Dining House

Out of the Slab and Into the Structure

June 9, 2026

What has the Dining House crew been up to this spring?

Following the pouring of the footings this winter, the team has since completed a raised slab foundation. Extensive rebar work, earthforming, and underground plumbing have all finished, with little in the way between now and framing. The foundation is now complete with 14 thin concrete piers, 3 feet away from the exterior walls, that will hold 4×6 columns. These uplift columns support the roof overhang and secure it firmly to the foundation, protecting against strong winds. Elsewhere, the Dining House team has explored the timber structure assembly through mockup trials. Rafters, a “sandwiched” assembly of 2x12s with a 2×10 in the middle, sit on a ridge beam, a sandwiched assembly of 2x16s and a 2×14 cut and milled from local lumber.

The mockup process has also helped the team refine their craftsmanship. By studying the trial assembly, they’ve learned:
- how to cut precise angles accurately,
- where precision matters most,
- how to improve the final construction process before full framing begins.

It has been invigorating to watch the site transform. What once was a muddy puddle is now definitely beginning to resemble the Dining House. The mock-up provides a sneak peek at what’s to come. As the spring makes way for summer, the master planning around the Dining House is nearing completion, with a new parking lot laid. Major power and water lines are now rerouted. The slab has been stubbed up for electric and plumbing, and the team is connection those lines to existing water and power

This spring, the Dining House crew has made major progress on both construction and site infrastructure:

Foundation work is complete after winter footing pours. The team finished:
- the raised slab foundation,
- extensive rebar installation,
- earthforming,
- underground plumbing.

They also added 14 thin concrete uplift piers positioned 3 feet outside the walls. These will support 4×6 columns that anchor the roof overhang and help protect the structure from strong winds.

Overall, the project has moved from a muddy construction site to something that is now clearly taking shape as the future Dining House.

And we’ve made a few new friends along the way.

A Lesson on Multitasking

April 19, 2026

Multitasking: A word that is taking on a very real meaning for the group of four on the Dining House Team! As the construction for the Dining House is officially off the ground, we’re busy bees, juggling three huge jobs: on-site construction, work on the mock-up, and design tasks! Here are a few of our recent highlights from the large Dining House to-do list!

Snacking & working—multi-tasking at its finest

Progress During “Neckdown” Week

During Neckdown of Spring 2026, when we the Diners made some headway by organizing the Studio’s lumber inventory in barns around Newbern. In January, we completed milling all 28 4″ x 6″ pine timbers from on-site trees. These structural members will be used in the final design as tension columns. The largest pine tree available to the Studio was milled down to six 2″ x 18″s, which will be assembled into a ridge beam composite for the Dining House.

Unloading lumber with help from 3rd-year students

Tyler and his crew rerouting water drainage

On site, the team erected batter boards and mapped out the foundation trenches. We also provided guidance as a team of contractors rerouted major drainage lines, installed French drains, and ensured proper site water mitigation.

Once the footer was dug and underground utilities were prepared, the team went into action, preparing for the first concrete pour of the project. Over the span of a week and a half, the four of us divided and conquered in building rebar cages that were composed of eight sections, intending to support the concrete block wall and piers for the soon-to-come columns.

Rebar in its final spot for the footer pour

Leading up to the pour, we team worked hard preparing the wastewater line and readying the rebar for lowering into the trench. This process looked like unusually hot spring days spent shoveling, unloading, and tamping gravel into the footer.

Trench is ready — Rebar in its final spot for the footer pour

In comes the gravel — Rebar in its final spot for the footer pour

Moment of truth! Final touches included placing rebar cages, grade pins, and supports into the trench and gathering helpers and tools for the big pour! On the Friday morning of the pour, we were full of nerves and of excitement to get some concrete in the ground. Within an hour, the task was done and there was no going back!

