Following the Smith Park team over the course of 5 new episodes, Season 2 follows the team making formwork, having busy meetings, mixing and pouring concrete, and making major progress on their mock-up. After a busy first season that saw the team working on mostly construction drawings, season 2 ups the ante and finds the team outside in the heat, working hard, and enjoying every moment of it.
Episode 1
In Episode 1, the team is in the early stages of forming up the bench part of the mock-up. Their full mock-up includes three separate concrete pours starting with the bench and ending with the walking trail. Here you’ll find them preparing the formwork and discussing how they will go about the pouring process.
Episode 2
Episode 2 follows the team as they mix and pour the concrete for the bench section of the mock-up. This was a stressful process, but the results speak for themselves, if you can wait until episode 3 that is…
Meghan broom finishing the benchBench formwork filled with concrete
Episode 3
In Episode 3, we find the team unveiling the bench mock-up and discussing the work, how they could improve, and where to go next.
Amanda removing bench formwork
Episode 4
At the end of Episode 3, the team had just finished the concrete pour for the bench section of the mock-up. In Episode 4, they begin the preparations for the first walking trail pour.
Episode 5 (season finale)
The season finale is finally here. Episode 5 sees the team pouring and finishing the concrete for the trail section of the mock-up.
finishing the concrete for the trail
Season 3?
With so much accomplished in the past few weeks, what could we possibly see the team do next? Maybe pour the next section of the mock-up? Continue drawing the project? Officially break ground on the site? You’ll have to wait and see next time 🙂
The “Diners,” a.k.a. the Dining House team, have been refining their design palette. The team has used the boiling hot Hale County summer in part to let the design detailing simmering. And they’re preparing for an exciting, eventful start to the upcoming semester.
Let’s take a closer look at what the team has been whipping up this summer!
Eager to zest up the day-to-day design process, the team started June with a small mock-up on concrete. They let thoughts and drawings marinate in the studio while they considered how leftover wood from the mill could create interesting textures for the concrete piers. Accordingly, the group created a set of four 12” x 14” wood forms to experiment with wood textures. Then, a few days later, they broke the samples free from the forms and took notes on their samples. The team learned a lot even from blending the batter-like concrete mixture, and they now understand the textures they might use.
Getting back into the Studio, the team further developed structural details in preparation for a meeting with Joe Burns, our engineering consultant.
The drawings helped define how some of the architectural components would come together: the column-to-pier and rafter-to-column connections, as well as the ridge tie connection. The engineer clarified these details with specifics like bolt sizes and dimensions of metal connectors. One goal behind the “structural bent” design—the transverse rigid frame—is creating a simple visual palette with milled lob lobby pine and minimal metal work.
With more context on the structural bent, the group also has been resolving some spatial proportions in the north and south rooms, as well as studying window details with insulated glass panels stored in the Studio’s barn. Overall, the team has been focusing the recipe on responding to the specific ingredients at their disposal. With the help of Jake LaBarre, the team mocked up the Dining House’s space under the Fabrication Pavilion to test its floor-plan dimensions and heights. And the team reduced the size of the glass connections on the insulated panels with the help of Dan Wheeler.
Mock-up making with Jake LaBarreDrawing details with Dan WheelerSpatial mock-ups under the Fabrication Pavilion
Now with more details reaching al dente, the team can focus on refining the site drainage, plumbing, and electrical plans, and on finishing the foundation drawings, leading them, hopefully, to a groundbreaking very, VERY soon.
Speaking of finishing drawings…take a look at the latest renderings of the Dining House!
We hope you’ll tune in soon to see what the team cooks up next month!
Hello and welcome back to the Rural Studio Bathhouse blog. Check out what we’ve been up to the past few months!
Thumbs-up for walkway going up!
At the time of the last update, we were just wrapping up stacking the modules for the outdoor shower’s walls and preparing to install the metal roof structure.
We got our good friend Shane back on site to help us out with the installation. First up was the compression frame on the top of the walls. After welding the rods to the frame, we tightened the bolts to the recommended pressure, compressing the wood walls into place.
Checking out our progress
Next, we lifted the continuous tubes into place. Once they were leveled, we bolted them to the compression frame at the recommended force.
Leveling the continuous tubesBolting the continuous tubes to the frameContinuous tube in placeFrame and continuous tubes in place
With the tubes in place, we marked the locations for the trusses and lifted them onto the tubes. Shane then welded the three trusses into place. He also welded the diagonal support bracing between the trusses.
Holding the trussesLeveling the trussesWelding the trussesShane welding!Look at that!
