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@rsbreathingwall
Weâre Moving!
This site is not longer being used. Our blog can now be found at:Â http://ruralstudioblogs.org
See you there!Â
Scaling Up
For the past few months, we have been testing the Breathing Wall on a small scale to get an understanding of how it operates without any external variables. Big things are happening down here as we are moving up in scale! As we do, we gradually add different variables and tune the Breathing Wall to adapt. Our current Breathing Wall tests are being run with a 12âx16â solid pine panel. Using our trusty test box Zelda, we will now be experimenting with a 3âx3.5â laminated mass timber panel!
These larger scale tests will allow us to experiment with different hole spacings on a laminated panel. Will a Breathing Wall work if a hole hits a lamination? Can we size it to never hit a lamination? How big can we make the holes before they are too big? Too small? How much unintentional air is coming through the laminations and not the holes? All questions that will shortly be answered after a few weeks of testing. This is a big step in working on the overall pod design and designing the Breathing Wall technology to scale up in size.
Pod design and details are in the works. Stay tuned for some construction and science collaboration.
Gaining mass,
The Massive Breathers.
Soundtrack: Larger than Life | the Backstreet Boys
Full Scale Wall Mock Up
This August we traded our lab coats for hammers and built us a wall! With all the excitement of the threaded rod panel performing so well in our small scale infiltration tests, we wanted to make sure the four of us could build a full-scale stable, tight, flush mass timber wall. Still unsure about which lamination style to use, we decided we ought to build both a vertically laminated wall as well as a horizontally laminated wall.
The rough cut lumber proved to be the first hurdle in this wall mock up. We had to sort, cut, plane, and rip down each 2â x 6â x 12â piece (72 total!) for the wall - not particularly difficult, but definitely dusty. Using a template, the next step was to drill 5 holes in each lamination for the rod to thread through (360 total this time!). Our second hurdle was setting up cribbing on Morisetteâs campus which an afternoon and some 2x4s (nominal for once) handily took care of.
On a sweltering afternoon (excellent planning), we started the construction of our vertically laminated wall. Just two hours later, each piece had been threaded on and the wall tightened down. Though extremely aesthetically pleasing standing on its own, the wall was hard to tighten down, and light was shining through a few of the laminations- not ideal for a pod we are trying to make air tight.
The rest of the day was spent disassembling the wall and prepping to build the horizontally laminated wall. We prepped enough wood to make each wall 12â x 12â, so we essentially flipped the vertically-laminated wall on its side. With the threaded rods standing vertically, we quickly stacked all 72 pieces in a little under two hours. While a little bit faster than the vertically-laminated mockup, the most noticeable difference between the wall mock-ups was tightness. Gravity was on our side with the horizontally laminated wall with the weight of the pieces pressing each-other together from the beginning, so we were able to tighten down the rods to the point that no light was coming through. Success! Â It was also much easier to flush the interior surface of the wall to the cribbing with the help of our handy-dandy 10 lb sledge. So as much as we love the aesthetic of the vertically-laminated wall, since our project is about rigor and infiltration (for science!), you can catch those horizontally laminated walls in our pods.
Stay tuned for updates on those pods, our ongoing experiments, and how weâre considering repurposing our Test Fan to help cool down our studio.
Sweltering,
The Melting Breathers
Soundtrack: We Didnât Start the Fire | Billy Joel
CLT
In the interest of ever increasing our testing capabilities and understanding of wood, we recently traveled to the International Beams X-LAM USA plant in Dothan, Alabama to pick up some CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) samples they generously donated to our research. These samples will allow us to test how our Breathing Wall technology will operate with this new type of Mass Timber.
Stay tuned to see how the CLT works out!
The Heavy Lifters
Soundtrack: Free Bird / Lynyrd Skynyrd
Advancements in Experimentation
As the Rural Studio mad scientists, we are constantly looking for ways to refine our mad experimentation, including improvements to our test boxes and panels. Learning from improvements made from Zippy to Zelda, we constructed a new iteration of the tarp test box that we are now referring to as Melvin. Rather than relying on tape to secure the panel to the box, we applied a gasket around the rim of the box and fastened the panel using threaded rods, thus compressing the gasket and sealing the box. This construction allows for a more consistent seal and takes much less time (and tape) to apply and remove.