The final pour all complete! — Checking the level of the concrete pour

Natural lighting options for the Dining House

Feeling great with a major item checked off the do-to list, the team worked through design and construction details, mainly addressing lighting strategies. An investigation into skylights led us down a path to explore daylighting strategies—gable roofs with and without skylights!

Using a series of skylight options, we explored how specific task lighting would move through the room, from sunrise to sunset, at different times of the year.

Examining models out in the sunshine to explore natural lighting

Looking into one of the models for natural lighting

The study helped us to uncover the specific function of light in the process. Thomas Patterson, our knowledgeable lighting consultant, listened to us present the many ideas we developed, our presentations aided by models, digital renderings, and 2-D drawings. We discussed overall goals of ambient light, specific task lighting for cooking, and how materials would be highlighted, landing on a design without specific skylight moments. Our design includes a typical gable, large eastern and western curtain walls, and French doors. We are excited about the amount of glowing and indirect light that these choices will allow into the Dining House.

Interior view of the Dining House kitchen with simple pendant lighting and lots of natural light from the east and west

Tags: #auburnarchitecture, designbuild, masstimber, natural ventilation, research project, rsleftovers

Onwards and Upwards!

February 26, 2026

The last time we saw you, we were gearing up for the greatest mock-up, and boy, do we have updates for you.

The first step in creating the “greatest mock-up” was testing the design and construction of the piers for the dining house. The team augured footings and built formwork for four piers and two concrete pours that would eventually be the first step toward understanding the implications of our design.

After completing the piers for the Dining House’s mock-up, we attacked the main foundation for the mock-up. Starting with trenching for the foundation footing, the team enlisted some help from friendly Welsh student visitors to the studio.

Students looking over strings with rebar cages in the ground, preparing for a concrete pour — Ensuring alignements inbetween metal structure

Students placing tarp over foundation pier formwork for a mockup. — Ensuring alignements inbetween metal structure

Shortly after the trench for the elevated slab was dug and poured, the block mason came out and did an excellent job laying out the block in its elaborate design.

Following the block mason’s help on the Dining “House’s mock-up”, the team worked quickly to finish up the elevated slab. We filled in the block perimeter with insulation, soil, and waterproofing so we could finish the last concrete pour of the mock-up when we get back from Christmas break.

Image of the mockup foundation prior to preparing the slab — Foundation infill prior to preparing slab

Image of the Mockup Slab tamping the gravel flat before pouring the concrete — Foundation infill prior to preparing slab

Students preparing to pour the concrete for the mockup slab with the lining and rebar in place — Rebar layed over top

3 students working to pour the concrete for the mockup slab with a concrete mixer and wheel barrels — Rebar layed over top

After some much-needed time off and with families, the team got right back to work with the last concrete pour. Once we smoothed out the concrete floor, the Dining House finally had a finished floor to begin testing the construction of the building we designed.

After the week of Neckdown and the subsequent completion of the mock-up foundation, our team jumped right into one of the initial layers of a building: flashing. The initial test explored a galvanized steel flashing profile that will hold in the white oak cladding.

Photo of student cutting the flashing for the slab — Cutting flashing

Two students setting the flashing in place for the slab — Cutting flashing

Step 4: Framing:

Student working on the framing for the mockup walls. — Measuring framing

Student taking care to infill the column base plates with grout — Measuring framing

Bonus round.

The team built a second mockup to refine the oak cladding. The walls are white oak exterior boards, salvaged from the Supershed. On the exterior of the building, the weathered wood is displayed, while 1″ white strips are turned on their end grain, giving a different texture on the interior walls. Behind these 1″ panels, black acoustic material will give the wall a baffle-like function in the dining and kitchen room.

Students laying out patterns for the white oak pieces. — Laying out pattern

Two students working with a table saw to cut down the white oak pieces. — Laying out pattern

Students pausing to examine the battens they put together for the mockup. — Studying framing

Student setting in place the white oak board on the zip sheathing — Studying framing

Many more updates to come soon. We have continued experimenting and tweaking material and form. Meanwhile, major action is taking place on the north end of the campus at Rural Studio. The Dining House is taking off with the beginning steps to fixing parking and drainage infrastructure, while also preparing the groundwork for a foundation! More on this later!

