concrete

Tree Talk—The Smith Park team is developing green thumbs

February 17, 2026

An update on the basketball court, planting trees during neckdown, and pouring the first section of the walking trail.

Where we left off

Last year we prepped for the holidays by installing the basketball court at the park. You can read about how we prepared the formwork and installed the hoop posts in our last blog. Since then, we’ve applied a burlap finish to the court and cut all the control joints. A design is also in the works for a graphic painting on the court surface—something playful, colorful!

An overview of the order of—PEMDAS

Our project site is 2.5 acres, and we are touching almost every foot of it. That is a lot more square footage than a house! A big design challenge for us in recent days has been the staging and sequencing of construction. We are balancing tree delivery and installation, concrete pours, and more. To walk our readers through the order of events, we can apply a familiar algebra anagram PEMDAS.

Planting trees

The winter months are planting season, and we are looking to plant 115 trees at the park! Our goal is to get them in the ground before the weather gets too hot, so planting is our first priority. The first batch to be planted included seven black gum trees and three willow oaks. Lots of people helped during “Neckdown” Week , our time to maintain properties and make big project pushes. These helpers included our friends in Auburn University’s Landscape Architecture Program, all with their aid, 10 trees were installed in a little over a day!

Excavating the trail: Part 1

After we planted the trees, our friends at C&T Excavating came back and helped us with the excavation and base work for the first section of walking trail. Excavation for the trail is being divided into three parts. This strategy maintains truck access for concrete and tree deliveries while keeping the working area at a more manageable scale.

Make formwork

This part was pretty straightforward for the team since we had lots of practice forming up the basketball court last year. We are using 2x4s on the straight sections of trail and PVC board to form the curves. Our team placed formwork and the rebar cage for the bench in preparation for the first concrete pour.

Delivering concrete

Concrete is in the ground! Again. For the basketball court, a contractor completed the finishing, but the team will be pouring the benches and trail themselves!

Applying the finish

The trail consists of two different types of concrete finishes: exposed agregate and a broom finish. In this first pour, we displayed our skills at both! The bench shows off the broom finish, and the walking trail sections display the exposed ag.

Start again!

Now we are ready to start the process over again! The next few weeks on site will consist of a big delivery of trees, planting, and (weather permitting) many more concrete trucks.

Design work and mock-ups

On rainy days, we are continuing to make progress on the design of the bathroom. We are continuing to mock up and test design options. Our most recent mock-up was at the park, allowing us to look at the size and height of the pole barn pavilion.

Tags: basketball court, bathroom, concrete, neckdown, planting, trees, walking trail

Four Cores and Seven Weeks Ago…

October 10, 2024

Student lying down on wooden framed box.

The CLT Core House team had just begun their journey to build the core mock-up. Bright-eyed and eager to prove their design’s worth, they got to work. Despite the heat, it was exciting for them to be working outside.

formwork for the mockup's first concrete pour.

Students use shovels to spread concrete throughout the mockup's formwork.

They exclaimed, “Finally, we can get our hands dirty!” Though they, like many before them, were about to see an entirely new side of design, one that would transform their drawings into reality and expose the previously missed shortcomings. A humble lesson for all, and perhaps the most potent. Yet the team treated these lessons as opportunities, not an embarrassments, and were pleased to embrace them.

the plumbing stub out in the concrete slab.

the first concrete pour drying in the sun.

Students acted shocked by their hard work as they wrap up their second concrete pour.

How optimistic! How youthful!

The act of, as it were, “mocking up” a design is a pivotal moment for any builder, green or experienced alike. It forced the CLT Core House team to reckon with the stutters in their meticulous design process. No matter how long the process took, they learned new lessons. One would think that after the third consecutive day of sanding wood, they might have stopped to question the process. Alas, they powered through for the fourth, and yes, fifth day of sanding.

Two students paint water proofing onto CLT panels.

Student handprints are left in a pile of sawdust.

How determined! How youthful!

Once the students realized that sanding one spot means sanding all spots, they came to their senses and scrapped the sanding altogether.

Student stands in front of framed walls.

The CLT core assembled without the roof on top

Do not fear, dear reader: not all lessons were born of mistakes. Many a wise word was gained from consults versed in all manners of design. Among these travelers came Joe Burns of Chicago, the city of winds, to aid our CLT Core House team in structural matters. He continually adds merit to their work, ensuring that their uncommon use of shiplap as both a ceiling and structural member effectively transfers shear loads from walls to the central core as intended.

Many more came bearing gifts of knowledge and advice. Jonas Weber of David Baker Architects, defender of tile, Kiel Moe and Jacob Mans of various wooded landscapes, and lady Adele Schirmer of all things civil (engineering) have helped to refine the details of the cores themselves and the performance of the house. The CLT Core House team is so appreciative of this aid, not forgetting the many more who have helped take this project to where it is.

A model representing the bathroom core's tile and CLT.

Students talk with structural engineer about drawings.

