It’s been a busy few weeks for the C.H.O.I.C.E. Emergency House team! With a constant revolving door of visitors coming and reviewing our work, there are always new ideas being thrown our way for consideration.
First up, we had a short one-day visit from Duvall Decker out of Jackson, MS. Anne Marie Duvall Decker and Roy Decker helped us make decisions about the environmental strategies for passively heating, cooling, and venting each unit.
After hearing their advice, we have developed a passive heating and cooling plan for each unit using a combination of operable transoms, large roof overhangs, and fans above the machine volumes to circulate air. As for ventilation, the new details use wider board spacing and perforations in the metal siding to vent the attic through the cladding—the exterior material—on either end of the volume.
Last Thursday and Friday, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien from Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and Partners in New York City, NY, paid a visit to Rural Studio for a two-day extravaganza. On the first day, all the teams presented their work and were given critiques from the pair. The second day, teams were tasked with solving specific design questions brought up during their reviews through a quick, collaborative charrette process.
For us, that meant exploring different interior arrangements and more efficient storage found at the intersection of service and delight. We were also tasked with discovering what a different foundation could do for the character of the porch, the location and expression of the shared washer and dryer volume, and how we can use a friendly fence to create hard and soft boundaries to the site.
Closing thoughts:
“Big things coming for Big Slab.” – AC
“Today’s Wordle was really hard.” – Hailey
“Ok… but really… the skylight is being resurrected!” – Davis
“To build or to buy off the shelf? That is the question.” – Raymond
Live from a double-rainbow kissed Morrisette Campus, It’s the Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation Research Project team! Recently, as the chill rolls into Newbern, the students and faculty witnessed this heart-warming phenomenon. And if you came for the rainbows, you should stay for the structure. Hang tight to learn how the TMBVRP team is supporting the Test Buildings eight feet off the ground.
Tuesday’s at the Horseshoe Courtyard
One more thing before we get on to the structure, a quick look at the Horseshoe Courtyard. During this semester the TMBV Research Project team has enjoyed working on the Horseshoe Courtyard site. Every Tuesday, project teammates Caleb and Claudia are wonderful and patient teachers to the TMBV team. The team certainly appreciates the construction experience and the time away from their computers. Go check out all of the beautiful work the Horseshoe Courtyard project team has done on their blog!
Column Conundrums
Model on Mock-up montage
Cooling Porch seating arrangement mock-up
The elevated pods create a cooled, outdoor room
First, a quick reminder of how and why the Test Buildings are up on stilts. Because the Optimal Tuning System uses thermal mass to create airflow, the Test Buildings will expel cooled air. In the Summertime, that cooled air could be a benefit to more than just the Test Building dwellers. Therefore the Test Buildings design was lifted in order to create a Cooling Porch underneath. Here, anyone can enjoy an outpouring of chilled air. The team chose steel columns to do the heavy lifting to keep the focus of the space on the solid Downdraft Chimneys. As seen in previous blog posts, the column’s placement is dictated by the relationship to the Downdraft Chimney’s and the seating arrangement. However, the column arrangement can not just look good on paper and feel right in the mock-up, it’s got to actually, safely stand up.
The team’s first attempt at hand calculations for column sizing
Rowe battles with Enercalc, an engineering software
Thankfully, structural engineer Joe Farruggia approved the column placement—now it was time to size the columns. Through a series of hand calculations, the team tested the stiffness of 3.5″ – 6.0″ diameter steel columns to see which ones could handle the weight of the pods. Then, Rowe took this work into Intercalc, an engineering software. Intercalce allowed him to test structural loads such as gravity loads, wind loads, live loads, and overturning forces. It turns out a 5″ O.D. steel column will be more than safe. Now, onto bracing!
Plan showing braced columns within the berm wall
Three of the four columns, per test building, are braced to eliminate excessive drift caused by wind loads on the tall faces of the buildings. Similarly, bracing the columns reduces possible deflection and improves stiffness. The column bracings, hidden in the berm walls surrounding the Cooling Porch, are 4″ x 4″ x 3/8″ steel angles. The six braced columns appear 5′ tall as they disappear into the berms while the other two are the full height of the occupiable space at 8′ tall. These taller, unbraced columns act as entrance markers.
