“Pre-Stress Test” is a review with Auburn University faculty to show our progress of the projects and plan of action. It is also preparation for “Stress Test” in May, which determines if we move forward to build the project. Although it is a bit stressful and nerve-racking, “Pre-Stress Test” helps us gain outside perspective on what we need to work on to successfully move forward with the project.

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Four professors from Auburn, Margaret Fletcher, Rusty Smith, Justin Miller, and Christian Dagg, came out to Rural Studio for reviews. Margaret and Rusty were our studio professors during 1st-Year at Auburn, so it was fun to show them just how much we’ve learned over the past four years. We were able to share the feedback from the hospital team and how we responded to their design comments.

The plan above depicts the ground surfaces and overhead canopy of the courtyard design. The hardscape is drawn as large pavers, the gravel is the dotted hatch, and the white space is the large central lawn.

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The section on the left is looking south and shows the seating nooks along the back wall. The section on the right shows how the porch would span across the courtyard and be used for physical therapy activities during sessions.

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The perspective drawings show the ideas for the future courtyard overlaid with existing conditions of the hospital.

Concluding comments from our “Pre-Stress Test” reviewers were that we need to focus more on therapy and rehabilitation details in the design and make therapy activities more visible in our drawings. After Spring Break, we will continue to work on design explorations, focus on therapy details, and develop a demolition plan.