IPE The future of simple, sustainable living.
The complexity of simplicity
IPE
Indigo Pine East [IPE] is the first of two houses to be built by Clemson University’s Solar Decathlon Team. On March 27, 2015 the team began construction of IPE at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. The house will remain open at this location for visitors, bird-watchers, and general public until the end of the 2015 year.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
On April 21st, Clemson University President James P. Clements, along with Director of School of Architecture Kate Schwennsen gave congratulatory speeches and welcomed the public into the “still under construction” Indigo Pine East Solar House.
.15 4.21 Check out construction photos at https://clemson.app.box. com/files/0/f/3358370630/ Solar_Decathlon_photos?utm_ source=trans&utm_ medium=email&utm_ ampaign=collab%2Bauto%20 accept%20user
http://www.clemson.edu/indigopine/
The little house that lives big Clemson University’s Solar Decathlon project brings together a multidisciplinary team of students and faculty from design, engineering, and social sciences to collaborate on the design, construction, and promotion of Indigo Pine. Indigo Pine is a prototype for a 1000 sq. ft., three bedroom, low environmental impact, net zero, solar home design and engineered to be cost effective in today’s market and comfortable in South Carolina’s climate. We are focused on stitching together innovative building methods, southern personality, and local products into Indigo Pine, making it a home for a small southern family. While Indigo Pine is a small, southern
home for a family that lives big using local materials, it also features a global application, user-friendly technology and innovation within existing systems. As a university we are focused on becoming sustainable by looking through all of our processes. Clemson University’s Solar Decathlon team is designing Indigo Pine by looking not only into the product, but at the sustainability of the home construction process. Indigo Pine can be built by hand without any heavy machinery and no electrical or gas power. Enjoy the IPE catalog!
See what processes and materials made Indigo Pine possible
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Laying the cmu foundation
Some assembly required
Finally, a reason for hard-hats
A simple + atypical method to laying a sustainable foundation.
CNC milled plywood pieces allow the house to be assembled like a puzzle.
Constructing the first overhead structural members permits the necessity of hard-hats
What made key steps to the project successful Information on product selection Breakdown of construction procedures Advice on what to be aware of during construction Information on necessary equipment used for construction Enjoy!
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Getting the wood structure dried-in
Modern southern vernacular
God is in the details
Huber Board ZIPsystem exterior sheathing + ZIP tape closes in the exposed structure
Innovative use of standard materials + one large porch
Snapshots of the elements that make this southern home special
05 Laying the cmu foundation
A foundation doesn’t have to exist below grade. In the case of Indigo Pine it can be dry-stacked on an asphalt parking lot in the form of strategically organized cmu.
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Hand-placed cmu; stacked plate-side vertical to allow air to pass horizontally through the system.
02 01 Standard 8”x8”x16” cmu arranged in a staggered checkered pattern. This unique passive cooling strategy encourages cool airflow underneath the house, forcing out any trapped hot air. 02 Steel tie-down straps [1.25”] used to anchor the structure of the house to the foundation are secured to the cmu along the perimeter and down the N/S spine of the house. 03 Mixing concrete in wheel-barrows which is to be poured into the cmu that anchor the straps. 04 Troweling the concete to achive a smooth finish and assure that the mixture does not rise above the top of the cmu; causing the subfloor to be unlevel. The foundation of IPE was completed in one day.
The spine of the house was design to be flexible in order to account for on site adjustments and/or any inaccuracies with measurements.
http://www.clemson.edu/indigopine/
Managing the number of people working is imprtant. Each task requires a certain number of workers. Too many workers means not enough to do.
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Preceding Site-work is crucial
in the location and placement of the cmu in the North/South direction. Because of the expansion gap across the spine, the foundation has the ability to be adjusted across the East/West orientation.
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CMU
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Before preassembled walls can be titled up into place, all four corner posts must be assembled, zip-tied and locked into the subfloor system.
Organization is the key to success. With so many unique [yet similar] pieces, it is important to follow construction manuals to eliminate project setbacks.
Typical hollow core of an assembled wall stud. Puzzlelike tabs allow the stud to anchor into the sub-floor.
01 Standard 8”x8”x16” cmu foundation drystacked prior to the placment and construction of the plywood structure. 02 Pre-assembled plywood leveling joists are site specific, matching the grade and allowing the house to sit level on the site. 03 Site-assembled plywood walls are assembled on the ground, zip-tied together with stainless steel zip-ties, and tilted up into place; locking into the subfloor system. 04 Location-specific wall flanges are similiar in appearance to many structural members and are used specifically to enslose wall cavities. The floor and wall construction of IPE was completed in three days.
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Typical cnc milled structural framing member. Knotches are cut precisely to accept interlocking members.
http://www.clemson.edu/indigopine/
Learning new processes is
both beneficial and time consuming. For a group who is inexperienced with the design of Indigo Pine, it is expected that that walls will begin to be assembled and erected during the third day of construction.
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Vapor barrier installed directly above the cmu foundation to prevent moisture from coming in contact with the bottom of the sub-floor system.