Next, we marked out the locations for the purlins, and once again, Shane welded them to the trusses. With the trusses and purlins in place, we welded the tubes to the edges of the trusses and purlins, capping all the open ends. This step makes the trusses and purlins appear as planar surfaces instead of singular objects. With all the welding complete, we cleaned and painted the welds and touched up any other ugly spots on the structure.
Capping the ends of the trussesPutting the purlins in placeWelding the purlins All welded together!Touch-ups
Finally, we were ready to put up the sheet metal roof. We started with the north side of the outdoor shower, making sure to measure to set points on the trusses to ensure the spacing of the sheets was even.
Roof going up!Roof securedYippee!Finished!
We were able to do this very quickly, and it completely transformed the experience of the space. Although it looks like our early renderings, it’s even better than we imagined in reality!
One of our very early renderings of the Outdoor ShowerThe real view!
Finished roof from outside
On site, we poured the small concrete pad on the top of the boot washing station at the front of the building. Steve helped us with the finishing work and taught us how to do the edging and broom finish. This little slab will support a water hydrant that comes up through it as well as several boot scrubbers and/or a water hose reel.
Concrete pourConcrete master Steve!Our turnVoila!
After we finished installing of the roof structure and completing other site tasks, we made our way back to Columbiana to continue with the rest of the metal fabrication. We began working on the walkway ladders, continuous tubes, plates for the ceilings, and the other miscellaneous roof pieces.
Walkway ladder #1
Before we knew it, Pig Roast was almost here! The team made a big push to be able to show off what we could of the metal work on site. We were excited to have the first piece of the walkway done, and Shane came out to the site again to help us put it in place. We also finished a mock-up of the guardrail with the help of Flo and Luis in the shop. The mock-up was clamped in place on site to give visitors an idea of the fully finished walkway. We also set up the outdoor shower so that visitors could climb up and experience the space and views for themselves.
Guiding it into placeMore bolting it down Securing to slabMore securing to slabFinished!Finished with guardrail mock-ups!
With another year down, it came time to celebrate everyone’s hard work and incredible projects at Pig Roast! Although it was rainy and muggy, nothing could rain on our parade. We had a great time showing off our project and the progress made to all our friends and families. We also enjoyed participating in all the evening festivities as well.
Team with plywood cutout LoganBid to win!
The excitement didn’t last long because we had to get back to work in Columbiana. We started back up on the walkway ladder pieces. This work consisted of us cutting the channels to size, coping the ends of the channels to fit together, drilling any holes, leveling all the pieces, welding the outer frame, adding the bracing tees within the frames, and welding those to the channels. We also cleaned and painted each ladder piece when we finished. We have finished fabricating four of the five walkway ladders.
Coping channelsDrilling holes into channelsFitting channels together to build ladderWelding ladder togetherCleaning up the weldsPainting
After we had the four walkway pieces on site, we called on Shane once again to help us out. The installation wasn’t the easiest, but Shane and our two helpers were great, and we lifted all the ladders into place and secured them to the structure.
Tools for InstallationTools after installation
The day wouldn’t have been complete without a little more excitement, this time with Shane’s truck getting stuck on our muddy site.
Whoops!
After working so hard on the design of the structure and fabricating the ladder pieces in the shop, it is very rewarding to see the walkway coming together on site. It looks just like our model!
Walkway model The real deal!
Testing our balance and the structure!
While working on the walkway, we also continued making progress on the roof structure. We cut out all the pieces for the trusses with their angles. We then used those pieces to help lay out a jig to build the trusses with, just like how we did with the outdoor shower. This process ensures all the trusses are the same. Then it was time to get to the welding. We laid out the pieces, clamped them to the jig, welded the top side, and then flipped them over to every other side and welded them as we went. Once all 31 trusses were welded, we cleaned up the welds and then painted them. Recently, we were able to transport all of them back to site.
Cutting pieces to correct anglesOur truss jig Welding the trusses togetherWelded trussesFinished trusses
The team is delited with the progress being made in the metal shop, as well as site. We have a few more metal things to fabricate but will be wrapping up the work in Columbiana shortly. We will refocus our efforts on finishing making the modules for the shower pod.
Thank you so much for reading along, and we already look forward to speaking again soon! Stay tuned for more fun updates.
It’s been one month since the team went on indefinite hiatus, but with nothing else to do, what else could they do but come right back to where it all began? After finding success with releases such as, Halloween Reviews, Soup Roast, and now Pig Roast, the band is finally off tour and hitting the Studio to work on something the world has never seen.
Below is a subscriber exclusive look at the process behind their latest project: Smith Park.