Foundation Demystification
Originally, the team believed a concrete ring beam foundation would be sufficient for fixing the steel columns, and thus the buildings, solidly to the ground. As seen in the drawing above, the ring beams would extend to catch bracing. However, the team needed to consider overturning moments, or overturning forces, due to the height and the aforementioned wind loads of the Test Buildings. Overturning moments are those applied moments, shears, and uplift forces that seek to cause the footing to become unstable and turn over. This means they needed to make sure the foundations were strong enough to keep the columns and bracing in the ground during bad storms.
Before these moments could be properly designed for, the team needed to do some soil testing. The quality, based on its compaction, of the soil is another factor in determining the necessary size, and strength, of the foundation. Jeff and Cory dug some holes and then used a penetrometer to test the soil. And who would have thought—the site has some pretty decent soil! Unfortunately, Jeff has been stuck in that hole for weeks… We miss you Jeff!
overturning force calculations
To counteract the overturning forces, the foundation changed from a ring beam to a buried slab foundation which increases its weight. Each Test Building will have its own foundation. The slab foundations secure all columns and bracing to each other as well as the ground. Below are currents drawings of the foundation, column location, and bracing connections.
Foundation Plan showing concrete curb seating
Foundation Plan highlighting relation to columns and gravity loads
A section of the whole shebang
The Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation team will be jumping into drainage and ground material master planning next. Translating research into design into construction has been an arduous journey. However, the pay off will be worth it when designers anywhere can use the Optimal Tuning Strategy to make building materials work as air conditioners. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Live from behind a stack of full-scale detail drawings, it’s the Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation Research Project Team! Lately, the team has been investigating all details inside and out. Starting out with material pallet and ending up at chimney flashing, the team is kicking it into high gear.
Cladding Material
Iteration 1 Model
Iteration 1 Model
Iteration 2 Model
Iteration 2 Model
Unsurprisingly for a project so focused on the interior systems, it was difficult to make decisions regarding cladding. Initially, as seen in previous models shown above, the team experimented with separate cladding systems for the chimneys, Cooling Porch ceiling, and exterior walls. For iteration 1 of the test building design included a timber open-joint cladding system wrapping every surface. Next, for iteration 2, the cladding system wrapped only on the exterior wall faces of the buildings and the adjoining chimney faces. However, thin sheet metal covered the roof, cooling porch ceiling, and the chimney faces which touch those surfaces.
timber cladding + stacked timber walls and benches
sheet metal cladding + rammed earth walls and benches
polycarbonate cladding + stacked timber walls and benches
The consistent cladding of iteration 1 appealed better to the monolithic nature of the SIPs structure. It also reinforced the importance of the chimneys to the buildings as a whole from the exterior. From there the team began to test if the timber was the correct mono-material for the test buildings. Seen above are renderings testing different materials for the cladding, columns, retaining walls, and benches. It is important to view these materials as they interact in the Cooling Porch. While sheet metal and polycarbonate cladding options may look more monolithic, timber is a low carbon material that better represents the heart of the project. In some cases, timber as a building material acts as a carbon-sink meaning it stores and processes more carbon than it produces. This of course relates strongly to the passive goals of the Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation Research.
Recycled Retaining Wall
8″ x 8″ x 8′ concrete barrier
sidewalk pieces
Now the team is settled on the timber cladding, but they are not convinced of the retaining wall and bench materials. These aspects want to be a more earthen material as they rise from the ground towards the test buildings. After investigating rammed earth and concrete, the team wanted to find something more stackable. Concrete and rammed earth are beautiful, but they require formwork which requires more time. Something stackable will give the team more flexibility as well as members are movable.
Thankfully, down here on Highway 61 road work is being done to remove a load of 8″ x 8″ x 8′ stackable concrete barriers. The TMBVRP team is getting their hands on some of these reusable members and are calling around to local highway departments to find more similar materials. If they find enough, they will have a durable, stackable, and reusable material for their Cooling Porch. They can also use the old sidewalk pieces as a mosaic, ground material for the Cooling Porch. Above are drawings showing the use of these recycled materials.
