CONSTRUCT 2010 Competition: Birdhouse
The CONSTRUCT 2010 Student Design Competition was to design and build a birdhouse for a bird species native to our college/university. The design of the birdhouse should take into consideration the characteristics specific to the species chosen, such as location preference, size of bird, nesting habits, incubating, raising and protection of young, protection from elements and predators, perching habits, and feeding habits.
Team
Helen To
Tara Bonifacio
Design
We chose to design a birdhouse for the Anna’s Hummingbird. Anna’s Hummingbirds are one of the four hummingbird species found in the Pacific Northwest and live primarily in the open woodlands. Nests are often constructed in the branches of shrubs or trees at heights varying from 3-27 feet from the ground and are situated near suitable food sources. The nests are cup-shaped and are made of plant fibers, spider webs, and feathers, with an exterior made of lichen.
Because nectar is the primary nourishment of hummingbirds, so we chose to use its molecular structure as inspiration for our the organization of our birdhouse. The cup-like elements in our design represent the molecules within a carbohydrate monomer. These cup elements refer to nest shape of the Anna’s Hummingbirds while the links between the cups represent the bonds between diltiazem online the elements. Hummingbirds are naturally curious creatures, so the multiple cup-like spaces in our structure will entice the inquisitive hummingbird to explore the structure and hopefully find it suitable for nesting in.
Materials
We chose to use driftwood and branches as the primary building material of our birdhouse because we wanted our structure to fit into the natural environment that the Anna’s Hummingbird lives in. Both the driftwood and branches were salvaged locally in the San Luis Obispo area.
Birdhouse
Photos of our birdhouse.
Final Submittal
Our final presentation boards.
