JASdesign - Rural Studio

Braces, Splices, and Trusses, oh my!

The 5th-year students have been in Hale for a couple months working as a team of eight on two new projects: the Fabrication Pavilion and CLT Core House. Now we are excited to finally introduce you to the new 2023 Fabrication Pavilion team!

Polaroid photos of (left to right) Tatum DeBardeleben, Marcelo Aldrete, Anna Leach, and Laura Forrest

Tatum DeBardeleben is from Auburn, Alabama. She used to be an equestrian camp counselor and is a lover of wooden utensils.

Marcelo Aldrete comes all the way from Austin, Texas. He is a former builder of tiny homes and a proud bearded dragon dad.

Anna Leach is from Gadsden, Alabama. She loves twirling flaming batons and is an aquarium enthusiast.

Laura Forrest hails from Corner, Alabama. She has been a roller-skating carhop and has a cat who likes high-fiving.

Our Challenge

We have been challenged to pick up where the 2015 Fabrication Pavilion team left off. We will be renovating the structure so that it can continue to serve Rural Studio for years to come. This task includes making some structural repairs to the existing building, planning for an extension, and making changes to the layout of campus so that the Pavilion works as effectively as possible.

Students tour the Fabrication Pavilion — Fabrication Pavilion tour

A stack of drawings of the Fabrication Pavilion, each showing a different approach to lighting in the space — Fabrication Pavilion tour

Workshopping It Out

Since August, we have had a variety of workshops to explore options for the Fabrication Pavilion with our guests. We began with site planning—balancing the need for student, faculty, and trailer parking with vehicle clearances and turnarounds for deliveries—along with determining the best placement for a new pole barn for storage on campus.

The team also did a story-poling exercise to test out different locations and sizes for possible additions to the Fabrication Pavilion.

Students and Teachers hold up story poles to aid in the visualization of a new structure on campus — Making a story with poles

Students sit around a table, examining building code books — Making a story with poles

Additionally, the entire class accompanied Frank Harmon and Dan Wheeler around Greensboro and Newbern for a sketching and watercolor workshop, with subjects ranging from Morrisette House to Marcelo’s own apartment to Andrew Freear’s wallet! This workshop focused on sketching as a tool for memory, study, and seeing.

Sketchbooks lie open on the sidewalk to show a series of watercolors — Watercolor workshop with Frank Harmon and Dan Wheeler

A series of pencil sketch self-portraits by Tatum DeBardeleben — Watercolor workshop with Frank Harmon and Dan Wheeler

Pencil sketch of a presentation at the Morisette House Great Hall by Tatum DeBardeleben — A speedy sketch of the presentation

Watercolor of the sidewalk in front of the Hale County Library by Anna Leach — A speedy sketch of the presentation

Watercolor Perspective of the Great Hall at Morisette House by Tatum DeBardeleben — A beautiful day to watercolor

Under Repair

Under the instruction of our teachers and structural engineer, we have been constructing scaffolding and bracing for the Fabrication Pavilion’s columns. In the next week, we will begin repairing the columns by removing the original wooden blocking and replacing it with larger galvanized steel tubing.

Two students cutting wooden boards, seen from above — Measure twice, cut once

Students stand in a circle watching a demonstration on power tool safety — Measure twice, cut once

Looks Like We Have Another Review on Our Hands

This past Friday, we got all dressed up for Halloween Reviews as the Scooby-Doo gang, complete with our own Fabrication Pavilion Mystery Machine. This review gave us much-needed insight into our schemes. We have been encouraged to look deeper into the possibilities of what the Fabrication Pavilion can become and to experiment further.

The Fabrication Pavilion team stand in front of the Rural Studio's Red Barn, dressed as Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Fred from Scooby Doo — The Mystery Gang and their Fabrication Machine

Tatum DeBardeleben and Anna Leach, dressed as Daphne and Fred from Scooby Doo, dramatically point at something off screen — The Mystery Gang and their Fabrication Machine

We’re looking forward to seeing how this space evolves from how it has functioned in the past to how it will aid students in Rural Studio’s future. If you would like to accompany us on that journey, check back in with our future blogs!