Designing the Prototype

Hello from Greengineering!

This week I went on a field trip, missing two days of class so I did not work that much on the HydroLoft system. However, I am in the process of designing a prototype. I am calling the prototype Alpha-HydroLoft (or AHL for short). AHL is going to be a 1/4 size of the real system and designed on a grid representing two by two square feet. The real system is estimated to be six feet tall and six feet long, excluding the top shelf, which is an extra one and a half feet for solar panels to power the system.

Originally, the prototype was going to be tubes that conducted water with plants in them. See the image below.

However, there is a problem, how to hold the tubes up? I was thinking rope but I am still not sure of that. I talked to my biology teacher about the system, and she suggested plastic bottles with soil and rocks that drained out the bottom into the next. The only problem I had was that there wouldn't be constant flow, the pump would need to be inactive and there would also need to be accounting for the water absorbed by the soil. So I thought of a compromise:

This is the same idea as the pipe system, but each plastic bottle drains to the next, like a set of stairs. This plan could change again, but the plastic bottle stairs idea is great because it is aesthetically pleasing, uses plastic bottles, and allows the water to flow quickly and easily. It would also be much easier to tie rope around; once at the first indent, then again at the bottleneck. Once I have finished the AHL design, I will write about that and about building it.

Thanks for reading,
Ben

What is HydroLoft? and Interviews

Hey all,

If you're reading this, you're probably interested in green-engineering. If not, welcome anyway!

The project concerned with this blog is called HydroLoft. HydroLoft is a hydroponic plant-growing system for the culinary department of Newton North High School, based in a room called "The Tiger's Loft".

So what the heck does that mean? First of all, A hydroponic system is a system that uses water to do something. In this case, to grow plants, specifically, spices. Newton North High School is the school I attend. Within NNHS is a culinary department, which mainly works in a room called The Tiger's Loft. In The Tiger's Loft, students make a variety of meals for students, mainly sold during lunch and breakfast. This hydroponic system will help supply spices for The Tiger's Loft, thus, giving it the name HydroLoft.

HydroLoft is still in the design phase. At the moment, it is just an idea, but it will be designed in full detail and then re-created in real life and implemented into the school.

Part of the design process is consumerism - the part that deals with the consumers, in this case, the Tiger's Loft's chefs and the people they serve. What I have done is interviewed the director, Ms. McKinney, and both chefs and students alike.

When I interviewed Ms. McKinney, she was very open to the idea. We concluded that the system should be able to fit on the window ledge (this is possible due to the large width) so that it will receive sunlight for much of the day. I asked her what plants she would like to be grown. I received the following as an answer: 

• Basil
• Rosemary
• Cilantro
• Thyme
• Sage
• Mint

When I asked Ms. McKinney about salads, her and I agreed that it would probably not be able to grow enough food for an ample amount of salads. "Besides..." she added "we already order our food online. Anything we get from this is a bonus."

As for interviewing more people, I am making a survey, which I hope to publicize very soon and give the link to the students and staff that work in the Tiger's Loft and other classes.

-Ben