After last Build Day’s shenanigans with the dome being stolen, we quickly ordered a new one so we could get back to work as soon as possible. We rebuilt the dome today, quite a bit faster than the initial construction, a telltale sign of our improvement, if you ask me.

Now that we were back on track, we could start mounting the dome on the inner wall. It took a team effort of 6 of us to transport the dome onto the wall, as you can see below. When it comes to securing the dome, we chose to use metal hanger straps which allow us to conform to the odd shape of connecting a pipe and flat surface. While this happened, we had a separate team grinding out in dismantling the planter boxes so that we could have more wood for next Build Day.

Grow with the flow!

Today’s Build Day ended up being quite short, much more than anyone would’ve thought. The early birds of our group congregated with “Good mornings” and “How have you beens” as we briefly went over the general plan for today.

Last week, we had wrapped up the inner walls of the greenhouse and, now, we were ready to secure the dome to it. We held Build Days quite early, so we had to open the garden up as the first people there. The few of us walked to the back and opened the gate, but then the chirping of the birds filled the sudden absence of our voices and footsteps as we all stopped to look ahead in confusion. Something was definitely off and what we all thought in our heads, but Aman actually exclaimed, “WHERE IS THE DOME?” It had mysteriously vanished. The walls that we just finished were thankfully still there, but it lacked the rest of the greenhouse’s structure. We split up to look all around the garden in the hopes that it was just moved by others, but our efforts were to no avail.

As the rest of our group arrived one by one, we entertained ourselves by capturing their reaction on camera. We were all stunned by this disappearance, but in our survey of the area, we noticed missing steel from the welder, so it was probably a junkie who lifted the dome. Likely a pair or even a trio, really. Since we could not continue work on the greenhouse without the dome, we let everyone go for the day, marking the shortest, yet maybe the most entertaining Build Day for a while. 

Grow with the flow!

Last week we finished up the inner wall and the dome fits on it, but we do have to account for some error. We decided to create a sort of balcony outlining the wall for the dome to sit on more securely. We needed to salvage a bit more wood, but after that we got to working on cutting and painting the pieces. After we secured them together and screwed them to the tops of the inner walls. We tested the dome and it fit perfectly.

Next week we will join the walls and dome, so we can see a little what our final product will be like.

Grow with the flow!

Today, we finished building the inner wall of the greenhouse. Constructing the wall wasn’t just about sticking pieces together; it was a meticulous process that required precise measuring and careful planning. To start, everyone had to disassemble the planter boxes, which involved two hours of back-breaking labor, crouching down and drilling out multiple screws from each corner of the box. Then, each piece had to be measured and cut according to the length of each side of the dome. However, since the wood from the planter boxes had been worn down, we had to do additional work on each piece for the inner wall. Each piece of wood had to be carefully sanded down and stained to make it waterproof. Finally, we drilled all the pieces together to complete the base. The process was challenging but ultimately rewarding, as it taught us the importance of math in construction.

Keep calm and keep growing!

From the countless designs stores like Walmart and Target offered for the dome, the geodesic shape stuck out like a sore thumb. One reason is its resilience. The triangular components of the dome distribute stress evenly across the structure, making it incredibly resilient against external forces such as strong winds that could be harmful during a heavy storm. Next, geodesic domes are extremely space efficient. Geodesic domes provide a high volume-to-surface area ratio, which means it provides more usable space inside with less building material. Finally, geodesic domes are energy efficient. The shape of the dome allows for optimal temperature regulation. Warm air rises to the top and circulates down the curved walls, maintaining a consistent internal climate. This natural convection reduces the need for artificial heating and cooling, leading to significant energy savings. Thus, the geodesic dome was the best pick, due to its efficiency in saving energy and its strength against external forces.

Keep calm and keep growing!

Waking up at 7:00 am sharp was a jarring change to what my sleep schedule used to be when summer started. When I arrived at the farm, we got straight to work making the base for the greenhouse. Even though it was the first day, there were a lot of tasks to be completed. Due to this, we needed to get more people for help. We recruited a team of student volunteers to help us finish the work. We split up into teams, one building the dome, the second hauling mulch from the field to the plot, and the third disassembling planter boxes to make a base for the dome to stand on.

I was placed into the team wheeling the mulch back to the plot. It was tenuous work, but it gave us a lot of experience in working in a team. For example, the wheelbarrow carrying the mulch used to get stuck in the ground due to it being uneven and rocky. We overcame this by making one person push the wheelbarrow while the other constantly shovels in front of the front wheel to allow the wheelbarrow to move smoothly. When the day was complete, we had the dome, enough wood to be used for the inner wall, and the plot ready to grow plants.

Keep calm and keep growing!

My name is Arin Thakkar, and I’m a sophomore in high school with an interest in artificial intelligence and applied mathematics. I love playing the guitar and diving into science fiction books in my free time. My friend Kenric, also a sophomore, shares my passion for mathematics. He’s an avid reader who can be found absorbed in anything from fiction to calculus.

Together, we are working together to solve an important problem in our community: food and nutritional insecurity.

The region of the East Bay where we live, has a total population of just over 600,000 people. Based on data from the TCV Food Bank in the tri-city area, 2% of this population is food insecure implying that 13,000 number of people do not know where their next meal is going to come from. 2% might seem insignificant, but the number is staggering when put in context of the amount of wealth in the Bay Area. How could one of the wealthiest populations of the world with one of the highest median incomes in the country, not feed its people? This is the question that drove us to build a greenhouse that would feed our community.

With both Kenric and I interested in mathematics and computer science (CS), we wanted to find a solution that helps us improve food production through math and CS. We have decided to build an automated greenhouse that keeps the plants healthy with minimal manual labor.

Our goal is to create a greenhouse that is cost-effective, easy to maintain, a produces a lot of food!

In this series of blogs, we will post updates of our work of our greenhouse. I hope you feel inspired from this project, and begin your own journey on helping your community!

Table of Contents
PS #1: Designing The Greenhouse
PS #2: The First Day
PS #3: Dome Design
PS #4: Building The Inner Wall
PS #5: Upgrading the Inner Wall
PS #6: Dome Disaster
PS #7: Getting Back on Track
PS #8: Theory Behind Wall Shape
PS #9: Completing the Main Structure
PS #10: Upgrading The Greenhouse
PS #11: Completed Hydroponics
PS #12: Hydroponics Explained
PS #13: Mini Hydroponics
PS #14: AWCD Interviews
PS #15: How Much Food can the Hydroponics System Grow?
PS #16: Wrapping the Greenhouse
PS #17: Wrapping the Greenhouse Pt. 2
PS #18: Extended Break
PS #19:
PS #20:
PS #21:
PS #22: Reinforcing the Greenhouse Walls
PS #23: Which Plant is Best for Our Hydroponics System?
PS #24: How can We Utilize Our Outside Bed?
PS #25: Brick and Order

Keep calm and keep growing!