Students design and build a functional model of a house, business, or community space to investigate how electricity, mechanics, control systems, and creative design work together in places people use every day. The experience begins with an engaging launch in which students explore model buildings and simple circuits, then use the engineering design cycle to plan, test, improve, and compare solutions that meet clear criteria and constraints. Throughout the unit, teams practice collaboration, communication, and problem-solving as they gather feedback from peers and teachers, prepare a final product, and present their work to families and the wider community at an exhibition.

Students will apply the engineering design cycle to plan, build, test, and improve a functional model of a building that uses hardware and simple code or control systems to collect or exchange data and operate key features. They will investigate electricity, mechanics, energy transfer, and user-centered design to compare solutions, analyze test data, and make design decisions that meet criteria and constraints. Students will collaborate in teams to manage roles, solve problems, and incorporate peer and teacher feedback as they prepare for critique and a public exhibition. They will communicate their ideas clearly through sketches, prototypes, demonstrations, and presentations that explain how their building works and why their final design best serves its intended users.

Students will create annotated sketches, a criteria-and-constraints plan, simple circuit and mechanism tests, coded control prototypes, and team design journals as they move through the design cycle. Each team will build and revise a functional scale model of a house, business, or community space that uses hardware and software to control features such as lighting, doors, alarms, fans, or other basic systems. They will also produce test data charts, comparison notes from peer feedback, and a short presentation display that explains how their design meets user needs, criteria, and constraints. By the end, the final products will include the working building model, evidence of iteration, and a public exhibition presentation for peers, teachers, families, and community members.

Begin with a “What Makes a Space Work?” gallery walk where students explore photos and sample models of homes, businesses, and community spaces, then test simple circuits, switches, motors, and sensors at hands-on stations. Present a client-style challenge from the school or local community asking teams to design a functional model that solves a real need, such as lighting, security, accessibility, or temperature control. Have teams record what they notice, wonder, and predict about how electricity, mechanics, and user needs shape a successful building. Close with a short design charrette in which teams sketch an initial idea and share it for peer and teacher feedback.

Students can present their finished building models at a school design fair set up as a “smart spaces expo,” where families, teachers, peers, and community guests rotate through displays and test each model’s electrical, mechanical, or control features. Each team should give a short presentation explaining their design goal, constraints, circuit or hardware-software system, testing data, revisions, and how teamwork shaped the final product. Include a feedback protocol with judges or visitors using simple criteria such as functionality, creativity, user experience, and problem-solving, so students receive authentic responses to their work. To deepen reflection, teams can also display design sketches, prototypes, and iteration notes that show how their model improved over time.