TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION Remedial Water Strategy A Tulane City Center Project
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Situated along the Little Tchefuncta River outside Covington, Louisiana on Lake Pontchartrain’s North Shore, Teaching Responsible Earth Education (T.R.E.E.) is an organization that provides curriculum based, environmental education to students in Orleans and adjoining Parishes. Upwards of 50 students in grades 5 and 7 spend 4 to 5 days at T.R.E.E.’s 22.5-acre training ground. Under the instruction of Sue Brown, the executive director, and others, the students are exposed to the systems on Earth through thought provoking activities in the natural environment on site. This engagement creates the impulsion for children to make wiser decisions on how to preserve the diversity of our natural world and to make informed choices to live more lightly on our planet. Built in the early 1900s, the facilities at T.R.E.E. have worn through the years and have not been upgraded to accommodate the growing number of students entering the program. Currently, there are only three functioning shower stalls for use by the participants during their days-long stay. As well, the septic systems for all the structures (dining hall, bunk house and main residence and office) are in serious need of fundamental repair and enlargement. While the owners make earnest attempts to maintain the system as is, considering the growth of the program, the need for complete redevelopment of septic and bathing facilities is a must. As such, the scheme proposed by the Tulane team is to add a new 12-shower bathhouse, completely renovate the septic system and specify water saving plumbing fixtures throughout. The two components were developed jointly to enhance the programs mission and reinforce the formal order at the site. In this case, a large cleansing pond will take the place of the existing field lines, providing for the students another teaching tool about natural processes, while alleviating the need for costly code-mandated sewage equipment. The bathhouse, a standalone building, is located to formalize the student entry to the facilities. The simple form evokes similar qualities of the existing structures, though tweaked in this case to express raised floor plates required in this flood plane as well as the roofs role in channeling rainwater for use in an entryway didactic water garden.
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WETLANDS
TRAIL
BUNKHOUSE
STAFF/STORAGE
)
(TYP
SEPTICTANK (TYP)
THEATRE
DINING HALL
5 E
IN
YL
T ER
PARKING
OP
PR
MAIN RESIDENCE DRAIN FIELD (TYP)
LITTLE TCHEFUNCTE RIVER
POOL
GE NA
AI
DR H TC
DI P) (TY
ENTRANCE DRIVE
HIGHWAY 190
EXISTING SITE PLAN / SCALE 1”=100’ / NORTH UP PAGE
TRAIL
BUNKHOUSE
)
(TYP
SEPTICTANK (TYP)
BATHHOUSE
STAFF/STORAGE
THEATRE
DINING HALL
6 Y
RT
E OP
E LIN
PARKING
PR
MAIN RESIDENCE DRAIN FIELD (TYP)
LITTLE TCHEFUNCTE RIVER
POOL
GE NA
AI
DR H TC
DI P) (TY
ENTRANCE DRIVE
CLEANSING POND
HIGHWAY 190
PROPOSED SITE PLAN / SCALE 1”=100’ / NORTH UP PAGE
2
SHOWER
1
TOILET / LAV
1
RESID KITCHEN
WASHING MACHINE
WATER AND SEWAGE INPUT
EXISTING SEPTIC TANKS
EXISTING FIELD LINES
NEW CLEANSING POND
EFFLUENT FILTER BEDS
2
MAIN RESIDENCE
3 *2
SHOWER
1
TOILET / LAV
COMM KITCHEN
7
SHOWER
FIELD LINES
12
0 BATHHOUSE
*4
DINING HALL
CONVERT TO GREASE TRAP FIELD LINES
50 GAL/DAY x 50 STUDENTS = 2,500 GAL / DAY 1 RESIDENCE = 500 GAL / DAY TOTAL SEWAGE LOADING = 3,000 GAL / DAY
TOILET / LAV
FIELD LINES
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BUNK HOUSE
POND AND CLOSED DISCHARGE SYSTEM TO BE DESIGNED BY LICENSED PROFESSIONAL
FIELD LINES
CLEANSING POND
Existing septic to be cleaned and reused as proposed
SYSTEM DIAGRAM / NOT TO SCALE
Existing field lines to be abandoned
Flow rate amounts determined using current plumbing code (Title S1)
Field lines designed to prevent any discharge meeting “closed” design requirements
AIN DR E AG CH DIT (TY P)
DUCKWEED Lemna minor
EFFLUENT FILTER BEDS P)
S
LD
FIE
E LIN
(TY
8 SEWAGE DISCHARGE
DOLLARWEED Hydrocotyle umbellata
1
FIELD LINES INLET SAMPLE PLANT DISTRIBUTION
CLEANSING POND
TOE OF SLOPE
N
IN "M
Juncus roemerianus
TOE OF SLOPE
M
'-0
DA
50
NEEDLEGRASS
HE
LEVEE RIDGE
RT EA
WATER LINE
2
Plant types to be promoted in and around pond to aid in operation of system.
POND AND CLOSED DISCHARGE SYSTEM TO BE DESIGNED BY LICENSED PROFESSIONAL -- EXACT SIZE TO BE DETERMINED
HIGHWAY 190
CLEANSING POND PLAN / SCALE 1/32”=1’ / NORTH UP PAGE
APPROX 4'-0"
9
GENTLE SLOPE FOR EASE OF MAINTANCE WALKWAY
EARTHEN DAM
1
CLEANSING POND SECTION / SCALE 1/32”=1’
CLEANSING POND
2'-0" MIN
WATER LINE
DRAINAGE DITCH
EARTHEN DAM
APPROX 4'-0"
GENTLE SLOPE FOR EASE OF MAINTANCE WALKWAY WATER LINE
1
EARTHEN DAM
2'-0" MIN
EARTHEN DAM
CLEANSING POND
DRAINAGE DITCH
10
GENTLE SLOPE FOR EASE OF MAINTANCE FIELD LINES
WATER LINE
EARTHEN DAM
2
CLEANING POND SECTION / SCALE 1/32”=1’
EFFLUENT FILTER BEDS
CLEANSING POND
HIGHWAY 190
11
12
BATHHOUSE
15
EXISTING DINING HALL PLAN / SCALE 1/8”=1’ / NORTH UP PAGE
16'-0"
15'-0" +/-
16
30'-0"
UP
PANTRY
PROPOSED DINING HALL PLAN AND BATHHOUSE / SCALE 1/8”=1’ / NORTH UP PAGE
KITCHEN
DINING HALL
17
WEST
NORTH
BATHHOUSE ELEVATIONS / SCALE 1/8”=1’
18
SOUTH
EAST
BATHHOUSE ELEVATIONS / SCALE 1/8” = 1’
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20
21
22
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Client
Teaching Responsible Earth Education Sue E. and Robert L. Brown Box 14029 Highway 190 Covington, LA 70435 985 875 9493 treefirefly@yahoo.com
Sponsor
Tulane City Center Dan Etheridge, Associate Director Richardson Memorial Hall, 6823 St. Charles Ave New Orleans LA 70118-5698 713 504 5619 dether@tulane.edu
Project Team
Jonathan Tate Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture Tulane University School of Architecture Adriana Sophia Camacho Thesis Student 2008–09 Tulane University School of Architecture Dan Etheridge Associate Director Tulane City Center
Consultants
Ronny Carter Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation Wetland strategy and design John Camacho Alpha Engineering and Design Limited Wetland strategy and design Montana State University Bozeman, Montana Water quality research
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TEACHING RESPONSIBLE EARTH EDUCATION / Remedial Water Strategy / A TULANE CITY CENTER Project // February 2009