Halve It Component:

My design project focuses heavily on the Environment pillar of our schools framework.

Environmental Design means choosing the way we design our spaces, while considering soil, trees, and water. Most Middle Schools are just concrete buildings, but using environmental design helps young people be curious and feel more calm to be able to thrive and grow.

Sustainable Development Goal:

SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
The Water Works project meets SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) because it provides a place for Middle Schoolers to express fun and enjoyment, being curious and feeling included.

School Context:

If you look at our new school design, there is a big problem: There are no fun water play spaces or interesting water features. Even though all Middle School students are almost teenagers, it doesn't mean they can't have fun playing with water. Have you ever seen a Middle school with a water play space? Having a fun water space makes recess and lunch much more enjoyable. It simulates the brain and the sound of the water dripping will make you feel relaxed and ready to learn. A study conducted of Middle School Living School students showed 52 out of 83 students preferred water features in their school campus. This confirms the importance of water in our play spaces.

Ancient China:

My design is deeply connected to ancient China because they believe that water is the root of life. They believed that beauty and ugliness, virtue and unworthiness, ignorance and brilliance are born in water. Humans too, are born of water. Water is like a mirror that reflects the nature of the people who form their lives around the water. It does not take an excellent mind to see the link between polluted river courses and the wellbeing of people today. Ancient Chinese believed that water could relieve stress. Including a water feature in our Middle School would aim to have the same impact, a place to gather and recognise the importance of life while also relieving stress. 

Blue Zones:

My design is very connected to the Blue Zones of the world. Blue Zones are places in the world where people tend to live longer due to a healthier environment. Water connects to this because, in Blue Zones, bodies of water serve as natural gathering spaces, reducing isolation and fostering bonds which are critical to mental health. Also the sights and sounds of water can trigger the release of neurochemicals like dopamine and oxytocin, naturally lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Water also helps attention restoration by watching ripples and playing with water is less stressful than other environments, which helps relieve stress and mental fatigue. This makes water a critical feature to include in our Middle School design. 

Hundertwasser:

Most of my design is inspired by Austrian artist and architect, Friedensreich Hudertwasser. Hundertwasser deeply hated modern designs; he preferred curvy lines and imperfect styles. One quite famously said by him,“…straight lines are godless and immoral…” which strongly corresponds to my design with smooth carved out wood and wonky concrete pipes and fun playful ideas with no modern aesthetic.

How might we design a fun, interactive water feature that supports inclusion, enjoyment and socialisation?

The design solution is the Waterworks Play Space. This fun water play space should be located in the current Carrington street carpark. The water features dimensions should be 4m x 1m and will work to replace a boring carpark area with a fun, interactive water play space.

The water play space begins with a light blue water pump. Using physical force, students pump up water that runs through several concrete pipes and smooth carved out wooden logs. Featuring elements like with cool stones inside the wood, easy for cool water to run through, fixes boredom and makes students of all ages feel included.

As soon as lunch starts, the students will run over to the new water play space. They will start to feel like they have a place where they belong and feel included. This space provides a fun play space for all ages to play with and express curiosity, relieving stress and making them feel ready to learn when they go back to class.

We will use eco-friendly materials and reuse materials from previous projects. For example, we could use old floorboards, stones from backyards, an old water pump and wood from already chopped down trees. We could get some of the younger Middle Schoolers to help make some of the details like carving out the wood. We will ask around if anyone has any spare materials.

This design will bring curiosity and inclusiveness into our school, and give Middle Schoolers a place where they feel like they belong.