with a few benches but was then transformed into an outdoor art show that was filled with art from local artists. You would think that outdoor art doesn't work because of the different conditions, but it worked so well and I loved it! There was also a stage for performers. The park wasn't huge either and I thought it was so cool that they transformed a small park into a huge art festival for the community.

Google Maps. Plaza de la Revolution (Before the design) (AS 2019)


Google Maps. Updated Space (AS 2019)


Calculations

In order to find the area of the space that I'm redesigning I did length x width.
 Length : 229.60 m
Width : 87.50 m
Final area= 20,090 m

In order to find the volume of my 3D structures I used the cylinder equation 
pi * r^2 * h . The seats in the park are cylinders as well as the trunk of the trees. 
Tree Trunk: R= 1.5 ft
                    H= 40 ft
                     pi multiplied by 1.5^2 * 40= 282.74 ft
Seat: R=0.58 ft
         H= 3.58 ft
           pi multiplied by 0.58^2 * 3.58= 3.78 ft

"Integrated and mixed used environments"

One of Peter Calthorpe ideas for building a better city is getting rid of sprawl in dense areas or areas that actually aren't that dense at all. A city should bring people together. Here, I am bringing people closer through nature and comfortable resting areas where many can hang out. Also, many don't expect a skate park to share a space with an outdoor art museum. Bringing these two places together is allowing people to interact more when they're out. Two other ways that Peter Calthorpe mentions for building better cities is to make a city walking and transit oriented as well as cutting down on carbon emissions to better the health, environment, and experience for people there. My design provides a space for people to actually exercise and have fun. If there is a skate park in the city, people will use the space more which can increase exercise and activity in the city. Some may feel that they no longer need to drive or take public transportation, they can just bike or skate. Parks are like the lungs of the city and putting more nature in the area allows the space as a whole to breathe a little and feel more fresh. Since I moved some of the green space that was in the street and transformed it to a park / resting area , the streets and sidewalks may extend. This gives more walking space to pedestrians.


My aunt lived in Cuba for years and told me about her experience at the Revolution Plaza.

"I used to walk through the plaza everyday. It impressed me to be in a country that had a huge symbol of Che on a building rather than an advertisement."
- Lillian Holloway

Sustainable Development Goals

My design helps achieve targets 11.7 and 11.6 because I created a safe and comfortable space for all people to relax and exercise. I rearranged some of the green space that was around the area so people could have more room to walk or drive. I also made it multipurpose so that it's a garden and a hang out spot as well. Putting more parks in cities improve the air quality and environment for people there.
Goal 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

Goal 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

In conclusion, I learned that Urban Planning can change the environment, the way we interact with one another, and how we get from one place to another on a day to day basis. Before taking this class I wasn't aware that people actually had different plans to restructure cities and the way that they look. I also learned that urban planning can be used in other places like the suburbs or smaller towns. The hardest part about this project was finding an area to redesign because I had too many locations in mind. Once I found the Plaza I was really excited to get started with my design. The most interesting part was seeing how the structure looked after and how it has been improved.

New and Improved 3D Design

The Perfect Projecting Clock

In unit 3 for Light, Sound, and Time we focused on time and its effect in our daily lives. We learned a lot about space time as well. One topic we learned about was the twin paradox. The twin paradox is when one twin goes to space and the other stays on earth. Time moves slower for the one who goes to space due to time dilation. Once the twin goes back to earth, they both will be different ages. A Field Experience that we went on that related to this unit is The Planetarium. When I was there, I learned about different time telling devices like the sundial and how other cultures and religions told time or measured the Earth's rotation. The time telling devices that we learned about was the sundial, Foucault Pendulum, and the Chronometer. We also learned about time's relation to light. My favorite part of this unit was getting to know how people told and used time back then. Candles, Incense, Water, and more was used to tell time. For this Action Project, I invented my very own clock. The clock is called The Projecting Clock and it's inspired by a film projector, except it will play your favorite songs, movies, or videos to wake you up in the morning just like an alarm.

In conclusion, this is my favorite unit because I really enjoy space time and theories that relate to space time. I wanted to base my invention off of the film projector because I love cinema and learning about the people who made it what it is today. I really invented something that I know I would use and love as well as my favorite filmmakers. I had such a fun time filming this video and making an original clock that has never been made before. I wish I could really make this clock because it would be easier to wake up. Also, I wouldn't have to open my computer or turn on the TV to find something to watch. Not to mention, the fact that all movies aren't free. I wanted to bring something old fashioned back while making alarm clocks easy and fun to use everyday. I learned that there are so many ways to tell time. We didn't just start off with the traditional clock. There's so much more in the history of time telling.

