| JNYNL | | John Schrader | Nadia Kosno | Yifan Luo | Nick Christenson | Lingge Guan| 4/8/13
ARCH 341 S13 MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLIES MODULE RHODES |REIMAGINING THE TRADITIONAL FRAME| The Full Scale Construction of an Innovative, Framed Backup Wall with a Masonry Cladding System
| background | In order to better understand building envelopes and full scale construction, our group analyzed and researched conventional masonry clad systems before deciding upon a very old building evelope which has reinvented itself in contemporary building form. Rammed Earth is inexpensive, easy to construct, durable, and sustainable in its carbon production. Materials used in the mixture are simple and locally excavated (with the exception of cement).
| project description | In accordance with our Seattle site visit and studio project, teams are to research, design, and built a full scale building envelope to be judged by the Masonry Institute of Iowa. Teams are expected to REIMAGINE the traditional masonry wall system and propose a new method of construction. Proposals should be structurally sound, resistant to water, air, and heat transfer. Due to the site context (next to busy street and viaduct), wall envelopes should also address passage of sound and have some aesthetic value that fits into the already built environment surrounding the site.
| design process | To begin our design process, our group researched innovative ways of constructing a bulding envelope. During research we focused on a number of variables in deciding what kind of envelope we wanted to use in our design process. These variables include: structure/load ratio, resistance to heat transfer, availability + viability of materials for construction, carbon-footprint caused by construction and the application of the envelope to our Urban Archive in Seattle. After researching many envelopes with consideration of above stated variables, our group decided to design and build a Rammed Earth wall envelope. After much research on the architectural qualities of rammed earth, our group took advantage of the natural characteristics of the material: high fire proofing, low passage of sound, structurally viable (with re-bar reinforcement), economically friendly for materials and construction, eco-friendly concerning carbon footprint caused, and aesthetically pleasing qualities which show layers of the wall (response to intricate topography of Seattle). Our only problem in applying rammed earth to our Seattle project concerned moisture and the heavy rainfall in Seattle. Although the envelope is vulnerable to moisture, decay can be avoided with overhanging eaves and unique spray insulation which must be vapor permeable. Even though moisture will inevitably enter the envelope, the moisture will then will evaporate out of the envelope, leaving it with similar (believed by some to be stronger) structurally qualities.
| project criteria | our design for the rammed earth envelope addressed EMC requirements mainly through research of the material (rammed earth + SIRE|stabilized insulated rammed earth). After researching rammed earth envelopes we learned the many natural qualities it held as a building envelope material. Due to its natural qualities of fire resistance, heat retention/thermal lag, sound proofing, and structural capabilities for the Seattle Archive project we believe our envelope was both comrehensive and anticipatory. Rammed earth is also very ecologically friendly due to its simplicity in materials, construction, and carbon footprint. SIRE walls, although having a larger footprint than simple rammed earth, use minimal steel reinforcement and cement. While concrete uses 25-30% cement, rammed earth uses only 10-15%. In addition, other materials can be locally excavated and constructed using minimal equipment and labor. this makes rammed earth one of the least contributing building materials for carbon production. Beacause of rammed earth’s simple materials and structural capabilities (both load bearing SIRE and infill for the context in Seattle), Rammed earth is both Feasible as a design, as well as replicable, when applied to the length and height of the existing structure in Seattle. Because of the stated qualities of Rammed Earth, it is a unique and progressive material to use for a building envelope. Because of the ecologically friendly characteristics and overall aesthetic qualities of rammed earth, it will be seen more and more in the architectural practice to come. We believe Rammed Earth also has the potential of being one of the most widely used “sustainabe� materials in the design/build world.
| Goals and Outcomes | As a collaborating team, we wanted to learn the process of researching, analyzing, and constructing building envelopes when applied to a current architectural project. Most importantly, our group wanted to critically think about the conventional building envelope and offer an alternative option that met or exceeded the conventional envelope in architectural qualities. After research, design, and construction of our envelope we believe it both offered an alternative to the conventional envelope, held qualities applicable to the Archive project, and could be applied to achieve good architectural design and quality of space.