THEMES AND PROBLEMS

Theme: Wearable Technology

Design Brief:  Resilient Housing Unit in Cabo San Lucas

Overview:
A family of six lives in an informal settlement, or colonia, on the outskirts of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The family consists of two parents, one grandparent and three children.

Their current home is self-built using salvaged materials such as scrap wood, corrugated metal, pallets, and tarps. The home is single-level and crowded, with limited privacy between generations. The family does not have reliable access to running water, sewage, electricity, drainage, or waste collection. Water is delivered by truck and stored in a small cistern, while electricity and sanitation systems are often improvised.

The region’s arid desert climate creates year-round challenges, including extreme heat, strong seasonal winds, and persistent dust. In addition, many informal settlements are located near arroyos, flood zones, or unstable terrain, placing families at serious risk during hurricanes and flash floods.

Challenge:
The family needs a safe, affordable, and resilient single-level housing unit that can support multi-generational living in an informal settlement in Cabo San Lucas. Your task is to design a housing solution that improves comfort, safety, dignity, and long-term livability while responding to the region’s climate, limited infrastructure, and economic realities.

Requirements:
• The housing unit must be single-level and designed for a multi-generational family.
• The design should include passive cooling, natural ventilation, and strategies to reduce heat and dust inside the home.
• The structure must be more resilient to hurricanes, strong winds, flash flooding, and unstable ground conditions.
• The home should include solutions for water collection, water storage, and water conservation.
• The design must address sanitation, drainage, and waste management in areas without reliable public infrastructure.
• The proposal should use affordable, durable, and locally available materials when possible.
• The home should be simple to build, repair, and maintain using realistic construction methods.
• The design should allow for incremental or phased construction so the family can improve the home over time.
• The layout should include flexible spaces for privacy, family gathering, sleeping, cooking, and daily activities.
• The design should be scalable so it could potentially be adapted for other families in similar communities.

Budget:
Your team has a limited budget equivalent to the income of a working family in Cabo San Lucas. The design should prioritize affordability, durability, and realistic implementation. The budget must account for building materials, water storage, basic sanitation, ventilation, flood protection.

2027 National TSA Conference Theme:  “Forward to Fifty”

Theme: You have been asked to develop a promotional marketing campaign for Discover TSA: Open House & Recruitment Night. The purpose of the event is to introduce prospective members and their families to the opportunities available through the Technology Student Association. The event will feature student demonstrations, interactive STEM activities, competitive event displays, and opportunities to meet current TSA members.

Use the following information when creating your promotional materials:

Event Name: Discover TSA: Open House & Recruitment Night
School: Edison Middle School
School Mascot: Emus

School Colors:  Green and White
Date: Friday, August 1, 2027
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Edison Middle School
Address: 1840 Innovation Parkway, Orlando, FL 32819

Printable Design
A promotional graphic suitable for both print and social media advertising that promotes the event.

Wearable Design
A collectible lapel pin for the Edison TSA chapter.

Digital Design
An auto-advancing digital welcome presentation highlighting event activities, chapter accomplishments, and opportunities available through TSA

Theme 

A model solar track on top of carpet will be the floor surface at the 2027 National TSA Conference

Theme: Think. Design. Create. An animation centered on the engineering design process. 

Design Brief 

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