Cited Sources:

Christos, Papandreou. “Cinema Projector.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Dec. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gznn9k4X0SE&t=62s.

Siyanure. “The Lumiere Brothers' - First Films (1895).” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Dec. 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nj0vEO4Q6s&t=108s.

The Beauty of the Pinhole Camera

Pinhole Camera (AS 2019)

In this unit of my STEAM course, Light, Sound, and Time, we've been studying light and its wonders relating to mathematics and different science principles. The first experiment that we did in class was the Hershey Bar experiment, where you test the changing temperatures of a Hershey Bar while a lamp is placed above it. We wrote down the initial temperature of the piece of chocolate and then the changing temperature. This revealed what light bulb produced the most heat. For a Field Experience, we visited the Latin School in Chicago and visited their dark room. We created a pinhole camera and related it to the ideas of reflection vs. refraction, light waves and particles, and the science behind the eye and its form. Through this class, we also connected the camera to the eye because the camera acts as an eye. The eye can take in light and focus it. A camera does the same with its lens and focal point. The pinhole camera was made out of an oatmeal box. I poked a small piece of aluminum with a pin and made a tiny hole. I then painted the inside of the box black so it could absorb the light coming in. Lastly, I created a shutter on the lens so I could lift it up when light's ready to go inside the box and create the image. My results were successful!

My Pinhole Camera image: An astronaut with my paining (AS 2019)

Calculations: I left the shutter open for 3 1/2 minutes to capture the photo.

Pinhole Calculations (AS 2019)

The first thing I did was measure the height of the object, width, and the height of the pinhole. 

H1= 7.125 in.

W= 4 in. 

H2= 3 in.

I then found the total distance from the paper to the object. By doing that I solved the proportion 3x/3= 28.5/3. I got that by cross multiplying 7.125 in to 4 in and multiplying 3 in by the missing distance (x). The answer I got was 9.5 in. Next, I found the minimum distance between the the object and the camera to capture the entire image. I found that by subtracting the total distance (9.5 in) by the width (4 in) which resulted in 5.5 in. After that I used the Pythagorean Theorem to find the hypotenuse inside the camera as well as the triangle's entire hypotenuse. I started with doing 4^2 + 3^2 and got 25. The final answer for the inside hypotenuse is 5 because the square root of 25 is 5. Then I did 9.5^2 + 7.125^2, and got 11.875 which is the triangle's ENTIRE hypotenuse while 6.875 (sq. root of 11.875 in. ) is the section outside of the camera. Lastly, I used the inverse Tangent, Tan ^ -1 (3/4) to find the angle inside the triangle. As a result, my answer was 36.87 degrees. In order to get the complementary angle, I subtracted 90 degrees by the angle inside and got 53.13 degrees as my answer.

           

I feel so grateful to have received. I always wanted to go to a dark room for photography and after taking my pinhole photography, I got the chance to learn how to process the photo. I also learned so much about light and its wonders. This unit opened my eyes about cameras and how they're very similar to the human eye. I had no idea that they were alike in any way. I also enjoyed doing calculations for this project and breaking everything down. This project made me want to create my own camera at home and experiment with photography and how it relates directly to light. I started this project off thinking that the pinhole camera illustrated refraction and reflection. I found out I was wrong, which led me to a new discovery about light. By far, this was my favorite Action Project!

The Life Cycle of a Vinyl Record

Our last unit in Biomimicry focused on decomposition of different products and Linear/Closed Loop Systems. We started this unit off by doing an experiment with different food. As a class, we brought in different food products and placed it on a Ziploc bag. Over Winter break we left it at school in a plastic bin for 2 weeks. The experiment was supposed to show how each food product decomposed differently. We then did a Lab Report about which product decomposed the most. After that, we went to a Field Experience to The Plant in Chicago. The Plant was a building filled with several different businesses. A lot of the businesses made alcohol and they had a facility full of plants, fish, worms, and waste. We learned about Closed Loop Systems and biodegradable products. While we were there, we built our own system and got to a Shark Tank style pitch to try to sell our product. We also got to see worms and how they break down trash, which gives soil to plants and feeds animals and bugs. Everything then leads back to us. A guest also came into our school to teach us about the different ways worms can help the earth. In this unit, we learned about Fungi as well and how it can also save the world, especially mushrooms. Mushrooms can be used for things such as antibiotics. Like worms, they also give back to the soil, making our world a better place for all organisms. For this Action Project, we had to choose a product an explain its Linear and Closed Loop System. We also had to create a new model of that product that is more sustainable. I chose to remodel a Vinyl Record's sleeve because when sleeves are made, trees are cut down to pulp. Records are also not biodegradable so I talked about different ways that they can be reused. The new model is a sleeve made from recycled cardboard. The record itself is also made from useless and old records by being grounded up. I wanted to prove that there are so many sustainable ways to reuse and remake records rather than throwing them out because it's bad for the earth.

