Proyecto Final Casa Verde por el Fin del Mundo

It is Dec. 11th of the year 2012 and as predicted by the Mayan Calendar el fin del mundo quickly approaches. A rapidly industrialized Africa, Latin America, and Asia has taken the world by storm. Annual CO2 emissions have more than quadrupled over the past year to 200 billion metric tons (gigatons). Accelerated climate change has taken the world by storm, as a series of natural disasters have decimated major cities all over the world. Mxico in particular has been struck hard. On October 21st, a 9.1 earthquake struck D.F. burying the city. Soon after, a series of aftershocks sweep through Central America hitting a Guadalajara and the surrounding area intensely. On November 21st, Category 5 Hurricane Diiaki strikes the Caribbean and the coast of Mexico. For a week much of Cancun and Oaxaca are submerged under 2 to 3 meters of water. Future earthquake and Tsumani warning has an already anxious population on edge. Billions of dollars of the damage has occurred. Over 5 million homes have been destroyed or are inhabitable. The government is thrown into chaos and appears on either the brink of economic collapse or political upheaval. Energy supply has completely halted as many parts of the national electric grid were heavily impacted and have gone offline. Movement through the city has virtually stopped as the government imposes high restrictions on gasoline due to port closures in the Gulf and rampant fires affecting supply in the Middle East. Come night all of Mexico is cloaked in darkness. The federal government anxious to appease the indignation of citizens without homes, power, and anyway out turns to their best and brightest engineers for a solution. They have enlisted the help of engineering students to investigate innovative and low-cost solutions to the crises effecting Mexican communities. In Guadalajara, the earthquake has left millions of refugees who need homes, clean water, and energy sources. In response to the climate change crisis the U.N., global aid agencies, and Mbadika have decided to only support green energy solutions.

Challenge: Under these extremely limited resources ($25 max) and chaotic conditions come up with an innovative and low-cost green house which can help meet the urgent needs your community. Develop a prototype and a pitch for investors and local government official for your groups start-up enterprise. Requirements: Casa Verde Start Up Product 1) The house must utilize renewable energy features.

a) Two types of renewable energy sources must be showcased in your design and pitch. b) Suggested energy choices are Solar, Biomass, Wind or Hydroelectric. 2) Construct one real prototype of an energy feature of the house to launch for the pitch. 3) Present one other detailed design of another energy feature. a) This can be done with a 2-3 detailed drawings with written explanation. b) Additional options depending on time are CAD (Solidworks), 3D screenprinting, plastic or rapid prototyping. 4) Construct a replica of very simple house. (eg. Cardboard or Wood) a) Demonstrate how your feature will fit in. b) Dont spend significant time on this! Blog and Status Report 5) Maintain a detailed blog of your Start-Ups progress throughout the challenge. Required Components: a) Start-Up Brand (Name, Logo, etc.) b) Organization Information i) Start-up Members (including a Photo of each member, roles, background, etc.) ii) Mission and Vision iii) Launch Product Prototype, including (1) Design Notebook with Initial Launch Product Ideas & Drafts (2) Market Research (3) PUGH Chart (4) Final Launch Product Prototype Draft w/ Description c) Media displaying demonstrating the Start-Up undergoing the Design Process You may use one or all of the following methods i) Facebook Page ii) Pictures iii) Twitter iv) YouTube Videos 6) Create a final status report for your project. Report should either be a PowerPoint presentation or 1-2 pages. Start-up Brand (Including Name, Logo) a) Mission Statement b) Organization of Start-Up (Group Member Roles in Start-up: e.g. blogger) c) Launch Product Prototype Development Summary d) Market Research (who will use this product, etc.) e) Finances (if this product was manufactured, how much will it cost) f) Future Goals and Objectives of Start-Up

Final Presentation and Pitch 7) Create a 5 minute presentation to pitch your Casa Verde. a) Each person in the group should talk ~ 1 min. b) Present: i) Start-up Design, Prototypes, and House. ii) Briefly explain the construction and how it works. iii) Mention any major limitations or obstacles iv) Justify why your energy solution is better v) Close with ideas for the marketplace and any closing remarks Evaluations: Individuals will be evaluated based upon their timeliness/attendance, participation throughout the program, and the work of their group. The challenge will be evaluated based on the process. Please dont worry if your group doesnt have a fully working prototype by the end. The projects will be judged primarily based on their innovation, creativity, and how thought out is the technical energy solutions.