As with any real world testing, the data we collect includes some inherent error due to the inaccuracies of our equipment, imperfections in our testing methodology, and any other variable we donât have complete control over. However, there are ways to mitigate this error. The simplest solution is to use more accurate equipment; however, this becomes very expensive very quickly so alternate methods are also required. For us, this means modifying our tests to isolate a single variable so that we may understand it without outside effects.
First, we tested whether or not the anisotropy of wood was affecting our results. Anisotropic meaning having different properties in different directions. Wood has grain running through it in one direction, which causes a difference in the thermal characteristics parallel versus perpendicular to the grain. To understand how this was affecting our measurements, we constructed and tested identical panels made of MDF, an isotropic material. This panel allowed us to remove the variable of wood grain and understand how the panel behaves it its absence.
Our main takeaway from this experiment was that while the anisotropy of wood does cause greater variation in our test results, once this additional error is accounted for, both panel types are returning similar results.
Another source of error that we have identified is thermal conductivity. We are currently using general numbers sourced from existing literature for our conductivity numbers. However, these numbers include a high degree of uncertainty because they have to describe a wide range of imperfect materials. This uncertainty is propagated through our equations and causes all of our results to have a similarly high degree of uncertainty. Our next task is to figure out a way to directly measure our own wood to reduce this error. An Auburn engineering professor has offered his lab services to us in the next few months as thermal conductivity becomes more relevant to our experimentation.
Stay tuned for more refined testing, a deeper understanding of how error affects measurements, and exciting developments in the realm of thermal conductivity of wood!
Still learning,
The Mad Breathers
Soundtrack:Â Crazy = Genius | Panic! At the Disco
Back to Basics
Since our last post, we have been running air infiltration tests (among other things) to understand the leakiness of our different fastener options. Even with the panels sealed in tight to Zelda, the results were surprisingly leaky! The biggest loser - nail laminated timber - was expected because it lacks the mechanical strength that the others had but even the winner - log screwed panels - did not have the staying power that we need.Â
So we took a brief pause, took a step back, and reexamined different mass timber industry standards. Sal pointed us to a European company that specializes in walls laminated using threaded rods - just like Newbernâs own Town Hall! We have started to explore this avenue and the results seem promising! The threaded rod allows us to tighten or loosen the entire wall assembly as necessary, creating a much more tunable and responsive design. It can also be tightened as the wall contracts due to climatic conditions, keeping the wall tight over time - one of our biggest problems with mechanical fasteners like log screws which canât be adjusted after use.
Weâll be continuing our air infiltration experiment with shiny new threaded-rod panels in the next couple weeks: working out assembly processes, rod spacing and testing procedures. Weâll also be working out details for a full-scale wall mockup in Morisetteâs mockup yard; post soon to come!
Wondering why we didnât think of this earlier,
The Compressed Comrades
Soundtrack:Â Build Me Up Buttercup | The Foundations
The Lab
As we continue to develop our tests and refine our processes, we are realizing the drawbacks of working in an open - albeit covered - space. The larger our tests get, the more difficult it is to isolate them from their environment and the larger the impact of that environment.Â
So in a bid to reduce the environmental variables on our larger scale tests, we devised âthe Labâ, which is really no more than a couple of tall walls to block sun, wind, and rain. But we are proud of it so it gets a fancy name! So, getting back to our classic Rural Studio roots, we took a day off running tests and doing science to raise some walls. Once the dust cleared, we were left with a wonderfully enclosed space that allows us to run experiments and store our large scale apparatus without worrying about them being adversely affected by the environment.
We also serendipitously (or was itâŠ?) found ourselves with just enough wood leftover to put together a quick mockup of the interior space of our pod. Using the shear wall and one of the walls of the lab to stand in for two of the pod walls, we taped off the size of the pod and framed a rough wall and even âframed outâ the loft. This allowed us to get a solid visual of the proportions and size of the space that was previously relegated to drawings and models.
The Lab will most certainly be put to good use as we get serious about running our infiltration tests. More to come soon!!
Finally with our own space,
The Master Builders
Soundtrack: Shelter | Dermot Kennedy
There was Zippy. Now thereâs Zelda.
