RICHMOND BOATWRIGHT ACADEMY Chase R. Cothran Senior Fall 2008
RICHMOND BOATWRIGHT ACADEMY Revitalization: The Richmond Intermediate Terminal Warehouse No. 3 3101 E. Main Street Richmond, Virginia Chase R. Cothran Senior Fall 2008 VCU Department of Interior Design cothrancr@vcu.edu
Contents
4 Introduction 6 Site Components 8 Site Panorama 10 Water Recreation 12 Precedents Leipzig Plant Falkirk Wheel 18 Design Style 20 Programming Criteria Matrix Diagrams Workflow Study 26 Code 27 Building Documentation 28 LEED
Introduction
The city of Richmond founded in 1737 was due solely to the fact that the settlers from Jamestown could not make it any further up the James River. In a sense the city was born from the river. Its location and existence are dictated by certain characteristics of the river. During the Industrial Revolution the South side of Belle Isle served as a hydroelectric plant for one of the countries first electric trolley systems. Aside from its practical uses people have always come to the river for recreational purposes such as swimming, kayaking, and fishing. As the great migration happened and people began to move out of the city they have lost touch with the beautiful intrinsic qualities of experiencing an urban environment on the water. The geography of the River is extremely diverse and has a lot to offer, but aside from the singular human wading in the water, people don’t get to experience the joy of piloting a vessel down the James, much like the first settlers did. By offering a facility where people could do so would give Richmond a chance to regain it’s Richmond city heritage. Also if people would construct their own vessel in a state of the art facility focusing strongly on team building exercises and craft, one would gain personal attachment and devotion to a program and the city that they live in. All of the new master plans for Richmond, give notion to incorporating a new marina into the landscape. Simply having a marina for people to navigate the James is part of a solution that could be expanded upon. The site for consideration is the Richmond Intermediate Terminal Warehouse at 3101 E. Main Street. The are is a dead zone as far as human traffic is concerned and is amidst a sea of abandoned industrial facilities such as Fulton Gas Works. Enriching this site with pedestrian traffic and attracting people to this location would bridge the connection of Rocketts Landing, currently in the construction phase, with the trail end of Richmond.
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3101 E. Main Street Richmond, Virginia 23223 The Richmond Intermediate Terminal Warehouse No. 3 Erected in 1920 Future Home of the Richmond Boatwright Academy
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Site Components
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1
The site is surrounded by an ample amount of green space that could be responsibly developed into park space to conduct classes and would also serve as a great vantage point to view the James River.
2
The concrete pad off Main Street serves as a great delivery location for materials, as the building is already outfitted with three loading bays.
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1
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1
The inlet area could be altered to harbor another boat launching ramp, as it is perfectly sheltered from the river currents.
2
The foundation of a previously existing Terminal Warehouse could be outfitted to serve as a boat yard and vantage point.
3
Ample parking is available on the site.
4
Water Street runs underneath the buildings foundation.
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Main Street
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Site Panorama
University of Richmond Rowing Crew Facility
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Dock
Boat Ramp
Downtown Richmond
Abandoned Factory Facility
3101 Main Street Intermediate Terminal Warehouse
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Water Recreation Whitewater Along the James River, there are many whitewater activities. Rapids are divided into two distinct sections based on rapid class. The rapids range from class I and II found in the Upper Section 1, all the way up to the more challenging III and IV rapids that are found in the Downtown Section 2.
Swimming One of the easiest activities on the James River is to simply wade in the water and sunbathe on the rocks. Popular spots for these activities are located at Pony Pasture 1, 42nd Street 2, or Belle Isle 3.
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Tubing Those interested in a slower paced activity where leisure and enjoying the scenery of the James River is a priority, float down the James River on a tubing excursion. Tubing starts at Pony Pasture 1 and ends at Reedy Creek 2.
Boat Ramp Access The only public access boat ramp located within the City of Richmond is located right past Mayo’s Island 1. This the furthest point at which a boat with a substantial draft can travel up the river.
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Zaha Hadid Architects Leipzig BMW Plant, Germany
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The BMW Leipzig Plant in Germany is a great example of how a manufacturing process and it’s supporting business aspects can be effectively mashed together to increase productivity and awareness on both sides of spectrum. Zaha Hadid stated that “The Central Building is the active nerve-center or brain of the whole factory complex [where] all the threads of the building’s activities gather together and branch out again from here.” Her analogy is extremely evident in the space planning of the interior. People in management position on the office side can clearly see the production process and make educated decisions based upon visual observations, and vice versa. The weaving of the different support areas creates an interesting fabric and allows for unconventional areas of interaction between employees at BMW. If this same philosophy can be replicated in the Richmond Boatwright Academy through mashing classroom learning together with shop construction, students would learn faster, because a seamless barrier between the two would be created. Once a new technique is demonstrated in a classroom demo or historic presentation students can see examples of how it directly relates to their overall goal.
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RMJM Architects Falkirk Wheel, Scotland
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The Falkirk Wheel was created as an ambitious solution to the Millennium Link, a project that would eventually connect Scotland’s Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The radical solution was an attempt to connect the two canals that were vertically separated by 115 feet. For years the two canals had been connected by a system of eleven locks which was dismantled in 1933. RMJM Architects of Glasgow essentially created one of the most successful and truly unique boat lifts in the world. After eliminating the eleven locks the Falkirk Wheel effectively utilized the space, by focusing on properly balanced mechanics. By using the same clarity of design and intuition that RMJM has on a large scale, a smaller scale problem arises at the Richmond Boatwright Academy, where a solution is needed to transport the boats from the first floor to the foundation level, which lies about 25 feet below on the south facing side of the building. The solution needs not to be as radical as RMJM’s solution, but must be equally effective in it’s use of space. Rather that rely on brute force robotics for movement, the Boatwright Academy’s mechanism must be natural and only function with the aid of human powered interaction. The mechanics of simple machines will be highly sought after.
