Our Takeaways:
This was our group's first go at designing a tiny research station, and we learned a lot along the way. While it is impossible to encapsulate all of our learnings in a written document (hence the importance of experiential learning!), we still want to give a brief list of our major takeaways:
- A lot goes into a building!
- Communication: frequently and honestly
- Commitment to Each Other
A lot goes into a building!
Our group quickly learned that building a house, even a tiny house, is no easy feat. Not only are there a plethora of design decisions to make, but also we learned how interdependent many of these decisions are. An example we frequently use is wall insulation thickness. The insulation thickness of the wall that the energy monitoring group decides affects the interior group because it changes the available floor space, it affects the energy systems group because it affects the heat load requirements and thus the energy requirements, and it affects the envelope group because it determines the insulation amount and the cross section framework. The vast interdependencies with each decision made the design process all the more challenging, and it leads directly into our second takeaway...
Communication: Frequently and Honestly
To deal with the interdependencies of decisions for the structure, frequent communication between the subgroups was paramount. If a proposed decision was made by one subgroup, all subgroups that are affected by it need to be made aware, and have to approve of the decision. This meant communications between subgroups much more frequently than the once-a-week scheduled meeting, as it is important to discuss the details in full individually. Honesty when communicating plans is also expected, as there is no hiding anything in design decisions. The truth will always come out eventually, so there is no need to cower from difficulties or shortcomings in any decision made. The group will be better knowing the full scope of each design decision.
Commitment to Each Other
Along with honest communication comes commitment to the group. If a member says he or she will complete a certain task, it is expected that that person will follow through with that promise or let the group know if he or she cannot complete it. Every member has enough on their plate, so being accountable and reliable makes the group much more productive. Our commitment to each other is the only way we got a final design for the structure after only 6 weeks of design!