Pig Roast: The Tour
After the team’s critically acclaimed performance at Executive Review #1, the world thought, “How could they get any better?” Well, they did and very quickly. Getting right back on track, the team spent countless days and late nights in the Studio perfecting their craft and preparing for their next big show: Pig Roast 2025.
Picture this: the stage is set, the lights are shining, and the crowd is going wild. You are second row, it’s loud, and it’s hard to pay attention to anything but your eyes are fixed to what is right in front of you. There stands the team, microphone in hand, about to blow your mind. Not so hard to picture, right? During the performance, the team showed off everything they have worked on since September, hitting all the highlights. Eventually, they ended the set with a tour of the park showing off their proposed design mocked up at full scale, never missing a beat.
Graduation: The Afterparty
Good times can’t last forever, but they certainly last a long time. Coming off stage, the team could have relaxed, could have phoned it in, but what did they do instead? They got right back on that tour bus headed for Auburn, Alabama. As successful as they were at this point, there was one thing they hadn’t done: graduate college.
In Auburn, they were met with adoring fans all packed into the arena just to get a chance to see them in person. When it was all said and done, the band showed up as students and left as rockstars.
Summer: The New Era
The tour was over. The members all took time off flying across the country on vacation. Fans heard nothing but radio silence.
However, there were rumblings in the press about a possible reunion. Team members were seen together back in Greensboro in the Studio. Soon enough it all came out.
The team was hard at work pushing the project forward even when no one thought they would be. They were familiar with fame and after staring into its eyes, they saw an opportunity—an opportunity to take the bull by its horns and push themselves to the next level. Summer is here, the team is in their new era as “leftovers,” and nothing can get in their way!
The last time you checked in with the Dining House team, the students had begun to refine design decisions centered around site placement, thermal comfort, and material palettes. Since then, the “Diners” have been working tirelessly, preparing for the renowned Pig Roast, final Executive Review, and graduation (they said, “Somehow we made it”)!
In the last weeks of the school year, the Diners explored the appropriate structure of and thermal comfort levels for the Dining House. The team has been hard at work milling lumber from Rural Studio’s campus, so they believe that showcasing this lumber as part of the structural system of the Dining House would be an exciting statement of the ethos of the project. Currently, the Diners are exploring creating a “structural bent” system (a transverse rigid frame) made out of the milled and salvaged lumber from the Rural Studio’s “pile of stuff” located in the barns across Newbern. The structural bent would support the roof, creating the superstructure over the Dining House, much like a pole barn.
Floor plan with the 6-foot grid beforeFloor plan changing to 8-foot grid separated from the building box
Underneath this superstructure two insulated cores would hold “hunker down” spaces, containing comfortable areas during the peaks of winter and summer, complying with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. These “hunker down” spaces would cap the Dining House and allow for an open kitchen in the middle. This central kitchen would be opened up for light and air to augment the space. A porch would extend from the main dining room, stepping down into the western courtyard beside the Dining House. An operable wall of doors could be propped open, bridging the interior and exterior spaces 3rd-years enjoy.
As Pig Roast and the Executive Review approached, the Diners believed that a full-scale mock-up of space and structure would be a nice break from studio and give the team the hands-on tools to adjust scale and arrangement. In the days leading up to Pig Roast, the team moved to the site and constructed a full-scale mock-up of the bent system! Using 2x4s and plywood, the team built two bents that replicate the length, width, and thickness of the planned bents. The Diners, with the help of other teams, hoisted the bents into place, and clamped them to the scaffolding to test the scale of the Dining House. It was hard work, but the team had a great time building something with their own hands.
When Pig Roast had finally arrived, the group was ecstatic to show off their genius work to their friends and families. With a day full of presentations, bad jokes, and comical walk-throughs, the Diners couldn’t be happier with the progress they made, or more thankful for all the hands that have guided them along the way.
After Pig Roast, the Diners had a quick celebration and then got right back to work. A few days later, Executive Review II arrived. The team worked tirelessly again to have an effective meeting with the clients of the project. The review focused on the relationship of structure to envelope, and how to further the idea of a pavilion-like structure that protects the boxes underneath. Focusing on details and structural drawings, the Dining Team got helpful feedback and positive support for continuing the design of the Dining House.
Just a few of the great drawings and details the team is exploring!
Off to commencement!
After the team survived their final Executive Review, graduation time was here. The Diners drove back to Auburn. Celebration and reunion with old friends and classmates marked the end of one finish line, and the start of another.
The Diners finally made it to the finish line of their academic careers (so far), and they could not be happier!
