T.R.E.E. Facility Upgrade

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

6

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’

19

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