How Fortunate!

Soon they will endeavor to build on a full scale. They do seem to feel as though they are ready…

How Ambitious! How Youthful!

Students demonstrate the layout of their mock-up.

Tags: CLT, CLT Core House, concrete, mockup, rsleftovers, ruralprefab, sawdust

Curb Alert!

July 10, 2024

Hello again and welcome back to the newest addition of the Rural Studio Bathhouse blog! We are so thrilled to show everyone what we’ve been up to recently! We have a big concrete update, but first—we’ve started stacking our wood walls!

student team poses in outdoor shower — Progress on the outdoor shower!

This is super exciting because this is the major focus of the project, and will be the finish wall material in most of the spaces. Continuing with the construction of the outdoor shower, we have started the stacking here. With the help of the jig table that we built a few months ago, we can align our pieces of cypress wood on one side (the interior of the building) and can clamp them down to the board below, creating a uniform module of five pieces.

stack of timber on fabrication pavilion floor — Choosing pieces

student stands on jig table with wood — Choosing pieces

We are assembling the modules in the Fabrication Pavilion so we can have a clean working surface. This allows us to stack the modules as they will be set up on site, get everything square and level, and then move the modules in place on site.

We have just a few more layers of modules to assemble and then will begin the process of drilling the holes for the threaded rods in each module.

image of a corner of the stacked outdoor shower — Box-joined corners

As the stacking of the outdoor shower walls was taking place, we also began the process of pouring the concrete curbs around the perimeter of the outdoor shower. We marked the curbs on the slab, assembled framed walls in place on the slab to hold the plywood formwork, and then leveled and attached the plywood to the formwork frames. Next, it was time for the pour!

image of interior curb formwork — Outdoor shower curb formwork

With the assistance of some great helpers, we were able to form a wheelbarrow and bucket brigade, lifting the concrete up into the curbs in the outdoor shower.

students scoop concrete from wheelbarrow to buckets — Helpers, helping

student dumps bucket of concrete into curb formwork — Helpers, helping

After two days, we were able to remove the interior formwork and the vertical formwork walls on the exterior, revealing the hefty slab and curbs!

image of finished slab and curbs — Waterfall edge on west side of outdoor shower

Once we saw how the pour went for the outdoor shower, we used the same process to build the curb formwork for the toilet and shower pods.

students use chalk to mark lines for formwork locations — Marking curbs/formwork

students assemble formwork frames — Marking curbs/formwork

Pouring the outdoor shower first did teach us some things, including how to attach the plywood to the frames and the need to account for gaps at the seam between the formwork and slab due to the leveling process, and generally we learned the overall process of getting the concrete into the curbs.

students pose with caulk on their hands — Caulk hands!

After caulking all gaps, the formwork was set and it was ready to pour!

image of finished curb formwork on toilet and shower pods — Before the pour

Again with the help of some fantastic helpers, we recently poured the curbs for the toilet and shower pods and are so excited to almost be done with concrete!

students scoop concrete from wheelbarrow into buckets — More helpers, helping!

student dumps concrete bucket into curbs — More helpers, helping!

image of toilet and shower pod right after concrete pour — After!

As this is being written, the team has been taking off all the interior curb formwork and the exterior vertical walls on the toilet and shower pod, revealing the slab and curbs!

image of slabs and curbs of toilet and shower pods without formwork — Take a look at those slabs and curbs!

We have another concrete pour coming up in a few days. This next pour will be for the foundation of a gray water filtration system for the outdoor shower run-off and the foundation of the bottle-filling station at the front of the building. We are already busy preparing for that pour with more digging and more rebar! Afterward, the only concrete left will be a topping slab going into each of the existing pods (the laundry and getting ready pods).

student looks through survey — Surveying!

student measures and marks footing on ground — Surveying!

The team is very excited about the progress being made and cannot wait to dive back into the assembly of the wood walls for the outdoor shower and the rest of the building!

students take a rest in outdoor shower — Time for a nap!

Thanks for following along with the Bathhouse blog! We look forward to providing another update very soon.

– Rural Studio Bathhouse Team

Carla, Ambar, Ashley, and Logan

Tags: bathhouse, concrete, designbuild, research project, rs5thyears, wood

Taking a Slab at It: A Bathhouse Concrete Story!

May 2, 2024

Hello dearest reader and welcome back to the latest edition of the Rural Studio Bathhouse blog!

The past few months have been a very exciting and productive period for the Bathhouse. We are very happy to share what all we’ve been up to since we last spoke!

At the time of our last update, we had just finished all the underground plumbing and preparing the CMU foundation walls for the floor structure.

Students sit on structural metal beams — Are we building a skyscraper??

Students lay on structural metal beams — Are we building a skyscraper??

We picked up on site where we left off by moving the structural beams into their places in the foundation walls and securing them in place!

View of students looking over metal deck from below — Greetings, Earthlings!

