Colby Okinaka and Barrett Lockwood scurried around a wind tunnel Sunday temporarily stationed in Kealakehe High School cafeteria.
Colby Okinaka and Barrett Lockwood scurried around a wind tunnel Sunday temporarily stationed in Kealakehe High School cafeteria.
Inside the chamber was their modest shelter of wood, cardboard, a bamboo skewer and copious amounts of tape. Its shape resembled a barn, but with very short walls. The skewer was placed in the middle to provide additional support. The only occupant was a miniature crash test dummy whose head touched the ceiling.
As the air began blowing quickly through the tunnel, the 10-year-old boys moved from anticipation to excitement as they became the first students to design a shelter that could sustain wind. Their prototype successfully endured the approximately 31 mph wind and was not damaged — achievements instantly celebrated with impromptu dancing.
“It feels great to come up with a design, build it and know it actually works the way we thought it would,” said Lockwood, a Kahakai Elementary School fifth-grader.
Their dummy, on the other hand, did not fare too well. At the end of the test, it was found lying face down on the cardboard floor and partly outside the shelter.
“It might be a little injured,” Okinaka said, though still thrilled with the design’s overall results.
Okinaka and Lockwood were among more than 15 third- through seventh-graders who participated in the first-ever Extreme Force Design Workshop organized by the American Institute of Architects Honolulu – Hawaii Island Section.
The free event was in celebration of April being Architecture Month and was good preparation for those planning to participate in FIRST LEGO League robotics competition in the fall. Organizers hoped to get participants interested in architecture, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as build their confidence in such subjects, said Shaun Roth, an AIA Honolulu director and Holualoa Elementary School’s robotics team coach.
During the workshop, students learned about natural forces that cause destruction, such as volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes, and were given an opportunity to devise a way to protect against or withstand them.
They were tasked with conceiving, designing and building a shelter resistant to wind, rain, sun and earthquakes. Their structure also had to be able to house at least one standing dummy — and needed to be appealing. They brainstormed solutions to various challenges, including whether to make something rigid or flexible. Their prototypes also had to survive a shake table and wind tunnel.
Along the way, the students received guidance and encouragement from local architects, Kealakehe High School’s Tiki Techs, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory seismologist Paul Okubo, and parents. Great innovation and thought were demonstrated; some students took additional time really to consider what made a shelter a dwelling and put their own spin on the project.
Besides building a sturdy A-frame structure with her partner, Holualoa Elementary School third-grader Megan Durkin, 8, also took into account what would make people feel comfortable. This included a skylight, hot tub, lanai, stepping stones, a painted roof and a privacy area.
Nine-year-old Nicholas White called Sunday’s workshop “cool” because “it helps you appreciate how things are put together.”
The Kahakai Elementary School fourth-grader said he’s a fan of demolition television shows, would possibly like a career in the demolition industry, and the knowledge he received Sunday may someday help him if he ever makes a mistake tearing down buildings or other structures.