Monday
Sunday
Architecture is not in the empty building, but in the vital interchange between building and participant. (Pelli)
The presentation to AIA Shreveport went well Friday. This presentation, as well as the one to AIA Monroe, have been the center of anticipation for us. From this meeting, we hoped to gain interest of architects and contractors from the area. We were ready to hear any feedback that was offered to us and answer any questions that were posed. The goal was to clearly present our diligently designed project, beginning with the research phase and following through to the current status of the project, including context and the partner family's influence on our work. We wanted to express our mission and enthusiasm for the project, in hopes that the professional world would also share our excitement.
Shreveport Architect discusses our project further, once the presentation ended.
There were several people very impressed with our work and how we addressed the issues we faced.
We were pleased that so many people stayed around to converse with us about the project. It was a compliment and shows us that our visit was a success.
What you do should be an extension of who you are.
An architects most useful tools are an eraser at the drafting board, and a wrecking bar at the site. (Wright)
Last week was pretty productive from my perspective. Another 5th year student and I went to a few businesses in Shreveport to introduce the HabiTech10 project and petition for donations. When visiting Bobby L. Greene Plumbing previously, I was asked to visit again once we had plans and a tentative schedule. So, that was our first stop. After presenting our plans and informing Mr. Greene that a local Ruston plumber had agreed to donate the labor for plumbing, they agreed to donate the plumbing materials. I spoke with them about Mr. Tim Kennedy and they contacted him to coordinate
needed supplies. They also gave me a sample piece of each type of piping and explained the differences between them. I was very please with the outcome of that visit. That is one more thing that is taken care of and we do not have to worry about now.Our next stop on this outreach trip was Allen Millwork. We spoke with Mr. Tommy Kelly. Again, we introduced our project and reviewed our plans. He agreed to do take-offs and also agreed to speak to James Hardy for a possible donation of Hardy siding. He was familiar with the Habitat for Humanity projects and seemed to be willing to help in any way that he could.
Next, we visited Custom Built. We repeated the routine again there, and were unable to get anything definitive. We were asked to follow up later with Mr. Will Lee. They were unable to talk with us very long because they had a meeting to attend. Politely we thanked them and left our business cards and project plans with them.
And our final stop was B&J Flooring. There, I spoke with Mr. Andy Juneau. He too was familiar with Habitat for Humanity projects. He was interested in LaTech Architecture's partnering with Habitat, and again I reviewed our permit set plans with him. After a fairly extensive visit, he agreed to donate all of the flooring for our project, as well as labor. I did explain to him they we, the architecture students, would also be physically building the house and that we would be doing the flooring work too. So, I told him I wasn't sure if much labor on his part would be required. He said, in that case, he would be glad to join us and supervise where we needed. I was especially pleased with the success of that visit. A donation of that scale is not easy to come by.
Also this week, I made arrangements for the delivery of the 10-Interior doors that were donated by Mr. Larry Clevenger of Marshall Mobile Homes.
This week in the studio, we have been trying to make final decisions on design. The roof has been a topic of debate and a decision on that had to made quickly. There were many meetings to discuss the pros and cons of each design and it came down to a vote on three different proposals. We finally made a decision. Though, we can not make everyone happy, I believe that we all agreed to disagree on personal preferences. After all, this project is a group effort and we will all have to relinquish our egos at one point or another.
Monday
The food of the soul is Light and Space. (Melville)
This week the topics have been diverse. Beginning with the need to finalize the plan design. There has been a lot of back and forth about what the individual spaces within the plan are supposed to communicate. Much debate has centered around the dinning room, the living room, and the long hall which splits the two and leads to the private bedrooms of the house. Many people have had differing opinions about the language of these spaces. There is no right or wrong answer. And as long as the design is fluid and unified, there is not necessarily a good design or bad design. We are dealing with very limited square footage. So manipulation of light and space is crucial to the overall success of the design.
With the number of people working together on the project, it is understandable that there will be opposing ideas on each of the spaces and design elements. What is most important is that we all agree to disagree. Given our impending time constraints, there is no more time to debate the potential of one design or the other.
Through the week these issues have been addressed. The permit set was submitted to the city. And now is the time to start finalizing design details. Each of us have selected a topic of personal interest and some formed small groups. As each person researches specific elements of the design, the findings have been brought and presented to the group. I have begun to work on plumbing research.
Also, the site was cleared and Richard and I met with Mr. Calendar about the ground work. We have to get this going so that we are able to start the foundation work. Clearing the site of the bamboo and kudzu was a daunting task. It took several people several days to cut bamboo and navigate through all the vines and brush. Not that I expected the bamboo disposal to be an easy feat, but until you get into the thick of it, you can't accurately estimate what it will take to get the job done.
When talking to Mr. Calendar, we discussed the dirt needed to fill in the hole near the northwest corner of the site. It was concluded that, in order to fill the hole and just smooth out other smaller variations of the ground plane, we would need 4-loads of dirt hauled in. We have to clear the ground of the remaining vegetation and grub. This is necessary to keep the ground work stable if dirt is to be brought in for filling and smoothing. If grubbing is not done, shifting can and will occur. Therefore becoming a hazard and creating a serious foundation problem.
With the number of people working together on the project, it is understandable that there will be opposing ideas on each of the spaces and design elements. What is most important is that we all agree to disagree. Given our impending time constraints, there is no more time to debate the potential of one design or the other.
