Development of environmental spaces through Exemplar

Development of 2 Indoor and 1 Outdoor Presentation Space:
Educational Centre to be focused on environmental factors and ways to improve the environment


Possible activities to include could be:
(Ideas sourced from Brewongle Environmental Education Centre in NSW)

Energy Audits:

•  Pre-Visit: Brewongle will request a copy of the school’s electricity bills for the past 12 months. These bills will be used on the day to calculate the amount of electricity the school is using on a day to day basis.

• Energy Use and Climate Change (30min): Where does our electricity come from? What is the Greenhouse Effect? What is Climate Change? What are some of the effects of Climate Change?

• Energy Using Devices in Your School (30min): Calculate and tabulate the approximate number of energy using devices in the school / classroom. Identify and record any evidence of energy wastage.  

• Measuring Energy Usage (45min): Measure the energy usage rates of a variety of appliances. Determine the energy use of a classroom and calculate its carbon footprint. Create a scenario and measure the potential energy use of a student in one day.

• The Electricity Bills (30min): Investigate the school’s electricity bills for the past 12 months. Calculate the amount of energy used in a year, a day, per student and the cost. Compare these findings with Department of Education and Training’s goals for energy use.

• Alternative Energy Sources (30 min): Demonstrate and investigate a number of alternative energy and energy saving devices.

• Developing Strategies (30min): Discuss the findings with the students and consider possible solutions. Divide the students into small groups and focus on developing strategies the school might adopt to improve its energy use and management. 

• Report: Brewongle will provide the school with a post-visit report that details the results of the audit. Brewongle can assist in incorporating the audit results into the School Environmental Management Plan and / or your National Solar Schools Program. 

Biodiversity Audit:

• What is Biodiversity? (30min): Examine Australia’s rich biodiversity. Why is biodiversity important? Highlight species extinction rates and the implications for life on Earth.
• How to Measure Biodiversity (10min): Explain the features of a healthy habitat and the method for conducting a habitat assessment.

• Habitat Assessment (30min): Conduct a habitat assessment of a garden / area of your school. Measure the heights of trees, identify key plant species and record incidental wildlife sightings.

• Invertebrate Survey (30min): Search, collect and identify invertebrates found in the garden / area from which you have conducted the habitat assessment.

• Analysing results (10min): Discuss findings and evaluate the health and potential biodiversity of the garden/ area within your school.

• Google Earth (10min): Examine aerial images of your school to better understand the broader local environment and consider possible solutions to increasing the health of local habitats

• Developing Strategies (30min): Discuss the findings with the students and consider possible solutions. Divide the students into small groups and focus on developing strategies the school might adopt to improve its use and management of school grounds. 

• Report: Brewongle will provide the school with a post-visit report that details the results of the audit. Brewongle can assist in incorporating the audit results into the School Environmental Management Plan and / or your National Solar Schools Program.

Based on researching into this particular environmental centre and seeing how it benefits from being in such a natural setting.. my design should focus more on technological side of things considering that the only natural element to the site is the river.

Therefore: the building should also incorporate water system research and testing

Similar to this Water Audit taken from Brewongle:
Pre-visit: The centre will request a copy of the school’s water bills for the past 12 months and an A3 size map of the school. These bills will be used on the day to calculate the amount of water the school is using on a day to day basis and the map for the stormwater activity.
The Importance of Fresh Water (30min): Demonstrate the Earth’s fresh water supplies, revise the water cycle, examine a typical water using device, identify water pollution and discuss the importance of water to all living things.
Water Using Devices in Your School (30min): Calculate and tabulate the approximate number of water using devices in the school. Identify and record any evidence of water leaks or wastage.  

Measuring Water Usage (30min): Measure the flow rates of taps and bubblers and the flushing volume of toilets. Create a scenario and measure the potential water use of a student in one day.

The Water Bills (30min): Investigate the school’s water bills for the past 12 months. Calculate the amount of water used in a year, a day, per student and the cost. Compare these findings with Department of Education and Training’s targets for water use.

Stormwater (30min): Identify a number of stormwater pits and determine their catchments and direction of flow. List all polluting materials found within the catchments and consider possible pollutants that are not necessarily visible.

Google Earth (10min): Observe aerial views of the school and identify the local waterway into which the stormwater flows. Discuss possible implications for the local waterway from pollution in the stormwater.

Developing Strategies (30min): Discuss the findings with the students and consider possible solutions. Divide the students into small groups and focus on developing strategies the school might adopt to improve its water use and management. 

Report: We will provide the school with a post-visit report that details the results of the audit. The centre can assist in incorporating the audit results into the School Environmental Management Plan and / or your National Solar Schools Program.

I know that this is a lot of writing and may seem somewhat boring but I think that all of these ideas are a good base for the type of spaces that I want to create within my building.