The Task

You are a junior-level architect at a firm which designs not only homes but also custom project. The firm has been presented with a two requests. The first request is that the client would like to put a walking bridge over the pond in his large backyard, and the second is the request for installation of solar panels. It is your job to look over the details of the two projects in this WebQuest and decide if each job is feasible and would work within the given monetary constraints that each client has budgeted for the home.

You’ll be assigned to a group of three students, and asked to assume a role within your group, from the following choices:

  • the analyzer, a person who can look at the particular problem and decide what is necessary to solve
  • the surveyor, who will “number-crunch” and come up with solutions to the problems that the analyzer poses in order to solve the problem
  • the executive, who will take the work of the first two students and draft a report highlighting the cost and feasibility of the project(s) presented in the WebQuest.

Regardless of your role, you may give input to the others; however, the person in the given role has the final say over what s/he is responsible for. We would like to encourage you to work together when possible, and not independently of one another.

Look through the online resources that have been provided in this WebQuest. In the resources, you will find all of the information needed to solve the problems.

Your final product will be a report that summarizes your findings to management. In the report, you should state:

  • how you arrived at your calculations for the project
  • the floor plan you would recommend to the client
  • how you designed the project, including the equations and solutions to the problems as presented by the clients
  • and if necessary, how you would modify the project to fit the budget for each client.

The more information that management has, the better informed they will be to advise the potential clients. To that end, your work must be neat and easy to follow, and your calculations must be correct!