Tiny House Project

TINY HOUSE PROJECT, watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_fQS31cYcs to see our process in video.

PHASE:1
Building The Team

On this first phase we were randomly grouped in a pair to learn the basics of SketchUp. We had to collaborate and create a 3D model of a house. We then later chose to stay together or separate for the rest of the project. Then we picked the rest of our group members by choosing a description with the strengths of an anonymous student. There were 14 groups of 3-4 students. Other than just a group we also did activities to bond with the whole team and that required everyone to work together creating a strong bond between one another.

Reflection

A strength a gained in building a team was meeting new people and me as a shy person eliminated a lot of that shyness from this bonding. I learned how to interact with someone and that it is good to stretch out of my comfort zone sometimes. Something I would want to do better or learn more on is to do in the very beginning, get to know everyone rather than throughout the year. I think it can create a better bond with one another.

PHASE:2
Learning To Live Tiny

On the 2nd phase we started by standing up and looking at a taped rectangle on the floor. Our teachers gave us the question of what we thought that "box" could be used as. So many responses were said, until someone finally said a house. Everyone was shocked when they said some houses were that big. Nobody new what a "Tiny House" was. In the group table we were at we had to create a floor plan with people we had just met that day. This helped us bond and stretch our creativity. We later created a 16'x16' life-size Tiny House made entirely from cardboard tape and cloths. We were being taught about downsizing and how it can help you be a happier person. We even experimented with the 30 day challenge which was to bring 20 items that belonged to you from your house. When the 30 days were over we would have to name every single 20 items that you brought. If you didn't remember all 20 it meant you didn't really need it.

Reflection

In this phase I learned that you don't always need everything you have that is stored in a box under your bed. And we might think we need it because we get really easily attached to things that are not needed. I really liked learning this because it gave me another prospective in having what I have, and why I might be a hoarder... Haha. When I walked into our finished cardboard life size tiny house it felt a bit cramped but that I could live there by myself but I would have to adjust a bit. When walking into the actual tiny house building it felt bigger than I thought it would, it was still small but I could totally live there.

PHASE:3
Learning To Build A Park

Before building our Tiny Home we started off with a community park in Logan Heights working with Space 4 Art. This was good because some students never used some tools we would have to use to build a house and got familiar with them. The students that have used them got a further understanding with them.

Reflection

During this occasion I was creating panels for a fence, I got to further understand how to use power tools and measure correctly. We also later created stencils for designs on the fence. This was a really cool experience because not a lot of people get to do this as freshman's.

Final drawing draft

PHASE:4
Team Banner/Logo

In phase 4 we created our team name by brainstorming names that described us. We tried sticking more to the professional names because we would present our team name to the artists. We all lastly voted and the name "Sempiternal" won. Sempiternal was symbolic to us because it means forever lasting, eternal, and everlasting. We really liked this because we wanted our team and project to be forever and not to die. That we left our marks somewhere and made a change together as a team. We later got in pairs and created our own ideas and drafts of a logo/banner. We then presented them to the team and each got voted until there were 3 last designs. 2 of them were quite similar and one of those designs was mine. So the teachers thought it was a good idea to combine them. And that design was the winner. Then I drew the combined designs and later presented it and the meaning. The tree symbolized family, the chained sign was how we are all chained together like a team, the clock represented how there is no time and how we are everlasting, the circles inside symbolized how everything keeps going and is no stop like the circle of life.

Reflection

I am really proud of myself in this because I am a person that usually likes everything to be the way it is or how its suppose to. And making a change to it was a strength and keeping an open mind which I learned. I am also really happy that I got to do the banner because I am always so exited and like creating logos a lot because I think its cool being the creator; I also like creating them because you get to brainstorm and be creative and see all the possibilities.

PHASE:5
Interviewing & Designing W/ The Artists

In the 5th phase we interviewed our artists and got ideas of how to make the house to fit them specifically. We asked questions like 'Do you like open spaces?, Do you need a lot of lighting? artificial or natural?..etc.' Professional architects later helped us understand how housing layouts work; the direction of windows, what the sun can affect. They taught is how to draw blueprints and furniture. We had to look up ideas of unique storage so there can be as much space as possible for them. This got us brainstorming a lot and later started creating the blueprints and a 3D digital model. Once finishing that, we created our first draft physical 3D paper models. Then created our final draft out of foam board.

