STEM mission • Maths • Ages 11–13
Design a modern eco park
The city council has chosen your class to help create a new, modern eco park. Use what you know about geometry, scale, modelling and engineering to design a sustainable solution.
Pond
Play area
Flowers
Relax
♣
♣
♣
♣
♣
Step 1
A brief from the city council
Your class will work as a team of engineers, architects, designers and urban planners.
Official design brief
Create a shared design for a modern eco park
Each team will design a different zone, carry out the maths, suggest an eco-friendly engineering idea and present its final project.
Geometry
Use what you know about 2D shapes, 3D shapes, area, surface area and volume.
Scale
Convert real measurements and show them on a grid map.
Sustainability
Come up with practical ways to save water, energy and materials.
Step 2
Choose your design role
Each team gets a different zone, a different geometry task and its own STEM challenge.
Eco park map
Choose your zone of the park
Tap or click the zone your team is responsible for.
Scale
1 square = 2 m × 2 m
Area of 1 square: 4 m²
🌳
Key
Each colour shows one team's zone
Pond
Gazebo
Flower bed
Play area
Paths and green spaces
Relaxation area
Selected zone
—
—
Step 3
Maths task
Choose a team to see its task.
3D shape
—
Your finished feature
Design approved
Your calculations are correct. Construction of your zone can begin.
Done
Step 4
Your 3D model
Explore the feature you designed with your calculations.
Your 3D model will appear here
You will be able to rotate it with a mouse or your finger.
Step 5
STEM challenge
Suggest an eco-friendly engineering idea.
Your engineering idea
Choose a team to see its challenge.
Step 6
Your project is ready to submit
Check your results and submit your team's final solution.
Selected team
No team selected
0
/ 30 points
How the points are awarded
Team and zone chosen
5 points
Correct calculations (including scale)
10 points
STEM idea written (at least 25 characters)
10 points
Project submitted
5 points
For discussion with your teacher (no points): using the 3D shapes correctly, working with scale, the quality of the engineering idea, creativity, and a clear, complete project.
Step 7
Final mission: Assemble the Eco Park
Bring together the work of all six teams in one shared park design.
How the final mission works
Arrange the shared map together
The shared park map is a 16 × 16 grid, just like the interactive map in Step 2. Each team places its feature and agrees with the others exactly where it should go. You can use the map below or draw a 16 × 16 grid in the classroom.
Shared park map
16 × 16 grid · 1 square = 2 m × 2 m = 4 m²
Drag a feature onto the grid. On a phone or tablet: tap a feature, then tap the square where its top-left corner should go. Placed features can be moved again. The paths (brown) are managed by Team 5 – Urban planners.
Green space
Paths – Team 5 (60 squares = 240 m²)
Overlap
The space a feature takes up on the grid is rounded up to whole squares. For the green space, we use the exact areas from the teams' tasks.
Instructions for every team
- Say how big your zone is.
- Suggest a place for it on the shared map.
- Avoid overlaps.
- Agree the layout with the other teams.
“At least 70% of the park’s area must stay green.”
Data: total park area 1,024 m², paths 240 m², facilities (the real footprint of the 5 built features) 69.23 m². Work out the free green space and what percentage of the park it is.
Challenge
The park is only 2.03 m² of green space short. One square on the map is 4 m². Make the smallest change, of at least one square, so that the design reaches 70% green space without removing any of the park’s features.
Note: moving a feature only changes where it is – it does not change the total area. To reach 70%, you need to reduce the area of a path or of a zone/feature by at least one square (4 m²).
Tap one brown path square on the map to turn it green.
Final step
Present to the City Council
Each team has 20–30 seconds to explain what it designed, where it goes on the shared map and why. Then the class votes on whether to approve the final park design.