Tags: foundation, mockup

Turning a New Leaf 🍂🍃

November 24, 2025

With the fall season in full swing, the team has been busy-bees working away on two mock-ups for the project and some crucial site work to prepare to excavate the foundation for the building!

In September, the team met with Joe Burns, structural engineer for the Studio. After thoroughly analyzing the load paths of the building, the team realized the structure needed a ridge beam to evenly support the loads and span of the rafters. This meant that the team needed to re-analyze the aesthetic decisions and details, meaning it was time to do some mock-ups.

Ridge Beam Axon on Digital Model — Axon of our new ridge beam “drop-in” process

Firstly, the team jumped into a quick, one-day mockup. To understand the “noise” of structure in conjunction with the materials they’re using we created a small corner of the building with tongue-and-groove decking wrapping up the side and ceiling of the building–meeting the white oak leftover from the fabrication pavilion–which will play a crucial role in the building’s identity. As most of the white oak cladding is rough sawn and weathered, we tested a few different finishing processes to the wood: planning, sanding, and leaving rough. We were able to understand the details we have been imagining and working out what truly makes the space “noisy.”

White Oak Material Before Finishing — White oak before any finishing

White Oak Material After Finishing — White oak before any finishing

With great excitement, the team also tackled some site work. The first step was removing trees at the back of the foundation and relocating the water line. With the help of Mason, the team successfullylocated the old water line and redirected it in one day! Now, the site has begun to look like a real construction zone. Another element of the site’s progress has been the clearing of trees for the car park/driveway. Once the row of trees was taken out, it was an amazing site to see some of the designs come to fruition. Reactions have been positive thus far!

Excavation of Waterline around Dining House — New waterline around Dining House

Students Putting Together new Water Pipe — New waterline around Dining House

The next steps will be clearly defining the parking by infilling gravel and parking stops, as well as fixing irrigation on the site. With the helpfulness of these tasks being complete, we’ve been better able to visualize the building on the site, stringing out the porch, and finishing floor heights relative to the ground.

Excavators working to Clear Trees for Parking — The new view from parking!

Photo of Cut through in the forest for New Campus Parking — The new view from parking!

While we wait excitedly for more excavation work to take place, we are focusing our efforts on the mock-up of all mock-ups. This one will be a traditional Rural Studio “doghouse” type mock-up testing everything from structure to cladding to glazing techniques. We know that this test of the building will give the team the confidence to understand details we are unclear about. Overall it will be a 8’ x 6’ floorplan testing interior to exterior details and, most importantly, the sequencing we really plan to do in the future with the real Dining House!

Detail Axon Drawing of Dormer — Drawings & details of our mock-up of all mock-ups!

Drawings & details of our mock-up of all mock-ups!

Stay tuned for more updates on the G.M.O.A.T. (greatest mock-up of all time).

Tags: dininghouse, mockups, natural ventilation, reuseproject, rsleftovers

Forging Forward

September 24, 2025

The Dining House Team is in full “leftover” swing. Over the last month, the group has been finalizing drawing sets for civil and foundation work, fine-tuning key details, and preparing for a mock-up in the yard.

With breaking ground just around the corner, the team is prioritizing finding continuity and simplicity in how details are coming together, finding a clear logic for the assembly of the Dining House. The mock-up will be an opportunity to test these methods, especially on the irregular reclaimed materials that have become so integral to the design and logic of the building.

Next up, the team is starting construction on the mock-up, preparing to fabricate the bents with the lumber milled earlier in the year. Roughly the size of a small chicken coop, the mock-up will dive into the roof assembly and materiality with reused items.

Tags: designbuild, research project, rsleftovers