oh the bitter battle

So we're finally nearing the end of our design-build studio. It's been a very long and hard and tedious and frustrating and rewarding experience and I feel safe saying that everyone has learned something. We have completed the porch and I believe that it is a success...it serves as circulation through the site, seating and standing spaces. The landscape lines have been carved out of the site and filled with gravel then bricks recovered from the old Keese Barn. The lines through the site are to unify and make clear all of the datum lines and circulation lines that cross through the site...uniting into a quilt-like pattern. The signage block was our final step and it was a doosie for sure. All of that dang foam. Robbie was the master CNCer and together the team assembled and helped pour the concrete for the final product. Today we cleaned up the site to prepare for our final event to be held tomorrow on the site. We have invited all of the members of the Pendleton Historic Foundation and invites were also sent out to the School of Architecture. SAB and I have worked to pull the event together and hopefully it will be a success and I know that everyone is going to enjoy the carrot sticks and cauliflower (right Blane).

Looking back to the beginning of the semester we have clearly come a very, very long way. I think that most of us did not realize then exactly how mentally, emotionally, and physically demanding (and draining) this semester would be in design-build. I believe that we have learned to function better as a team (even though we still have quite a few disputes). I really feel like we could have used everyone's individual skills to more effectively push the final design and product. I also really feel like there must be a better way to professionally conduct team projects...towards the end (exam week) everyone finally began to respect and try to work with everyone's schedules but I really feel like this understanding should have been reached towards the beginning of the semester.

We have learned that no design is final. Alterations and compromises must be made on site when things simply do not line up (i.e. the masonry stairs that we incorporated instead of extending the trex deck). We have also struggled with mini-disasters within the group regarding planning conflicts, material issues, design issues, scheduling issues etc.

While we did not host any community events, we did attempt to partake in the Pendleton Jubilee. We made up a sign and pamphlets to hand out at our table on the square, but unfortunately a monsoon rain and the need for construction progress kept us on the site and in studio during the event. I wish that we could have somehow managed to involve the community more (in a more official manner). The bonfire definitely brought a crowd from the community, and people were constantly stopping to ask what the heck we were doing (especially when we had covered the site in pink foam). And the event will be a final closing (yet opening) ceremony that will involve members of the Pendleton and Clemson community.

Our hope is that the city will step in and take over and maintain the site. We have all put in a lot to this project and we are all hoping to see the Park used by the community. Just for final clarification of duties...I have been involved in the following throughout the semester:

- organize budget (even though it was shot by the end of the semester)
- organize the construction schedule (even though it was way off by the end of the semester)
- design charette on the master plan of the site
- initial concepts for the porch design (quick sketch vignettes, sketchup models, and CAD drawing after CAD drawing)
- text revisions for the signage block
- installing and planning the butterfly garden on site (purchased plants, tilled the plot, planted and cared for the growies)
- designing the pamphlet and sign for the Jubilee event
- coordinating the food and beverages for the final event
- construction and decking of the porch (getting Scarpa on the I-Beam details)
- installing the diamond pier foundations (a really cool system that I will remember for future projects)
- moving foam to site
- home depot runs for materials
- digging....everywhere on the site
- gravelling the area under the concrete table
- documentation of the progresses in each sub-project
- pouring concrete for the signage block
- general site clean-up
- peeling off the foam form work for the signage block

Undoubtedly I have learned much about the practicalities of construction...concrete, wood working, etc. This has been a learning process for everyone and it is very satisfying to see an improvement on the site at the end of the day (or semester).

Pre-Construction Chaos

This past week both studios have been preparing for Monday Ground-Break and Construction. Last Friday we hosted a very successful review/pin-up in the Health Care Alcove. Jori (our professor) sent out a school-wide email among faculty and students in the Architecture College. The result was a great turn out--especially from Graduate students and Professors. Most of the more constructive criticisms/discussion involved the Clemson group and their seemingly impossible canopy form. I presented the Keese Park project to Grant Cunningham (president of the Pendleton Foundation for Black History and Culture) and he seemed receptive to all of the major elements of our design...he did, of course, want more definites on cost...One of our main ideas is to light the site in order to make it safer for the community. The Keese Park site is a notoriously "bad part" of town and our strategy is to make the site safer overall for the community. The whole Friday event really seemed more like a social gathering and discussion rather than a formal review...a nice and unique change.

During the review I also got to talk to several graduate students that I have studied with in previous semesters and it's possible that a few wouldn't mind getting outside and helping us with the construction end.

Having the review obviously forced the groups to come together and start pushing a resolution on the design aspect of the project. On Monday, Jori announced our 1 week deadline: Monday March 3 all groups will begin construction. This deadline have pushed us to resolve the more technical side of our project(s).

James and I have been working intensly on drawing up construction documents for the porch...this involves much time in front of the computer, fighting CAD. The drawings are coming along nicely and by Monday at the latest we should be ready for an intense Red-Line, possibly with our on-call engineer Brad Putman. By my estimations, we need to begin constructing the porch in 1.5-2 weeks. That means obtaining materials, tools, donations, completing all CDs to the best of our ability (obviously changes will have to be made on-site), and starting construction by Wednesday March 12th or Saturday March 15th at the latest. When we return from Spring Break we should be setting in to heavy porch construction. We are going to be facing multiple phases of construction that will inevitably overlap: Signage Block, Porch Construction, Handrails inside Memory Block, Grading the Terraces, Planting + Landscaping.

As Project Manager I realize that much of the scheduling responsibilities rest on me (as do budget considerations). I have been expanding our Excel Sheet to include recent purchases and budget projections but we are still a looooong way from a workable estimation of costs...everyone keeps saying "We can probably get this for free" or "They said they might be able to cut us a break on that" but we need definites we need things to start setting into stone at this point.



We did manage to get $200 donated from Home Depot...this definitely helps but considering that Robbie estimated 60 sheets of 2" foam for the Signage Block (each sheet is $10), in the long run $200 will not get us very far...

On Friday I was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to organize and so I spent most of my morning updating the Excel Budget Sheets and following through on several e-mails. I came up with a sheet that I plotted out and hung up in studio. I realize that it is missing many elements but I think that we need to have a standard meeting each week in which we discuss where we are on each phase of project development.
(Having uploaded the image I see that it is too small to read on Blogger)

To sum up unfinished or unresolved issues that we need to follow through on for this upcoming week:

- contact Esther for renting a truck to transport gravel
- purchase materials to begin Signage Block
- thank you notes to Home Depot and other donators
- contact Home Depot in Anderson for donations
- electric and water on the site (awaiting Grant Cunningham)
- definite weekly (daily) schedule of the next 6 weeks (MONDAY)
- definite concept for Jori (MONDAY)
- text for signage block
- coordination of contacts and materials

We are planning to get out on the site this weekend and stake out the perimeter of the Signage Block...we also plan to start digging. Janis and Sara seem to be very concerned with the prospect of "intense" labor because we need to dig a hole 26' long and 8" deep. I do not foresee a problem. I DO however foresee a problem in casting our Signage Block with concrete...I've looked at the walls that the previous students attempted to write on (in the same manner) and I am not convinced that we will pull it off any better than they did. HOWEVER, I will go with the flow until this method is proven (after another mock-up attempt) that it will not work for us. And then I will resume my inquiries into etched or supplimated aluminum panels from Commercial Engraving.

Catching Up...

We have slowly but surely been getting out to the site more often. Last week James and I had to make a quick run to confirm some measurements, the studio attempted a design charette on site, we set up a grid on using string and stakes, this past weekend we helped out the United Way in a site clean-up, and this past weekend we all disembled the Ron Box (aka mini-block). We have been working on designing a new box that will serve as signage for the Keese Park. This new block will carry our studio emblem/logo and it will clearly explain the previous students' interventions on the site. We also plan to include a history of the Keese Barn so that the memory of what was is not lost or forgotten completely.

Last week we divided into smaller group with three students focusing on the Signage Block and the rest focusing on the Super Porch. I think that the shift of our attention to the Signage Block was a relief as we were finally able to DO something on the site. On Saturday February 16th, we all worked together to tear down the mini-block. From the block we salvaged 3 old doors which had been integrated into the construction. Two of the doors are intact (the glass is shattered in the third door). I personally would like to see the glass and the doors re-used somehow in the design. During the site clean-up on the previous Saturday, I decided to collect and separate the broken glass we were finding in hopes that we can somehow use this later in the construction (as an aesthetic element). The earlier students collected the liquor bottles and used them as citronella candle holders during an on-site event with the community. I thought this was a very clever and creative way to turn trash into something that can be appreciated.

This past weekend we have also begun to purchase supplies for the construction of a mock-up of the Signage Block. We are running into the inevitable problems of large scale modelling but we hope to have the mock-up completed by Wednesday.

I have been designated as the Project Manager, probably because I have a tendancy to get a little bossy. As the PM, I am responsible for projecting a budget and schedule and tracking our progress in both. I have set up an Excel file for the budget and have already begun entering in the purchases we made this weekend.

I have heard through the grapevine that some of my team members have agreed (on everyone's behalf) that each of us will contribute $100 for the mocking up of the project...yikes! I am more in favor of a fundraiser effort: I think that if we earn the money or budget it more carefully we will be more economical in our spending.

Though we are progressing somewhat slowly, we ARE progressing. I think that completeing the mock-up will boost the energy and momentum of the group.

Site Analysis

We have all made trips out to the site so that we can not only sketch and charette, but also so that we can document the site as it was actually constructed--we have found that many of the drawings that we have from previous students do not accurately describe the conditions on the site.
I (like many of my team) am particularly drawn to the exposed foundations of the historic Keese Barn. Our desing must be sensitive to these remains of the old building...I like the idea of revealing them in some way.













We clearly have our work to do in terms of cleaning...the site has not been kept up by the community. While it is being used, the beer cans, hair combs and hair weaves indicate that its uses do not currently coinside with our vision of the park. The glass, rusted nails and other debris--as well as missing handrails within the Memory Box) make the site very unsafe for its visitors.
While on the site, Sara-Ashley and I took extensive measurments of the Memory Box, the porch, and the foundations on the site. The studio is working to construct an accurate model of the existing conditions on the site.

Design Goals + Landscaping Approaches

In first approaching the needs of the site and our primary intentions for our intervention, we all decided that our goals are as follows:

1. Finish the Porch

2. Make the Site Safe

3. Make the site inviting and accessible to the community

4. Incorporate Signage and Text to explain the history and transitions of the Keese Barn Site

5. Unite the Scattered Elements of the Project through an Intervention (likely a Landscape Intervention)

I understand the porch as a place where members of the community will gather and remember the Keese Barn for what it was. It is important to understand that these memories are positive and our project will only honor the memories of this gathering place if it successfully engages and draws the community to use the space again. With this in mind, the primary porch will be the main entrance or threshold of the site and we will implement a transition from the primary porch down to the secondary porch area. If the primary porch is a more formal and ceremonial commemoration to the Keese Barn then the secondary space becomes the interactive and engaging area.

In this venette I combined the concepts from our group brainstorming sessions with my own personal ideas.

- Seating built in between the I-Beams (under the painted roof shingles)

- An earth ramp-stair element lanscaped to be a transition from the porch to the lower gathering area. We see this element being a sitting/lounging space that also serves as circulation through the site.

- Trees planted in the lower area of the site and around the perimeter of the Keese Barn plot. The trees will not only lower or lessen the severity of the massive and imposing I-Beams, but they will also work to create a sunken garden in the lower secondary porch area. I am convinced that extensive lanscape and natural elements integrated into the site will make the site more inviting and accessible to the community. I feel that we should consider the Keese Barn Project as a park or backyard for the community.

In this sketch I propose extending the concrete ramp to the edge of the street and possible across the street to connect the Ron Box with the rest of the site. I also propose using the plans for the porch which were developed by previous students: a simple wooden decking with cable guardrails. Because the 4 massive I-Beams are rusted and unsightly (in the respect that they do not relate to the context of the Pendleton community) I propose training a climbing and possibly flowering vine to grow up the Beams. While this may be criticized as a purely aesthetic and arbitrary move, this landscaping will go a long way in building the accessibiltiy of the Keese Barn Park. The vine we choose could also be a heritgage vine or a plant of some significance to the South or African American Culture or even to the town of Pendleton. I also propose covering the existing secondary porch in a similar manner as the intervention on the Clemson Site. The structure for the roof is already in place, our job would be a simple "covering" or canopy.

For the vine I propose Confederate Jasmine (which would be most ideal in my opinion becasuse of its frangrence and beauty), Clematis, or even Morning Glory.

Concept of Weaving

During our initial design charettes, several of our concepts involved the idea of weaving as a method or material intervention on both of the sites. The Clemson site is drawn to a canopy/tent-like covering element for the stage and the Pendleton group is approaching the landscape as a "quilt." Because the Pendleton site is so disjointed with projects scattered throughout the site--some projects started and not finished--I like the idea of "weaving" the Pendleton site together. The notion of "weaving" may manifest into our use of materials but it could also become our strategy in approaching the site. We also like the idea of creating a natural intervention...we looked to Andy Goldsworthy for inspiration.

Case Study Trabeated Systems: Renzo Piano's Workshop in Otranto, Italy

The goal of this workshop was to rehabilitate the historic center of Otranto, Italy. The Workshop was sponsored by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1979 and was executed from a single prefabricated unit which was transported into the "heart of the city's historic center."

"The program was divided into four parts, analysis and diagnosis, information and education, open project, and work and construction"

"Local residents were crucial to the project in providing artisan skills and extensive knowledge about the history of the community."

RPBW official website of Renzo Piano
http://rpbw.r.ui-pro.com/
All Projects/Italy/Otranto Urban Regeneration
For more information (and for better images) on Renzo Piano's Otranto Urban Regeneration Workshop please see his official website.


This project's architectural/structural language is very similar to Piano's project in the port of Genoa, Italy as both projects share the same stretched fabric and canopy-like effect. However the most interesting and most relevant aspect of this Workshop is its spirit of the project and the involvement of the community in the regeneration and renovation process of their city.

The Renzo Workshop in Otranto achieved the same residential involvement that we are hoping to encourage during our studio project in Pendleton, SC.








The children of the city were also involved in the success of the Workshop. Like the Otranto Workshop, we hope to reach out to the community--especially the children--throughout the semester. Our ideas for youth involvement have ranged from educational sessions hosted either during or after school, to History Harvest events that both educate and entertain. Regardless of the format, the goal is to raise awareness of one's built environment. We hope that this will garner a stronger appreciation for our ultimate intervention on the Pendleton site.

One of the goals of Piano's Workshop was community involvement: the Workshop became a significant point of interest for the residents.

For more information regarding Renzo Piano's involvement in UNESCO Activities please click here.