Through the week these issues have been addressed. The permit set was submitted to the city. And now is the time to start finalizing design details. Each of us have selected a topic of personal interest and some formed small groups. As each person researches specific elements of the design, the findings have been brought and presented to the group. I have begun to work on plumbing research.
Also, the site was cleared and Richard and I met with Mr. Calendar about the ground work. We have to get this going so that we are able to start the foundation work. Clearing the site of the bamboo and kudzu was a daunting task. It took several people several days to cut bamboo and navigate through all the vines and brush. Not that I expected the bamboo disposal to be an easy feat, but until you get into the thick of it, you can't accurately estimate what it will take to get the job done.
When talking to Mr. Calendar, we discussed the dirt needed to fill in the hole near the northwest corner of the site. It was concluded that, in order to fill the hole and just smooth out other smaller variations of the ground plane, we would need 4-loads of dirt hauled in. We have to clear the ground of the remaining vegetation and grub. This is necessary to keep the ground work stable if dirt is to be brought in for filling and smoothing. If grubbing is not done, shifting can and will occur. Therefore becoming a hazard and creating a serious foundation problem.
Nothing great was ever achieved without ENTHUSIASM! (Emerson)
Getting started again after our Christmas break has been exhausting but exciting. There was a little problem with our site, to say the least. The site we had chosen, designed for, and recommended to Habitat for Humanity, as well as the Partner Family, proved to be near impossible or impractical to develop. The drainage issue created a problem by adding expense to the project, and prolonging the time schedule for the project. Neither of which are acceptable reasons in justifying a demand to use the E-Line Ave site. Though our design was derived, in part, by extensive analysis of this site, it also gave us a good opportunity for insight with respect to testing our project thesis. Our mission states that HabiTech10 is an organization committed to the design of a new standard of cost-efficient and adaptable housing. Our housing strategy combines modular building systems, prefabricated construction methods, and a flexible design that will adjust to site and family conditions. As aspiring architects, we wish to benefit a family, Habitat for Humanity, and ourselves by optimizing the use of habitable space and combining innovative building strategies. I would not say this was a welcomed challenge for us, but one that we are taking in stride.
Our confirmed new site is 1010 Jones St. There are several positive ways to look at this new site. One being that Lisa Archie (the partner family) is still within close walking distance of her place of employment. Second, she currently lives just next to the new site. Therefore, she will only have to move next door. She already has established relationships with the neighbors and is familiar with her surroundings. This works to our benefit as well, because I feel that there will be less tension amongst the residents. Instead of a new family and Habitat for Humanity house moving into their territory, I feel they will be more supportive and welcome the opportunity given to one of their fellow neighbors. If we are met with little or no opposition from the neighborhood, that will give us a better opportunity to focus our attention in more productive areas. Additionally, I also see the site change as a chance to bring a little bit of the arts to another neighborhood. Previous Habitat/Tech houses have been built adjacent to and near our first site. If we had built there as well, it might have seemed to saturate that area with new, architecturally designed homes, while neglecting or shunning other parts of the community. That, by all means, is far from the impression we hope to give our community. Finally, the new site dimensions are not much smaller than those of our first choice. Both are a fairly narrow width of 50 feet. However, the new site is 150 feet, where the other was 200 feet. Given our limitations on square footage of the house, this doesn't pose any serious problems with our current design. A few minor adjustments can be made to relate the design to this site.
This change does present another perspective with regard to geographical orientation. Subsequently, the sun direction on this site will effect the house design differently. Previously, the southern sun faced the house transversely. Now, the sun will face the longitudinal portion of the house. This is not negatively viewed, but provides a challenging opportunity for us to exhibit the elasticity of our skill, through progressive design.
Our confirmed new site is 1010 Jones St. There are several positive ways to look at this new site. One being that Lisa Archie (the partner family) is still within close walking distance of her place of employment. Second, she currently lives just next to the new site. Therefore, she will only have to move next door. She already has established relationships with the neighbors and is familiar with her surroundings. This works to our benefit as well, because I feel that there will be less tension amongst the residents. Instead of a new family and Habitat for Humanity house moving into their territory, I feel they will be more supportive and welcome the opportunity given to one of their fellow neighbors. If we are met with little or no opposition from the neighborhood, that will give us a better opportunity to focus our attention in more productive areas. Additionally, I also see the site change as a chance to bring a little bit of the arts to another neighborhood. Previous Habitat/Tech houses have been built adjacent to and near our first site. If we had built there as well, it might have seemed to saturate that area with new, architecturally designed homes, while neglecting or shunning other parts of the community. That, by all means, is far from the impression we hope to give our community. Finally, the new site dimensions are not much smaller than those of our first choice. Both are a fairly narrow width of 50 feet. However, the new site is 150 feet, where the other was 200 feet. Given our limitations on square footage of the house, this doesn't pose any serious problems with our current design. A few minor adjustments can be made to relate the design to this site.
This change does present another perspective with regard to geographical orientation. Subsequently, the sun direction on this site will effect the house design differently. Previously, the southern sun faced the house transversely. Now, the sun will face the longitudinal portion of the house. This is not negatively viewed, but provides a challenging opportunity for us to exhibit the elasticity of our skill, through progressive design.
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