Reflection

This was one of the funnest yet hardest part of the physics portion of the project. It was fun because this was when you could be creative and be really out there. But it was challenging because you had to really think about every decision you added to the blueprints, you also had to agree with your group members which was harder for me. I learned that I really like creating blueprints and drawing them very professionally. I also really liked and learned how to created 3D foam models because they were really fun and I liked being precise with the measurements and cutting every detail.

PHASE:6
Presenting Blueprints, Layout Pages & SketchUp Models To The Artists

Now came our Presentation of Learning to an audience of Professional architects and artists. Before presenting we had to create a slide show with all of our work and designs on it. We also made scripts to say while presenting that we had to memorize and practice so we can look very professional. In the presentations we also had to be ready to answer questions about our work or the project.

Reflection

This part was harder because you had to present all the work you have done to real professional architects, and they were tuff on us and would only say the truth very strictly. But I liked this a lot too because this was the time we could show off all our amazing hard work. I learned how the 'real world' feels. That not everyone will treat you like a little kid and that its just fine. It made me grow strength on always creating the best of the best work.

PHASE:7
Fundraising

We joined and started Kickstarter so we can fundraise to create our first actual tiny house. Kickstarter gave us a month to raise $18k. This is when everyone went crazy! We were telling everyone we knew about this, our family, friends, family friends, social media.. Literally anything you could imagine. We tried getting on the radio and the news, to making fast food fundraisers. There was videos we created that we posted in social media to get people pumped. We created many and many fliers and put them up everywhere. A lot of people thought we wouldn't of had made it this far and wouldn't be able to raise 18k, because that is a lot of money, but our teachers and team mates would always keep it being positive and that we could make it.

Click _ to see our Kickstarter video!

Click _ to see our First fundraising video!

Reflection

One strength I got out of this phase was that anything is possible. Even us teenagers building houses! If you really want something you can make it happen, with struggle or without. I really wish we would have actually all physically have talked to all our families and friends to all come to our exhibitions because we could probably get more help and the possibilities are endless. We could get around to create this into something bigger.

PHASE:8
A Building Company Is Born

At the last day to raise money we made it to 18k, and even went a bit over! We are so happy we accomplished this, a bunch of 9th graders doing this is very impressive. We wouldn't have made it without our whole team and teachers. Enough said...Now our company has started building our first tiny house at Space 4 Art. Each student got put in a groups or had a personal job. So we all had something to do involving this.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2073064591/sempiternal-tiny-homes-building-homes-for-local-ar

Reflection

During the building process I learned a lot about what tools or terms were called because I was talking care of the shack where all the tools were. I had a lot of practice in drilling, sanding, sawing, and hammering. One thing I would have wanted to do is work more on hammering because I think it is really cool knowing how to hammer really well or on the first try. I also learned not only about the physical building but building a team with people because when doing something like this you need to always be accountable and attentive and responsible. You need to be precise about everything you do because every little mistake counts. I got a little glance on how the real world is..

PHASE:9
Exhibition

In exhibition we all got a schedule where we have to be each 30 minutes. There was different stations (Tiny house entrance, Group panel, Models, Movie station, Book, and Tiny house exit station) and all got 3-4 stations we had to be at. In the entrance we gave people summaries about the project before they went inside so they know what everything actually means. In the group panels we talked about what it means and how we represented our artist in it. In the movie station we talked about each phase. In the book station we talked about the process and what it is about. In the tiny house exit we had a white board that had the question "Would you go tiny?" and everyone we free to write their opinion on it.

Reflection

My jobs were the Tiny house entrance, group panel, Models, and Book station. I really liked the Tiny house entrance because in this role we had to greet people, tell them about our project, why we were doing the Tiny House Project and intrigue them. I thought it was really fun because I also gave them my personal opinions about everything and I felt really confident about knowing all of this because I sounded very professional. At the end of everything looking back at all we have done in exhibition I am amazed and I bet a lot of people were too. And I believe we can do more now, I can't wait what next years projects will be and what we can do now with all of our experience.