Design Thinking

For three days all year 9s participated in the Design Thinking Project which involved making a mini suburb to scale in a 3x3 metre square in the newly built STEAM Connect Centre. Throughout the three days the students got the opportunity to learn new skills in a range of different areas which included; 3D printing, laser cutting, marketing, electronics, project management, energy efficiency, robotics and scaling. We improved our critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills and overcame problems as a group.

The winning team made a town called, ‘Northpass’ (a town you just can’t pass) that was centered around the inclusivity of everyone no matter age, gender, race or sexuality. We had three main components, nature and sustainability, lifestyle and convenience. In a world where climate change is continuously impacting our society we decided to include some elements that would not only bring the community together but maintain a clean town. We had many solar panels and rooftop gardens as well a communal veggie patch with a chicken coop to encourage local fresh produce.

Our town had a variety of different buildings, for family, young adults, and an elderly nursing home, all the houses were in close proximity with parks and shopping facilities. These shops provided jobs for townspeople while also supplying people with entertainment. We made an effort to put roads but also footpaths and bike paths to discourage people from driving cars which in practise will reduce our carbon footprint.

Overall it was a very successful and fun few days and everyone in our year benefited from it.

Olivia Ayyuce & Izzy Newell 9A