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Design Style My Influences
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Boats Part of the passion for this proposal is my love for all things aquatic. I was practically raised in and around water, swimming, boating, and fishing. Boats come in a never ending variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate certain geological conditions and the aesthetic of the designer, with influences from their culture. They are a lively hood for many and not until recently in history have served as a form of recreation. One thing for sure is that as long as there is water on the Earth, humans will need these vessels to traverse the surface of our Earth’s inner atmosphere. Material Exploration Exploring materials in an important part of the design process. I can make better and educated decisions about a material if I get the chance to manipulate it. Luckily I have had the chance to work with wood a great deal in building furniture as well as manipulating steel through welding. The hands on knowledge I’ve gained gives me a greater understanding of how to respect and properly work with these materials. When you work with these materials for 10 hours straight you learn how to listen to them.
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Criteria Matrix
Total Squate Footage Needs 14,406 Square Feet + 30% Circulation and Construction 18,728 Square Feet
Legend
1
Reception
M Medium
2
Waiting
L Low
3
Public Restrooms 2
H High
Y Yes
Square Footage of Building 19,093
N No/None
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Faculty Office 4
I Important but
Utilizing full first floor and 30% of the second floor
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Faculty Storage 4
6
Faculty Restrooms 2
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Faculty Break
8
Student Break
9
Mechanical
10
Wood Storage
11
Janitor Closet
12
Wood Shop
13
Classroom
14
Work Area
15
Crew Team Area
Not Required
n Major
Difference 365 Square Feet Extra, Utilized during Design and Development
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Adjacency
Square Foot Needs
Adjacency
Public Access
Daylight/ View
Privacy
Plumbing
Specal Equipment
60 
2
H
Y
N
N
N
150
1
H
Y
N
N
N
54
Central
M
N
H
Y
N
100
567
I
H
M
N
N
150
4
N
N
N
N
N
54
4
N
N
H
Y
N
250
4
N
H
L
Y
N
300
13 14
M
H
N
Y
N
N
N
N
Y
N
800
Special Considerations
500
12 14
I
N
N
N
Y
Full Height Ceilings
30
3
N
N
N
Y
N
2,500
10 14
M
M
N
N
Y
Full Height Ceilings
600
8
H
M
N
N
Y
Clear View of Work Area
5,000
10 12 8
H
Y
N
Y
Y
Full Height Ceilings
3,000
Remote
M
Y
N
N
N
Effective Storage 21
Diagrams
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Workflow Study Timeline of Events Throughout a Full Course
Students learn the basics of shop safety, through various team excercises.
Lumber is delivered to the loading bay
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Wood is seasoned in a humidity controlled room
Students learn about construction techniques for building
Wood is joined and planed controlled room
Woodshop introduction, with tool demonstrations. Students make practice cuts
Boat is framed in and skinned
Students learn about finishing techniques
Finishing detials are added to the vessel
Piloting techniques are learned by the students, and how to properly manage a small vessel as a team.
Boat finish is applied
Boat is launched
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Building Code 3101 E. Main Street Richmond, Virginia 23223
Occupancy Classification F-1 Construction Type Type-1 concrete structure with cmu curtain walls Allowable Area Unlimited Allowable Stories Unlimited Occupancy Load 50 net following occupancy classification for Educational Plumbing Fixtures 1 W/C per male and female 1 water fountain Fire Exits One more greater than 91’ away from the entrance 26
Building Documentation
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LEED Project Goals
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The Richmond Boatwright Academy is a step in the right direction as far as community development is concerned, another important aspect that needs to take a front seat is the environmental impact of the facility as well as the environmental impact of the products produced by the facility. As far as the Boatwright Academy’s morals on material consumption during operation, all lumber will be bought from suppliers who’s trees are taken in a responsible manner without contributing to the current dilemma with deforestation. Also the facility will be no stranger to reclaimed. Any reclaimed lumber can and shall be reused by the facility. All boats produced by the facility will also be of human power or other non polluting methods. As far as the facility, The site is located within close proximity to a Richmond bus loop,and substantial bicycle storage will be offered. Also any hard surfaced area’s that are not necessary will be converted to green space. All lighting within the facility will be daylight responsive. All materials used on the interior will be evaluated and appropriately reused for the new design. The Project Goal is to be somewhere between LEED Certified and LEED Silver.
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Credits
Layout Rachel Gropper Image Sources Cover www.flickr.com/photos/30447890@N08/3364428420 Inside Cover www.flickr.com/photos/ihardlyflickr/1843493591 Page 15 www.flickr.com/photos/anniforscia/2852238553 www.flickr.com/photos/anniforscia/2852239003 www.flickr.com/photos/anniforscia/2852238705 Page 17 www.flickr.com/photos/7622517@N05/3439449420 www.flickr.com/photos/7622517@N05/3439367224 www.flickr.com/photos/7622517@N05/3438586003
Page 19 www.flickr.com/photos/gregtimm/2753568004 www.flickr.com/photos/techshop/2832912619 Page 27 www.flickr.com/photos/oneonethreefour/2270430034 www.flickr.com/photos/courtneymay/105517003 www.flickr.com/photos/mobikefed/189882363 Pages 4–9, 12–13 www.maps.live.com Pages 10–11,19, 24 Chase Cothran