Structure and Detailing
living lengend Joe Farrugia on Zoom
approximate structural plan
For the past three weeks, the team has been meeting consistently with Structural engineer Joe Farrugia. He is guiding the team through lots of math to size their columns. While the gravity load on the columns is extremely manageable, the wind load is more difficult. The test buildings height means they will face more wind load than a structure this size typically experiences. However, Joe is confident that the structural system the team has chosen is doable with the correct column sizing.
chimney and roof details
While the team is attempting to draw every detail of the test buildings, they’ve found the trickiest spots to be around the chimneys. Making sure water moves off the roof consistently and air moves behind the ventilated screen is crucial. The TMBVRP will spare you the pain of walking through each flashing bend and board cut. Struggles emerge when the chimneys converge with the angled roof, but it’s very doable with lots of thinking, drawing, and redrawing. Then Andrew Freear and Steve Long, come in to save the day because how you’ve redrawn it five times is still wrong. Lots of covered wall reviews later and the TMBVRP team is on their way to compiling all the details in a digital model and drawing set.
Looking forward to keeping this momentum going, the TMBVRP can be found in Red Barn from dawn to dusk. Feel free to bring by some late-night snacks but for now thanks for TUNING in!
Live from—wait, is that a 3′ x 4′ concrete panel? Lately, Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation Research Project Team has been delving into the interior of the test buildings. Inside, Wood and concrete thermal mass line the walls of the test buildings. The thermal masses thickness and surface area are optimally proportioned based on the thermal properties of the materials, size of the room, and ventilation required. This proportioning makes the whole passive temperature and ventilation control strategy tick. Therefore, the TMBVRP team must figure out an elegant solution for hanging the thermal mass to create a beautiful interior which also operates optimally. Let’s take a look at how they are tackling this task. Hint: it involves very big concrete panels …
Wood Test Building interior perspective
Wood Test Building Interior Perspective
Attachment strategy for pine boards
Attachment strategy for concrete panels
1:1 SIPs to thermal mass sketch
Typically, designers think of concrete as the go-to material used in passive thermal mass strategies. This is why the TMBVRP team is testing it in the Testing Buildings alongside the more surprising material; Southern Yellow Pine. If you remember from previous posts when the materials are proportioned properly using the Optimal Tuning Strategy they can be equally effective at cooling and creating buoyancy ventilation cycles.
However, when it comes to hanging the two materials on the SIPs walls, Pine is obviously much more straight forward. The pine boards attach to the SIPs panel walls with a simple screw. Well, multiple simple screws. On the other hand, the team will have to get much more creative to secure the concrete panels.
hanging systems: masonry anchors (left) vs cone form ties (right)
To start, the team tested two strategies hanging concrete panels; masonry anchors and cone form ties. First, they cast the masonry anchors and cone form ties into two 12″ x 12″ concrete panels. Similar to the panels in the Concrete Test Box in size, but different in the attachment system as the security of the panels in the test box is far less crucial as no one will be sleeping in it. Both test panels are attached at all four corners to shear walls in the Red Barn.
Masonry anchors are fluted plastic chambers that adhere to the concrete and are screwed through tp attach concrete to wall. They allow for a connection point that looks as if the screw passes directly through the concrete. However, for the sake of durability, the team would include a washer in this scheme to keep the screw from bearing into the concrete.
Likewise, the cone form ties act the same as the masonry anchor, but are larger in diameter and thickness. Also, they are able to set into the concrete to create a nice reveal. While the team liked the effect of this reveal, team collaborator Professor Salmaan Craig revealed a possible hurdle for the experiment. Revealing edges at the attachment points could slightly disturb the direction of heat transfer. The direction of heat transfer is integral to the strategy which is why the panels are insulated on the back. And, while this is a very small area that could be affected it is multiplied enormously by the number of panels and screws. We call this problem, fastener effect loss. Fastener effect loss assumes, very conservatively, that the small area around the reveal is ineffective to the system.
the original panel arrangement design
possible panel arrangement sketches
the new, large panel arrangement
Next, the team ran the numbers and if all the panels were 12″ x 12″ with four form ties each, 6% of the thermal mass would be lost to faster effect. Now, that’s not bad at all for a real building, and again that’s an extremely conservative estimate. However, for an experiment establishing the most ideal situation for a small building, 6% is not negligible enough. Going forward, if the team prefers the cone form ties, they will need to lessen the amount of panels therefore lessening the number of form ties. Fewer form ties means less fastener effect loss. Fewer form ties also means bigger panels. The team sketched out many different possible panel arrangements but decided they needed to test just how large they could cast a concrete panel. Above on the far right, you will see their biggest panel possible design. This design consists of 3′ x 4′ panels in a running bond pattern.