After cutting our metal decking to size, we were able to place the decking and began securing it to the CMU walls. Our good friend, Shane, helped us out by welding the decking down to the beams.

picture of project with completed metal deck — Metal done!

students pose on top of outdoor shower — Metal done!

Once the deck was in place, it was time for Spring Break, but we did not take a break from the project. We had a very relaxing week in the woodshop building all the modular formwork for the slab!

Student screws pieces of wood together — Assembling base module supports

wooden supports lined up in woodshop — Taking over the woodshop

view of students assembling supports from above — Taking over the woodshop

Once it was all built, we got busy on site installing the formwork. We started off with ledger boards on the CMU walls, then installed the base support modules and plywood base, and finally pulled strings to set the upright walls in place. We then braced these walls back to the base and added plywood to the inside face, completing the formwork.

student holds onto ledger board — Ledgers!

student screws support into ledger board — Ledgers!

image of completed formwork — Finished formwork

When the formwork was set, it provided a nice square base to measure all the penetrations in the slab from. We started off with the holes for the threaded rods.

student drills hole into formwork — Drilling holes for threaded rod sleeves

student marks penetrations on metal deck — Drilling holes for threaded rod sleeves

Next, we marked out all the electrical and plumbing penetrations in the decking and cut them out.

Students mark and cut penetrations in metal deck — Marking and cutting penetrations into metal deck

Student cuts through metal deck with grinder — Marking and cutting penetrations into metal deck

While all of this was going on, we also began plumbing the whole Bathhouse and installing all the electrical conduit and boxes in the crawlspaces. While plumbing was occurring, rebar was being cut to size on the ground. We used bracing attached to the formwork walls to help support the PVC sleeves for the threaded rods and the plumbing and electrical stub outs.

Student holds pipe in place — Plumbing above

students hold pipe in place — Plumbing above

After all the plumbing was completed and tested, we were able to begin putting the rebar reinforcement into place.

image of completed plumbing and electrical in toilet crawlspace — Finished plumbing and electrical in Toilet Pod

image of finished plumbing and electrical in shower pod crawlspace — Finished plumbing and electrical in Toilet Pod

The team tied all the pieces together to form a large rebar mat for the slab. With the rebar in place, it was time to add in the last thing, metal mesh, which helps prevent cracking within the slab. The team finished this final step just in time to celebrate at Pig Roast!

student tying rebar together — Before rebar

We had a great time on Friday night of Pig Roast weekend listening to all the alumni lectures and really enjoyed getting to show off our project and the progress we have made to all our friends and families on Saturday. We finished the day off with an evening of festivities, great food, and wonderful live music.

image of existing pods with presentation boards — Pig Roast presentation

toilet pod with presentation boards — Pig Roast presentation

The team speaking with former Rural Studio student — The bathhouse team meeting and looking at construction photos with original Supershed and Bathhouse team member, Jacqui Hart!

After a weekend of fun, it was quickly back to work for the bathhouse team! First thing Monday morning we got Concrete! An excellent team from JM concrete in nearby Uniontown made quick work of the pour and did a fantastic job with the finishing.

crew pouring concrete — 2 down, 1 to go!

team posing in front of concrete — 2 down, 1 to go!

team posing with thumbs-up for concrete — Thumbs up for concrete!

We are so proud to have the heart of the project completed!

We are so happy to share the huge amount of progress being made! Next, we will be preparing to pour all the curbs under the timber walls and beginning the process of stacking the timber modules for the walls.

Thanks so much for reading along and we hope to provide another exciting update very soon!

– Rural Studio Bathhouse Team

Carla, Ambar, Ashley, and Logan

Tags: bathhouse, concrete, designbuild, rebar, rs5thyears

Leveled Up

November 10, 2023

Last time we saw the 18×18 House team, they were putting shovels into the ground for the first time. Three months later, the project has leveled up!

The team first got their formwork ready for the concrete pour. This started with them digging their turndowns and trenches and then pulling strings, setting up formwork, and setting the plumbing pipes and electrical conduit.

The next step was putting down gravel, vapor barrier, and rebar. Then came the day everybody had been waiting for—the concrete pour! The team watched as Meagan cried tears of happiness when the slab was finally in place.

Once the slab was set, it was time to get to work. The team ordered and organized on-site to help them work as efficiently as possible.

Before the walls went up, the team laid down, some the termite flashing and sill gaskets to reduce air infiltration between the slab and the pressure-treated base plates.

After just two days, the exterior walls of the first floor were up and braced, then the team began to build and tilt up the interior walls from inside the house—a task that required lots of careful maneuvering due to its size.

They moved some scaffolding to the site and set it up around the house as to prepare to move upward.

Now the team is working on framing the second floor and building the stair. The joists have already been installed, and the team is gluing and nailing down the subfloor.

With the second floor platform installed, the team got a great view of the sunset down the hill, and they can’t wait to see that view from the very top. Stay tuned to see what the 18×18 House team does next!

Tags: 18x18house, concrete, framing, rsleftovers