Post on 07-Jul-2020
Cuckoo IndustriesJulia Norris, Kevin Cotellesso, Madeleinne Tan
The Challenge 2020June 22nd,2020
Setting the StageImagine any highschool student, whether that is your past self or someone you know.
In the High Schooler’s point of view:
You’re back to school, but there isn’t a vaccine yet available for the coronavirus. You’re
wearing a mask and keeping your distance from people in the hallways.
Then you realize you need to use the bathroom.
You turn the corner of where the bathroom is, and there is a line of people waiting
for their turn. You look inside the bathroom, and you realize that due to the small
space people are not keeping a safe distance of six feet at all times.
Not only that, but the bathroom is enclosed and everyone is sharing the same air.
Your nerves get the best of you when you hear a nearby cough.
The Problem: It’s difficult to implement social distancing solutions in
small spaces
Specifically: BathroomsIt’s difficult to implement social distancing solutions in small spaces
~400 ft2, 7 stallsUsed by everyone
Problems with the Bathrooms Crowded / Limited Area
Poor Air Circulation
Surface Transmission
Students often interact (i.e waiting in line, using the same door for an exit/entrance
© St. James R-1 School District
“[Public bathrooms are] not
vented too well and they’re
enclosed”
- Tim Pyle, executive
director or the American
Restroom Association
“Improving
ventilation...is one of the
best ways to safeguard
against a contaminated
restroom”
-National Geographic
Denise NorrisChemistry and Earth Science Teacher at Chandler Preparatory Academy
“Before reopening, our
school will need a plan to
minimize risk of
exposure in highly
trafficked areas. How
will students maintain
social distancing while
they move through our
campus, eat lunch, or use
the restroom?”
“I’m concerned about social
distancing. [We’re] all
supposed to be six feet apart,
but that’s pretty
unreasonable considering
the size of our school”
Aashwin Sodhi, rising Senior at
Chandler Preparatory Academy
Academy
OUR SOLUTION: Prioritize Air Circulation
“After attending a choir practice in Washington State in early March, dozens
of people were diagnosed with or developed symptoms of COVID-19 even
though they had not shaken hands or stood close to one another. At least two
died.”
- Scientific American
WHY?
Our InspirationBehold the spray paint downdraft booth!
© 2020 Spray Systems
Why we chose it:
It pulls air downwards and replaces it in a matter
of seconds
It works like a restaurant’s exhaust system
because
1. contaminated air is sucked into the vents
near or in the floor
2. The air is filtered and circled back to the
top of the booth
3. But instead, it gets circulated faster
ImplementationMultiple vents in roof, providing uniform airflow into the space
Powerful (2000+ CFM) duct fanAir intake manifold
(artist’s representation)
8” - 12” duct
Outside: this way
= Air flow
Benefits of This Solution● It would circulate the air really quickly
● The system would be so efficient that the rules of staying six feet
apart may be relaxed
○ This aids the solution to both ventilation and student traffic flow
● With the air exchanger, it would stay quiet in the bathroom
How we came up with this design:We were inspired by the spray paint booth because it is designed to
quickly replace the air in a room by creating a strong downdraft.
1
2
We took into account the small size of the bathroom. To make it more
cost-effective, we decided to make the vents at the sides of the wall, rather
than excavating the ground to imitate the downdraft booth.
3 We decided to have the “new batch of air” from the outside instead of
worrying about an extra filter that recycles the air from the inside.
Engineers Required● Civil Engineers
● Architectural Engineers
● Biomedical Engineers
Why is it innovative?● A lot of research still needs to be done about the relationship between the
coronavirus and bathrooms
● We are trying a new way to make air circulation so efficient that social distancing
rules can be relaxed.
● Our solution is something that hasn’t been officially implemented yet because of
this pandemic. We’ve seen downdraft booths, but not a whole ventilation system
made to fight COVID-19.
System Component Specifics● Fan: McMaster-Carr 1927K51
○ For 12” duct; adapter needed (and readily
available)
○ 1900 CFM @ 0.014 PSI
○ $660
● Baseboard register: Hart and
Cooley 464
○ 4 foot baseboard register
○ ~400CFM per unit (based on discontinued 474
return)
○ Would need 6 to cover room and provide max
CFM
○ Would need creative manifold to connect 7 of
them to a single duct
○ $26.49 per unit
Or custom solution
© 2019 Hart and Cooley
© McMaster-Carr
Estimated CostsRoof Vents: $500(Assuming 5 vents, McMaster-Carr 1767K38)
Fan: $660(McMaster-Carr 1927K51) Baseboard Register: ~$160
(Assuming 6, SupplyHouse.com)
Duct: $5500(Assuming 100ft, labor included. fixr.com)
Total: ~$7700
Labor for baseboard register, roof vents, and fan: $920(Same value as said components)
So… Who’s affected?Good news, no one who uses the bathroom is
greatly affected by this change and the bathroom
also still gets to serve its purpose.
The Team
Madeleinne Tan Julia Norris Kevin Cotellesso
What we learned as a team● It’s easy to have a lot of ideas
● It’s not easy to have great ideas
● It’s even harder to prioritize among the great ideas (We had to prioritize one of
the following: surface transmission, ventilation, and student traffic flow)
● Engineering and design-making takes a lot of collaborative effort
Successes● We did it!
● We finished our Works Cited quickly
● We got to interview students and
teachers
● We couldn’t do a CFD in time :(
Failures
Any Questions?