making the molds
hitting out the air bubbles
smoothing it out
Mr.Smooth Jeff being extra smooth
final shiny product
Next, Jeff and Rowe got to work creating the panels for biggest panel possible design. The estimated weight for these panels is 200 lbs. While this is fairly difficultl for construction, the size of panel cuts down on the number of panels needed from 128 to 39. So while it may be hard to lift, the team would have to make far fewer panels. And the fastener effect loss shrinks exponentially as the design goes from using over 500 screws and form ties to under 200. The question still remains, however, will the panels crack at this size?
a reminder of the TCI thermal property testing of different concrete mixes
To address the issue of cracking concrete panels, the team tested two different mixes for their large panels. If you remember from their blog post on concrete thermal property testing, the team obtained the thermal property data from three different standard concrete mixes. They ended up using the Quikrete Pro-Finsh for the Concrete Test Box, but thought for the large panels they should also try the Quikrete Fiber-reinforced mix. The fiber-reinforced mix is increased in structural integrity which will be beneficial for larger panels by reducing possible cracking. Jeff and Rowe built two form works to test both mixes at the 3′ x 4′ panel size.
Look at that! Both the fiber-reinforced and smooth finish concrete mixes came out great! Very smooth with zero cracks, but very heavy. Above you see the fiber-reinforced panel which turned out just as good as the professional finish and would be much stronger. This does not mean that the team will be using the enormous panels, most likely they will cut them in half. However, the team now knows their largest limit on size is possible. The team will continue to weigh their options between attachment method, panel size, and panel arrangements as they solidify their design. Keep tuning in to see where these crazy kids and their crazy concrete end up!
The Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation Research Project Team have a new design approach which is moving the design along swiftly and with confidence. The team struggled to create cohesive or decisive designs, each member picking small bits of the project such as the cladding or the siting without looking at the total package. While this felt like progress, it was more of going through the motions than collaborative design. Then Andrew Freear threw them a lifeline; draw the whole building(s) in ‘a moment in time’.
Cooling Porch seating arrangement sketches are everywhere
The team was to design and choose the best options at that moment for cooling porch arrangement, structural system, site, cladding material, etc. Next, they were to draw and model the whole thing out, details, and all, as a team assuming the chosen parameters. After the team could really evaluate, decide what works and what doesn’t, and design again. Well, Andrew must have had something in his tea that day because the TMBVRP is now on the fast track. In the past two weeks, the developed four design iterations, built two models, and two mock-ups on Morrisette Campus. Let’s take a look at the process and where the design is now!
Iteration 1
For the first full design, the team chose the site at the east end of the Supershed. This is a much dryer location than the previous “Two Trees” site. The Test Pods, in this arrangement, act as an extension of the Supershed by mimicking the slope of the roof. By mirroring and offsetting the pods, both rooms have a view from the doorway looking out over Morrisette campus. This offset allows for the access stair to tuck down the side. The walkway between the pods holds them apart and gives a view of the sky from underneath in the Cooling Porch.
Next, the team explored a vertical, ventilated timber siding. This open-joint cladding system shades the SIPs (Structural Insulated Panel) structure from solar heat gain and wraps both chimneys. The structure supporting the Test Pods, while elevating them 10′ off the ground, was a steel frame attached to columns. This steel frame was able to slide underneath both pods between the Downdraft Chimneys. The relatively light steel columns highlight the cantilevered pods. The 1′ thick SIPs’ floors on each pod act as one large beam able to span across the steel structure while distributing the building’s load. All of this allows for an uninterrupted space for the Cooling Porch while making the two pods appear to float.
lonely, triangle person enjoys Iteration 1 while wishing other triangle friends could visit.
Reviewing this iteration, the team decided the Cooling Porch head height was entirely too tall for a small gathering space. There is also little interaction with the Downdraft Chimneys in this first scheme. The project collaborators suggested the doors not be above the Downdraft Chimneys to mitigate airflow disturbance. They also pointed out that vertical cladding is less successful for shading than horizontal. With internal and external feedback the team got to work on a new design.
