20 Rectangles Project
The 20 Rectangles project focused on the aesthetic side of engineering. An object had to be designed and built that was composed of exactly twenty rectangles. This object had to fit within one of four general categories of design - object design, information design, environmental design, or experience design. The materials allowed for this project were mat board, spray paint, and clear glue.
The object also had to fit the following criteria or it was disqualified:
The grading of this project was based on whether or not it fit the criteria, as well as a student vote on aesthetics. Every project was displayed and voted on by students from other classes. The project that received the most votes earned forty points, and for each lower place the number of points won decreased by increments of five points.
The object also had to fit the following criteria or it was disqualified:
- Must fit within a six-inch cubed space
- Must be able to stand flat on all six sides
- Must contain only rectangular shapes and have exactly twenty rectangles
- Must have one other color
The grading of this project was based on whether or not it fit the criteria, as well as a student vote on aesthetics. Every project was displayed and voted on by students from other classes. The project that received the most votes earned forty points, and for each lower place the number of points won decreased by increments of five points.
For the 20 Rectangles project, I first sketched four different solutions. Two of those were building designs, categorized under "object design." The second two were courtyard/park designs, categorized under "environmental design." I chose one of the courtyard designs as my final design. I then calculated all the measurement specifications and made a list of all the pieces I would need to assemble the final product. I created a model, using spare cardboard I had at home, so that I would be familiar with the assembly process. For the final product, I drew all of the pieces on the mat board, cut them out, and then painted each piece before gluing them together.
For the student vote competition, my project placed in a three-way tie for third place.
My take-away from this project, being the first real project of the class, was to make sure I understand all of the requirements for any project. For this project, I misunderstood the requirement to have one other color. I took it to mean at least one other color, but my instructor had wanted the project to have only one other color.
For the student vote competition, my project placed in a three-way tie for third place.
My take-away from this project, being the first real project of the class, was to make sure I understand all of the requirements for any project. For this project, I misunderstood the requirement to have one other color. I took it to mean at least one other color, but my instructor had wanted the project to have only one other color.
Gallery: