ecoREHAB

week 2: journals

Short and sweet. 

Memorial Day + Sick Day(not hangover related) = two days left for intense productivity.

This week was easily the shortest studio week of my Ball State Career, however not the least productive! We did our best to cram the most into two work days. Through visiting the site, discussing materials, and getting into the schematics of framing the beast, we are moving along at a steady pace.


Wednesday was my first site visit, and as expected, Cybil was there and rearing to go! The site had already been staked out for two different options. The difference between the two was their orientation. Going back to the very beginning, we had ideas for more passive ventilation and how the sunlight would impact the site. Since this building is so small and surrounded by trees, these issues are no longer at the forefront of our minds. Because of the uniqueness of this site, it will be interesting to see how air and light truly effect this space, and we'll figure some of that out with the materials we've decided to use.


Matt has acquired a plethora of windows from an old church. Combined with his woodworking skills these windows are going to be a beautiful feature of this cabin. When many people think of using old windows, they think that they won't be very good insulators. I was informed this week that these windows were actually better insulators than the ones that replaced them (only by a few degrees, but an improvement nonetheless.) 

In addition to the windows, Matt has expressed his desire to expose the roof framing. These corbeled edges will also give this cabin a little something extra, character if you will. I think it is important for the cabin to have features like this. Too many times structures lack this attention to detail and it moves away from architecture and into just throwing up buildings. Unfortunately, people don't appreciate these details like they used to. They want the cheapest thing that looks the best. 

On Thursday, we divided and conquered. Some were working on wall details, framing details, others on window/door details, I had the privilege of working on the roof framing (see figure 2). We debated between 2' O.C. and 16" O.C. and the benefits of each. We assumed that Matt would want to reveal the rafters and showcase some more of his woodworking abilities. We were surprised when he was more interested in the insulating potential of the roof, but understood why he preferred it.


Working with Matt has been, in his words, "Bitchin." We have been very lucky to have a client that frequently allows us to, "do whatever you want!" or, "I don't care, whatever looks good!" I'm afraid we're being spoiled before we encounter the real world, and I'm fine with that. 

Thursday, May 31
Creating a material list for the roof framing & doodles of ideas for the corbeled edges.

Thursday, May 31
Calculating framing. Figuring out if 16" O.C. is better than 2' O.C., if/why either option is better, and what features will be added in response to the decision.