As we looked to move the Breathing Wall up in scale, we needed to make a decision on fastener type for the mass timber panels. To decide, we ran two tests: construction time and air infiltration. We made four 3âx3.5â panels testing two lamination styles (tongue and groove vs. splines) and three fastener types (nails, dowels, and log screws). We timed the construction process for each panel to give us an idea of overall construction time for each choice. There were some obvious stand outs for better or worse.. The NLT panels took a significantly longer time because each time we added a piece of wood, we had to retract the channel, slide it in, then press again. The DLT and lag screw panels were a much simpler process as we could press all the wood in one go then add the fasteners.
Air infiltration is the other half of the equation. We want our tests and building to breathe but only where we want them to, so understanding the leakiness of our panel is key. Testing the leakiness of otherwise identical panels built with different fasteners allows us to isolate the effect that the different fasteners have on the tightness of the panel. To run the infiltration test, we constructed an air tight box we called Zippy. After running a few tests and realizing Zippy could be improved, we constructed a most robust box, known as Zelda. Zelda is structurally sound as well as air tight and requires far less tape than previous iterations. She is our test box of choice for infiltration tests as well as future Breathing Wall testing. Reduce, reuse, recycle right?
Using the blower door fan setup once again, we inserted each mass timber panel into one end of the box sealed with our rubber gasket. By using the fan to pull air out of the box and measuring the resultant drop in pressure relative to a control, we were able to determine how tight each panel was. Again, using identical panels differing only in the type of fastener used, we were able to isolate the effect on the fastener type on the panel tightness. Our experimentation found the nails to be by far the leakiest fastener type, while the other types were fairly comparable with the lag screws being slightly better than the others.
Using significantly less tape than before,
The Boxy Breathers
Soundtrack: Meet Zelda | Ocarina of Time Soundtrack
Pomp and Circumstance
As of Saturday, May 4th, we can officially say we are Auburn University alumni. After 5 years of architecture school, it almost seems surreal that we are finished. Thankfully, we get to stay another year! The four of us have gone from undergrads to Rural Studio graduate students in just 24 hours. We will be spending the next year continuing our research down here in Hale County. You can catch us May 2020 rocking our new hoods.
Stay tuned as we trade our caps and gowns back in for our work boots and tool belts.
Several photographs and a lot of barbecue later,
The Gracious Graduates
Soundtrack: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) / Green Day
The Greatest Show in Hale County
As each spring semester wraps up, we spend a Saturday celebrating the studio and current projects. This years nearly perfect weather and jam packed schedule provided the perfect setting to share what we are all up to down here with friends, family, and other visitors. The passion of the faculty, students, and visitors and the personal nature of the event make Pig Roast a truly special event and a reminder of how lucky we are to be a part of the wonderful mess that is Rural Studio. Weâd like to thank everyone who came out to celebrate and support us, it was a great time.
Most of Saturday was spent touring project sites and learning about what each team was up to. This was especially fun for us because we had to figure out a way to gather up and display the multitude of mockups, experiment, and various mass timber-y odds and ends that we have accumulated and figure out a way to present everything we have done in ten minutes without a projector. So obviously the solution was to transform the the fabrication pavilion into our mad science lab and don our official âRural Studio Laboratoryâ lab coats (of course, hand embroidered in Sharpie). Our audience was quiet and attentive, which we of course attribute to our expert presentation skills, but may have also been related to the fact that we presented immediately after lunch.
After all the project presentations, we all congregated at the amphitheater behind Chantilly to fill ourselves up on bbq and fried catfish, a Hale County staple. The night ended with our âgraduation ceremonyâ as Andrew toasted and roasted us in front of our families and friends. Laughs could be heard all over Newbern as he applauded our hard work while simultaneously mocking us for being nerds. To conclude the ceremony, Johnny lit up the sky with a literal truck bed full of fireworks before the band began and we danced the night away.
While our real graduation isnât until next week, Pig Roast marks an important milestone for us and the studio. For most projects, Pig Roast heralds the transition from design to construction. But for us it marks - for the very first time - the transition from undergraduate to graduate research. Weâll be continuing our work into the summer and the next year, and we look forward to twelve more months in Hale.Â
Stay tuned for a bit of glitz and glamor and our official graduation!