In conclusion, This was my favorite unit because I feel like I got more out of it. I thought it was really interesting that some products take over 1 million years to fully decompose. It made me think more about everything I saw everyday. Before this unit, I knew nothing about Closed Loop Systems. I also didn't even know that Mushrooms are fungi. I thought that it was cool that every product has a different Linear System and is manufactured differently. I learned more about vinyl records as well. I chose to speak about records because they've always been a big part of my life. I've always been fascinated by them and curious about how they actually play. I never knew that you couldn't just throw them out. I also didn't even acknowledge the fact that so many records are wasted on a day to day basis. Since they don't last forever, people usually keep them in storage or give them to record stores. Some records never get played again. I wasn't aware that they could be toxic to the earth too. Now, I want to start donating records I don't use to companies so they can make new and improved ones. I think that every product should give back to the earth in some way instead of being treated like waste. It would change the world and the human's relationship with nature.

Design and Engineering: Making A Tool For You

In Design and Engineering class, we learn about producing things that we can use in our everyday lives. We also incorporate Mathematics and Physics to understand what components go into designing products. In this unit, we learned about simple machines and how they are used. For example, we got to see how wedges, levers, and inclined planes work before learning about tools and how people use them in their everyday life.

This action project was about empathy, but mainly about how we can use empathy to develop new tools for people who may not function the way the “average” person does. The user would be an elderly person, but the tool I made can be used by anyone with a physical or mental disability. Our main focus was to make a product for someone that is of old age and has difficulties with using regular tools. Empathy is understanding how someone really feels. In order to create a product for someone else, we need to use empathy.

I interviewed my neighbor Eileen about the tools she uses in her garden. She stated, "I love a tool that doesn't require much bending". This inspired me to make a sledgehammer that won't cause back strains when using it.

Three things I learned from interviews with gardeners and experts:
1. Good grip is important and effective.
2. Tools with a sturdy and sharp point are helpful (shovels for ex.)
3. Multipurpose tools work best.

Three things I learned from researching existing examples of my tool:
1. The best sledge hammers are the most expensive.
2. They’re usually made with steel.
3. They come in different shapes, lengths, and sizes.


My new and improved tool is called the “Grave Diga”. The Grave Diga is an example of a lever because one hand would be considered the fulcrum, while the other hand is the first weight, making the head of the tool the second weight. It’s a sledge hammer with a long length and movable handle grips on the ends. It is made out of carbon fiber so it’s lighter. The handle grips are helpful for old people who may need more support. The grip slides up and down for an easy use. Some people have really weak or shaky hands so the grip and extra hand support helps with that. Since it is very long, you don’t have to bend down that much either. Just lift and smash.

My partner and I did some prior research on the sledgehammers by looking at other sledgehammers. We went to Home Depot as a Field Experience and looked for the improvements we could make. We noticed that the grip was not stable enough and it was too heavy. From there we looked up the prices of the sledgehammers we saw and the materials used to make it. This gave us a good sense of what we needed to create: an affordable tool with simple but helpful qualities. Knowing this information led us to creating an easy product for mostly elderly people.

Three ways my tool is better than the competition:
1. Carbon fiber to make it lighter.
2. Hand strap and grips are for shaking or weak hands.
3. Sliding grip for comfortable use.

A lot of sledgehammers have very uncomfortable grips. Any tool without a sturdy grip can make the job hard and time consuming. The Grave Diga is unlike other tools because it has everything you want and need in a sledgehammer.

I learned that it’s possible to make a tool that doesn’t already exist. I also learned that you need to understand empathy to create a product for someone. This was not easy for me because I had to make a model for someone who doesn't function like I do. I’m not an old person so I don’t exactly know what a “good tool” would be for the elderly. I had to put myself in the shoes of an old person and think outside the box. One obstacle I encountered was figuring out how to make the sledge hammer lighter. The sledge hammer has to be heavy in order to do the job because of the hard steel/metal material. I had to think of different ways I could make it either lighter or easier to hold. The handle straps seemed like a reasonable choice. Thinking outside the box, especially when faced with difficult obstacles can be challenging but it is worth it in the end.