Iteration 2
Iteration 2 started with moving the doors from in front of the Downdraft Chimney opening in the pods. This drove the rest of the design because the roof angle is always tied to the chimney locations. The Updraft Chimney, the one on attached to the roof, needs to be on the high side of the sloped roof. This way rain and debris cannot pool around the Updraft Chimney. Also, to distrubute airflow as evenly as possible, the chimneys need to be as far apart as possible. Therefore the Downdraft Chimneys must always correspond to the low side of the roof slope. Switching the roof angle to an “anti-Supershed” slope, allowed for the Downdraft Chimneys to move out from underneath the doors, while keeping the same mirrored, offset pod arrangement.
rebellious roof angles
Whew, the team got the pod arrangement and door to chimney relationship fixed, but they created another problem: structure. The structural steel frame would no longer be able to fit in between the Downdraft Chimneys. So, the team thought to take full advantage of the structural possibilities of the very thick SIPs and attach the columns directly to the underside of the floor. While at first, they thought this would be impossible, their contact at a SIPs manufacturer told them it is done quite often on hunting blinds. “The hunting blind” will go on the long list of nicknames referring to the strange yet recognizable form of the Test Pods. The Tree House, The Periscope, The Wind Catcher….
The cladding, stair, and roof material all took a turn. While the stair and cladding changed direction, the roof material changed from membrane to metal. The roof metal also became the underside material and wrapped corresponding sides of the chimneys. The exterior cladding now acted as a fence around the outer edges of the pods while the metal appeared to wrap underneath. The Cooling Porch height dropped to nine feet, which still seemed a bit high. The team had a good feeling about iteration 2. Mostly, it directed them to give more attention to the Cooling Porch. How does it feel to be in that space? It was also time to see how these Test Pods really looked on Morrisette Campus, not just in model.
Iteration 3
Students level with eachother
First, photomontages, collages of model photos and site photos, were created to get an estimate of just how big these pods look on site. The results are in: the pods are pretty dang big. There was also a slight column movement from the last iteration, but that’s a very boring drawing. These images really got the team thinking they needed more visualization. So it was time to build a mock-up.
Still so tall…
This one-day mock-up tested the height of the Cooling Porch space, seating arrangements, and pod siting. The columns are accurately placed and support a frame that represents the underside of the pods. This gives the relative ceiling height of the Cooling Porch The team first built the columns and frames to give a head height of 8′ 6″. They pretty immediately lowered it to 7′ 6″ as it still felt too generous for an intimate space of gathering.
Jeff and Livia battle giants, Rowe and Cory, over minimum height
lounging in the new, coolest Morrisette hang out space
A cardboard box is not a chimney…
The mock-up helped to establish an undercroft ceiling height but revealed some disfunction between all of the elements in the space. The team needed a more robust mock-up to understand how the retaining walls, seating arrangements, columns, and Downdraft Chimneys interacted. Plus, the team had a really good time building. It was off to Lowe’s for Iteration 4 and Mock-up 2.
Iteration 4
Cooling Porch plan showing how people wearing pink shirts share the space.
Before getting to Mock-Up 2, let’s address lateral load. While the columns can be specified to support the weight of the buildings, what will keep the Test Pods from tipping over in the next high wind storm? For iteration 4, the idea was to tie all the columns together underground in the foundation. That foundation than extruded upward to become the retaining wall and the support for the seating. Seating as a way to gather around the cool-air chimneys, which act as spacial barriers, drove the placement of the walls and columns. The resulting design was translated to Mock-Up 2.
The glory of Mock-Up 2 at golden hour
The biggest worry about iteration 4 was the distance between and size of the chimneys. However, sitting in the complete Mock-Up 2 space, the chimneys did not feel too crowded or large. Instead, they felt like the integral feature they are. They divided the space into three but still allowed for continuity, through access, and visibility. The space between the chimneys is more compact and private while the larger spaces at the Cooling Porch entries allow for gathering.
The ground to sky connections really began to stand out in the photomontages of iteration 4. This brought to mind both material pallet and column placement. While the team originally thought the benches in the Cooling Porch might be light, thin material, it became quite clear it should be something heavier. This way the Cooling Porch is clearly an element of the ground, while the pods are an element of the sky. This idea also brings into question whether the columns always hitting the foundation/retaining wall perfect actually makes them stand out more. A regular, orthogonal placement, while still keeping clear of the gathering space, may make the columns somewhat disappear.
TMBV Logo Hard Hat: OUT OF STOCK
Copper in Saftey Bandana: NOT FOR SALE
Spunky Graduate Research Students: SOLD OUT
The Thermal Mass and Buoyancy Ventilation Team is moving on to iteration 5, 6, 7, on and on. They are enjoying their new design process as the idea of building these two floating experiments becomes more real every day. Next up, the team is taking a deep dive into the interior of the pods. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to take it one moment at a time and STAY TUNED!
