HS-ETS1-2 Engineering Design

Schoolyard Heat Island Design Lab

A school courtyard becomes dangerously hot during afternoon dismissal on extreme-heat days. Your job is to redesign the space by breaking the larger heat-island problem into smaller engineering problems, comparing subsystem options with evidence, and balancing cooling, budget, and safe student movement.

Budget cap

$165,000

Courtyard area

1,100 m²

Comfort goal

4+ hrs shaded use

Context

Extreme heat day

1. Break the courtyard problem apart

Name at least two smaller engineering problems before you can compare solutions or run the heat-day model.

Inquiry first

Increase useful shade Reduce direct solar heating on students and pavement. Lower heat absorbed by the pavement Change albedo and thermal storage so surfaces do not spike as high. Add cooling and stormwater features Use evaporation and infiltration to reduce heat stress and runoff. Protect circulation and accessibility Keep dismissal routes safe, open, and easy to navigate.

Why are these the key sub-problems?

2. Choose a sequence and a priority

Test this subsystem first

Highest-priority criterion

Prediction before testing

Shade changes will drive the biggest improvement. Surface materials will matter most. Water and stormwater tools will matter most. Circulation design will decide whether the plan works.

Why this sequence and priority?

3. Set the heat-day conditions

Afternoon air temperature 35°

Hotter air pushes every design closer to the danger zone.

Dismissal crowding 1.00x

More people means more demand for clear routes and shaded waiting space.

4. Assemble a design

Shade strategy

Surface package

Water or stormwater intervention

Circulation layout

5. Compare one subsystem with evidence

Required by HS-ETS1-2

Use the same heat-day conditions to compare multiple solutions for one smaller engineering problem.

How do the smaller solutions connect?

Complete the decomposition, sequence, comparison, and connection steps to unlock the scored campus run.

Peak surface temp

--°C

Comfort hours

--hrs

Runoff retained

--L

Accessibility score

--/ 100

Total cost

$--

Budget remaining

$--

Thermal score

Budget score

Runoff score

Access score

Courtyard heat scene

The canvas links your design decisions to pavement temperature, shaded areas, runoff features, and student movement.

Preview model ready

Current design bundle

Choose a design to see how the system fits together.

Priority tradeoff

Pick a highest-priority criterion to explain your tradeoffs.

Prediction check

Make a prediction before you run the model.

Heat-day data traces

Track how the hottest pavement, shaded pavement, and student heat stress change across the school day.

Quantitative evidence

Subsystem comparison

Keep the same conditions and compare multiple solutions for one smaller engineering problem.

No comparison yet

Evidence-based design rationale

Select sub-problems, compare a subsystem, and write your reasoning to build an evidence-based explanation.

Trial log

Record each full run so you can revise the design using evidence from multiple attempts.

0 trials

Trial	Priority	First subsystem	Peak temp	Comfort hrs	Runoff	Access	Cost

Why this phenomenon fits HS-ETS1-2

The courtyard heat problem is larger than one single fix. Students must break it into connected engineering problems: shade, hot pavement, water-based cooling and runoff control, and movement through the space. The simulation then asks them to compare options for at least one smaller problem, justify sequencing and tradeoffs, and explain how their subsystem choices reconnect into one full design solution.