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Title
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Build a Better Building
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Type
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Primary: Field Assignment
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Operation
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Monster Storms
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Mission:
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Mission 5: The Recovery
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Print Page
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104,105
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Subjects
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Science | Earth and space science | Weather | Hurricanes | Precipitation | Storms | Wind | Personal and social issues | Personal health | Safety and security | Science and technology | Engineering technology | Technological design | Science as inquiry | Science process skills | Analyzing data | Experimenting | Interpreting data | Predicting
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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hurricanes, wind field maps, hurricane analysis, Saffir-Simpson Scale, hurricane behavior, city planning, wind data, storm planning, hurricane planning, house design, building design, wind damage, storm damage, hurricane damage, property damage, damage control, storm simulation, hurricane simulation, hurricane force conditions, hurricane-proof buildings, wind patterns, architecture
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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5/20/2007
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Copyright
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Photo courtesy of Mark Wolfe/FEMA Photo Library.
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From: Monster Storms Mission 5: The Recovery (pp: 104,105) |
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Build a Better Building Discover how scientists create and use wind field maps to help storm planners minimize hurricane damage. Then create your own wind field map and design a house you think is strong enough to withstand hurricane forces. |
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Now that you’ve been fully briefed on monster storms, it’s time to complete your assignment. Recall that your mission is to protect life and minimize the loss of vital assets before, during, and after a storm.When Shirley Murillo is analyzing her data, she creates a wind field map. This map displays characteristics of winds within the hurricane. By analyzing this pattern of winds, Shirley can help storm planners make better decisions about how to minimize the damage and injuries caused by monster storms. In this field assignment, you will learn how Shirley creates a wind field map from data. As you’ll discover, the task requires knowledge of weather symbols, maps, the Saffir-Simpson Scale, and hurricane behavior. You’ll follow Shirley’s procedure to produce your own wind field map. You’ll then assume the role of architect and city planner and apply what you have learned to design and construct a hurricane-proof building. | Mission 5 Argonaut Field Assignment Video
Join the national Argonauts as they study wind fields with Shirley Murillo. |
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- Building materials such as these:
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- 12 in. • 12 in. poster board square
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- colored pencils or crayons
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- small children’s pool or other basin
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Caution
Exercise caution around the leaf blower in the Mission Challenge. Your instructor should operate the blower. Do not stand forward of the blower when it is in use. |
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| Field Preparation |
- Download the wind data from Shirley’s research from the JASON Mission Center. Choose one of the two storms and plot a map of its wind field. You will use latitude and longitude to plot your data points. On page 90, the Saffir-Simpson color code is indicated in the map legend. Use these colors in your map for the different plotted values of wind speed and direction.
- What is the range of high and low wind speeds in your map? Where within the storm do these speeds exist? Describe their position in relation to the eye of the hurricane and compass direction.
- Did one side of the hurricane have higher wind speeds than the other? If so, what is the reason for the difference?
- Identify the Saffir-Simpson category for your hurricane, describe its areas of most intense precipitation, and the direction of its track.
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| Mission Challenge |
| You will design a house that you think will withstand hurricane force winds, rain, and flooding. Your teacher will assign you a “budget” of a limited amount of materials that you can use to design your house.
- Considering the budget and materials you can use, think about a design for your model house. Use the following questions to help you make decisions:
- How can the structure be both strong and practical for its occupants?
- What is more important: protection from rain or protection from wind?
- Is there a balance between being waterproof and being wind resistant?
- Where should windows be placed? How many?
- Use the 12-in. square of poster board as the foundation for your house. Using other building materials as appropriate, assemble your house on this foundation, leaving the edges of the poster board exposed. The house must measure at least 15 cm (6 in.) on each side, and have at least two paper sides.
- After your house is built, you will test your design. Bring your house outdoors. For a more realistic model, your teacher might set up a children’s swimming pool with sand, bricks, and water. You could also simply place your house on a paved surface. Tape down the edges of the poster board to firmly anchor your foundation, either on bricks in the sand or on the pavement.
- Your teacher will use the leaf blower or another wind-making device to simulate hurricane force winds. How can you simulate a Category 1 storm? How can you simulate a Category 5 storm?
- What effect does (or would) the water have?
- Which do you think is more destructive, the water or the wind? Why?
- If your building has been destroyed, how could you rebuild it to enhance its safety in the event of another hurricane?
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| Mission Debrief |
 No design is indestructible. What were some of the trade-offs for your building design (such as safety, cost, efficiency, or appearance)?
- If you had to do it again, would you make the same trade-offs? Why or why not?
- Knowing what you know now about hurricanes, if you were building a home on a coastline, what guidelines would you give to the builders? Why?
- What impact does removing trees, shrubbery, and other vegetation from coastal areas have on the extent of damage that buildings sustain in a storm?
- What building regulations (considering cost, time, and materials needed) should cities impose to protect their citizens? Why are such regulations appropriate?
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| Extension |
What type(s) of monster storm(s) is your area most vulnerable to experiencing? Research the building regulations for your city. Are they adequate protection against monster storms? If they are not, what would you change? Explain your answer.
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Journal Question
Although they live in areas prone to storms such as hurricanes and tornadoes, many people continue to live in homes that are not built to withstand high winds and water. What can be done to protect these people and minimize the damage before, during, and after a storm? |
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