Self-remodeling the Workspace

We dedicated our free time to transform the abandoned the place into a collaborative workshop.

The two biggest problems we needed to solve were the high humidity and low temperatures of the building. Due to the lack of sunlight and poor insulation due to the age of the building, even when the temperature outside was around 30 degrees Celsius in the summer, the temperature inside the forge remained around 15 degrees Celsius (if this is the case in the summer, imagine what it's like in the winter), creating a cave-like environment. The low ventilation and low temperature also led to condensation of water vapor in the air, which greatly increased the humidity inside the building. This led to frequent mold growth.

In order to solve this problem, we first repaired the broken fan to allow ventilation and installed a large dehumidifier, which was able to reduce the humidity very effectively. However, we were unable to solve the temperature problem fundamentally because of the old insulation between the walls of the building. After talking to the school, they promised to insulate the Forge building in the future, and for now, we were able to maintain the temperature by installing a large boiler at the school as a temporary solution. In this way, we no longer had to deal with the pests and mold that had taken over the forge.

Furthermore, we divided the Forge into two areas by putting up a wooden wall by ourselves. One is for computer engineering-related work. Forge visitors can use the area for programming, 3D modeling/printing, and circuitry. They can also use this place for presentations, meetings, and active discussions. The other part of the Forge is for metalworking, assembling parts, and experimenting with chemical samples. By painting the computer/engineering area in white and the metalworking area in black, we distinguished the purpose of the place.

It’s time to move in the lab equipment. We purchased a soldering machine, circuit design equipment, a large whiteboard, a drill press, an angle grinder, a table saw, and a 3D printers. In addition to this engineering equipment, we also purchased dehumidifiers, boilers, and fans to improve the environment.

Now that the engineering equipment and environmental improvement devices were in place, furniture was needed. However, the project budget was almost used up on the purchase of the aforementioned equipment, except for furniture, and there was no money for furniture. This was solved by talking to our school's physics teacher, Mr. Yang Dong-hyuk. At the end of this semester, Mr. Yang told us that he was moving his office to another place, so he was going to throw away a lot of old office furniture during the moving process because it was too cumbersome to move. Upon hearing this, we were able to get some of his furniture and some additional physics lab equipment, and with the help of the administrative staff driving the truck, we were able to safely and quickly move the hard-to-move furniture to the forge and set it up.

Last but not least, the Forge had an electrical problem. The power supply to the forge is not high, which can cause power outages when using equipment that requires high voltage, such as welders. In fact, there was a power outage during one welding session. Through discussions with the school, they solved the electricity problem by drawing high-powered electricity from the teacher's dormitory, which is the closest to the forge building and has a separate high-voltage substation. After investigation, it was determined that this method was safe and did not affect the teacher's dormitory.