Green Building Competition

7 February 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chester Leung 11B

 

Our DT Higher Level class has participated in the “My Green Space” Green Building Competition for Schools. Out of the 8 shortlisted finalists, three of them were from our school. They were Haven and my project, Regina’s project and Nicole’s project. My partner Haven and I are extremely excited that our Green School Project was shortlisted into the finalists.

 

As finalists, we had to present our project before a panel of judges. We had to prepare for anything the judges would throw at us, therefore we needed to contemplate how our building would perform in many different areas, such as electricity usage, location factors, the building materials used.

 

On the day of the competition, we were confident that we had everything covered. What we didn’t anticipate was how all the other teams appeared way more prepared than we were. They brought thick booklets of information while all we had were some statistics and figures that supported our design. We were baffled to see how much they had prepared, but we were still confident that we had what it took to rise above the competition.

 

The jam-packed information ironically proved to be detrimental in the end, as their pile of information was packed with data that actually contradicted their claims, and in fact proved the assumptions in their design flawed. It also wasted much of their 5 minutes’ presentation time as the information was largely irrelevant to the rest of their contents. When the judges raised their questions, they exploited this misinformation by asking sharp questions that demolished their arguments,  showing how their designs were unrealistic.

 

On the other hand, we made sure to back up our design with data that supported it, and not data that disproved our plausibility. Having sat through the junior secondary and most of the senior secondary project presentations, it made us nervous that the judges were fixated on the practicalities of the designs, and questioned unrelentingly on every crack and noose in the design. When it came to our turn, we simply focused on explaining our design in as much detail as we could. When the judges asked questions, they didn’t ask much as they were dazed at how rounded our presentation was. To me that just proved that instead of blindly  throwing out every bit of research you have done, it is much better to know where that information plays along with what you have. Although we were very nervous to begin with, as our presentation went along I became more confident with what we had prepared and our presentation became more fluid.

 

In the end I was really glad that our presentation went as well as it did, kudos to everyone who participated, as we all did a great job in this competition. We are now waiting for the results to be announced in March.

 

 

Regina Chen 11A

 

The Green Building Competition was certainly a meaningful and enjoyable experience for me, and a great CAS creativity opportunity for us IB students to unleash our creative talents, expose ourselves to new knowledge, develop new skills, and undertake new challenges.

 

The final assessment of the GBC was held in the Jockey Club Environmental Building in Kowloon Tong on February 7. It consisted of a 5-minutes presentation and a 5-minutes Q&A session with the judges. At the start of the presentation, it was quite intimidating for me to present on stage before a panel of professional judges (architects, engineers, professors) and a large audience. However, I gradually overcame my initial nervousness and spoke with confidence. The question and answering session was the most challenging part – the judges’ questions were totally unexpected. It tested our ability to think on the spot, and to explain, support and elaborate our design in a deeper, more comprehensive level. Therefore, not only have I developed effective presentation techniques, but also the ability to answer demanding questions from professional judges and elevate my design.

 

Last but not least, the competition was really inspiring as it opened my eyes to a new level of green architecture concepts, creative, innovative and sustainable design ideas that could be implemented in Hong Kong and around the world. What a meaningful and valuable experience!

 

 

Nicole Chiew 11A

 

For the Green Building competition, my design was a green exhibition hall. At first, we handed in our proposals and a model of our Green Building design, which I made with the laser cutter. After being shortlisted, we had to create a presentation based on our design of the building. The most difficult problem I encountered was the presentation part, as I was not good at public speaking. However I have overcome my fears and the competition gave me a chance to gain experience and become more confident at public speaking. In general, although the process was very time-consuming, I thoroughly enjoyed the competition from the start till the end.

 

It was also a valuable learning opportunity for me. From other contestants and the feedback given from the moderators, I learnt a lot more about how to create a “green” building effectively. I was certainly glad that I jumped out of my comfort zone to challenge myself and learn new things. I also learnt to calm my nerves during a presentation.

 

This was a truly memorable experience. Thanks to Ms. Gee for signing us up to the competition, supporting and guiding us throughout the process and even on the presentation day! I am also very grateful to my classmates, Chester, Regina and Haven, who gave me a lot of encouragement on the presentation day and created happy memories that I can cherish. It wouldn't have been such an awesome day without you three.

 

Haven Lee 11C

 

Recently, Chester and I joined the “My Green Space” Green Building Competition for Schools. The aim of the competition is to design an environmentally friendly building. Our group’s design improved existing facilities at our school and added extra green features. After handing in the proposal, we had to do a brief presentation to the judges explaining our design concept. It was a new experience for me as it was my first time participating in this kind of competition before. Not only did I learn more about designing buildings, but I also had the chance to improve my presentation skills, as I learnt more on speaking in front of an audience under high pressure.