09 Finally, a reason for hard-hats
Safety and awareness are crucial parts of construction; especially on a project involving unique parts, assemblies, and methodologies like those of Indigo Pine.
Roof Joists are able to be carried by two people, placed on a genie-lift and then positioned into place by hand.
01 Pre-assembled roof-joists are created in two series [north + south] and span half the width of the house; connecting to the box girder in the center. 02 Joist supports are connected into the top of the east + west walls to provide lateral stability to the system once the roof is installed. 03 Corner posts of the wall assembly are the first member of the wall system to be erected. 04 Box girder measures 4 ft. deep + 36 ft. long and is the main structural support of the roof and provides an internal wire chase for most major interior appliances. The roof construction of IPE was completed in two days.
Exterior wall flanges are used to enclose the wall cavities around all window openings.
http://www.clemson.edu/indigopine/
Installing overhead members like the large pre-
assembled roof-joists [RJ’S] of Indigo Pine requires both lifting equipment and safety equipment to assure a safe installation.
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RJ’S 04
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Temporary lateral cavity between floor leveling-joists during construction. Cavity to be closed during installation of exterior sheathing.
11 Getting the wood structure dried-in
Innovation means thinking outside the box. Indigo Pine seeks to set new industry standards with its constrution methodology and new ways of applying standard materials.
Installing overhead members like the large pre-
assembled roof-joists [RJ’S] of Indigo Pine requires both lifting equipment and safety equipment to assure a safe installation.
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ZIP
Roof Joists are able to be carried by two people, placed on a genie-lift and then positioned into place by hand.
01 Huber-Board ZIP Panels ZIP System® structural sheathing offers water resistance + an air barrier; and installs 40% quicker than housewrap. 02 Safety harness’ are secured to the structure and must be worn by those working on the roof to prevent free-fall. 03 Skyjack Scissor-Lift is a quick + convenient method that can be used for material transportation and installation. 04 Roof Joist Flanges are installed in the same manner as wall flanges and provide a lateral connection amongst the individual joists while also helping provide lateral stability until the ZIP System is installed. The floor and wall construction of IPE was completed in three days.
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http://www.clemson.edu/indigopine/
Installation of the wall-mounted ZIP Panels requires two people + the assistance of a vertical transportation/ climbing device.
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The bottom row of ZIP Panels can be installed from the ground. The upper row is where the team must use equipment
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Creating an experience that is “of the south�, but that can be adapted to fit in anywhere in the world is what truly makes Indigo Pine a home to learn from and love.
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Back side of ACM panels. Hand folded along CNC milled grooves. Depth of panels creates air cavity.
Aluminum Composite Material manufactured by
Alucobond and fabricated by Guernsey Architectural Solutions wraps the exterior of the house.
01 Alucobond aluminum composite material was utilized in an atypical fashion; CNC milled and hand-folded to create a 3D panel which hung in an overlapping pattern and creates an air cavity behind the panels which acts as a thermal barrier. 02 Steel pop rivets are used to lock individual panels in their 3D forms and also fasten the overlapping panels together after being mounted on the wall. 03 Extruded fiberglass grating panels are a simple yet elegent solution for porch railings and sliding doors [yet to be installed]. 04 Ladder box framing is used to deal with grade change when constructing the steps. Siding installation is predicted to take 1 day + porch construction 2-3 days.
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ACM 02
http://www.clemson.edu/indigopine/
Using over 1,000 pieces of dimensional lumber, the 75’
long x 12’ wide porch of IPE is one of the houses features which can easily be modified to fit in wherever the home may be.
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The houses’ fenestrations are filled with Pella doors [vinyl wrapped wood] and double-hung windows [vinyl].
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15 God is in the details
You don’t have to be a handyman; you just have to be able to follow instructions. Indigo Pine is customized from its’ structural core to its’ decorative furniture.
CNC milled duct chases through the roof joists provide space for the main supply + return systems.
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Custom structural members
specific to Indigo Pine, make up the porch construction from the ground up. Pre-assembly requires time but creates a beautiful aesthetic when completed
2x?
4x?
01 Indigo Pine Rocker chair [cnc milled], part of the furniture collection offered by Indigo Pine, is a great way to bring out the character at home and not break the bank. 02 Pre-fab posts made from standard dimensional lumber are custom-designed for aesthetics and strength. 03 Extruded fiberglass grating panels 4’x12’ yellow [railings-H] + 4’x8’ gray [sliding doors-V] 04 2x4 Railing provides a surface for mounting grating panels and a hand rail where necessary. 03 More information regarding these pieces can be found at www.clemson.edu/indigopine + www. homedepot.com + http://www.amgrating.com
http://www.clemson.edu/indigopine/
The house isn’t the only thing customized. If you like
the “assembled” aesthetic or simply want to save some cash, Indigo Pine offers custom cnc furniture too.
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Indigo Pine Rocker in its raw form + used as a porch application.
Hope you enjoyed!
Will Hinkley