The simple diagrams you make here will help you understand how the existing library location and design compare with your new ideas.

Try This

• Walk around the exterior of your school building and take photos of possible locations for your new library with outdoor seating.
• Draw a floorplan of your existing library and include it in this step.
• You may also want to include a site plan of your school, showing where the library fits into the school.
• Use Google Maps to view and print out an aerial photo of your school.
• On a piece of tracing paper placed over the aerial photo of your school, sketch a diagram showing a large arc around the building to show the path of the sun throughout the day.  This drawing is called a site analysis diagram. (Remember, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.)
• Draw other lines on this diagram to indicate the best views around the building.

Think About

• Will this library replace your school's existing library or become an addition to a different part of the building? Will it be built in an empty lot or space?  Will it be underground or built on the roof?  You decide.
• Spend some time looking at the aerial photo of your school.  What types of other buildings surround your school?  Homes, businesses, parks, parking lots, or an empty field?  How will these other buildings impact the design of your new library?
• What types of streets surround your school? Are they busy or quiet?
• Based on the site analysis diagram you've sketched, where is the sun located throughout the school day? 
• How can the indoor and outdoor seating areas of your new library be positioned to take advantage of the sunlight for good lighting?

In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas come together with drawings and models that can show others your solutions for a new library.

Important! Since DiscoverDesign is about investigating the design process, the other people viewing your project - other students around the country, your teacher, and the mentors - want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that while you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.

Try This

• Draw a sketch or use software such as Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, or Revit to illustrate your ideas.  You can upload photos (JPG files) from your SketchUp model, video fly throughs (FLV files) of your SketchUp model, or drawings (DWF files) from AutoCAD.
• Consider including the following types of spaces and furnishings:
  • indoor seating area (tables, seating)
  • outdoor seating area (tables, seating)
  • book storage (shelves)
  • media storage
  • audio / visual labs
  • computers
  • meeting spaces
  • librarian desk (place to check out or return materials)
  • small office for library staff
  • cafe
  • bins for recycling

The final step of the design process is to create more finished drawings that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text, and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited your school.

Continue to collect feedback from your peers, teachers and the online community to help you improve on your final design. Be sure to review and add constructive comments on the work of other students who are solving the same design problem. If your ideas change, be sure to explain your thinking and let others know about the new work you have posted to your account.

You might want to share floor plans, elevations, renderings of your digital model, photos of a physical model, or a video animation of your model.

But you aren't done yet! Be sure to comment on other projects in the competition to foster, encourage, and build an online design community of learners in DiscoverDesign.  CAF will also recognize students that provide both encouragement and constructive criticism on students' work throughout the run of the competition.