With full stomachs and a sprinkling of whiffle dust,
The Master Breathers
Soundtrack: The Greatest Show | The Greatest Showman Soundtrack
Expanding Our Knowledge
An important design consideration when working with wood is its propensity to expand and contract in response to its environment. Wood naturally contains moisture and will try to reach equilibrium with its surrounding and so will expand in high humidity as the fibers in its cell walls absorb moisture, and contract in low humidity as they release it. Modern mass timber systems combat this with kiln-dried timber and chemical fasteners which make the wood much more dimensionally-stable. But heavy timber (like Newbern Town Hall) or mechanically-fastened timber like weâre pursuing tends to shrink or grow as much as 8% along its grain. For the 8â x 8â cypress logs used in town hall, that means each log could fluctuate by more than a half inch in one dimension depending on the season and weather. Over a 12â wall, your building could shrink or grow six inches throughout the year - not an insignificant number when it comes to construction!
In an effort to understand the expansion and contraction of our stock of pine and to test out different mass timber fasteners, weâve been running the âExpansion Experimentâ for the past couple of months. Using our lovely jig, we pressed a total of 12 panels using 6 different fasteners (a set of 2 panels each). We used nails, conventional screws, a combination of nails and screws, lag screws, and two different kinds of dowels (hickory and fluted). One set lives outside near the fabrication pavilion, exposed to the worst Alabamaâs weather can give, while the other set lives in luxury inside one of our barns out of the rain and sun (though not humidity). We measure the width of the panels along their lengths as well as the moisture of the wood at regular intervals to track their fluctuation, adding a moisture meter and digital calipers to a coffee maker and toaster on the list of âmust-have-morning-machinesâ.
The way that each fastener type affects the expansion/contraction of the panel is an important consideration for us, weâll be adding this data to our list of considerations when choosing a fastener type. In addition to expansion, we are also testing the fasteners for air infiltration (post coming soon!), assembly time, and a variety of other factors. The competition for the one-true-fastener is still ongoing, but weâll keep you posted on the race!
Stay tuned for pig roasting shenanigans as spring semester winds down and summer really begins - stock up on sunscreen folks!
The Moist Breathers
Soundtrack: Crush | Polyphia
Of Socks, Surfaces, and Silly Names
About two months ago we constructed our first horizontal sock test who we lovingly refer to as Fireman Sam. Since then, we have been continually running tests and refining the setup. By comparing our predicted heat flux and temperature difference with the actual, we can adjust the various inputs to the system until the numbers eventually align. Once the our process is rigorously defined, we can produce valuable data that will give us greater understanding of the operation of the Breathing Wall and allow us to progress to more complex and larger tests.
The two elements of the system we are constantly tuning and adjusting are the thermally active surface, or TAS, and the âsockâ (insulated chamber). Our first TAS was constructed by pressing the wire array between two blankets of sill seal. This design was a good starting point as it was very simple, easy to build, and allowed us to understand how heat would move through our TAS and the Breathing Wall. However, the contact between the TAS and Breathing Wall was not sufficient. We moved on to testing a variety of materials for heat spreading efficiency, ease of use/construction, and reliability. After weaving wire through carbon fiber and experimenting with the farmâs warming mats from the greenhouse, we landed on a thin aluminum plate for our next iteration. We covered these plates in white and black enamel, a multitude of different types of tape, and arrays of wires. After several iterations, we landed on our current and most effective solution. This design utilizes an enamel coating on the aluminum plate, followed by wires sandwiched between layers of electrically insulative tape and surmounted in a layer of thermally reflective aluminum tape. This setup gives us the balance of performance, reusability, and reliability that our testing demands.
The other major aspect of the test that we have been working on refining is the test box, or âsockâ, itself. The original sock was a small insulated foam box. Due to the way the fan is attached to the box, the inside of the box simulates the exterior environment. We quickly realized too much heat was building up in the box and complicating the test. So we constructed Fireman Sam 2.0 using a larger volume and non-insulating material to minimize the buildup of heat inside the box and thus reduce the effect of this added variable.
Our testing endeavours with Fireman Sam is our first foray into scientific documentation and has given us an understanding of the effort required to produce this type of rigorous data. Our project is unique in that it involves a constant tension between the looser, architectural concerns and the more meticulous nature of scientific research.
Exciting updates are coming your way as we continue to develop our testing repertoire.
Thinking outside the box,
The Mass Breathers
Soundtrack: Fireman Sam theme
Auburn University Research Symposium
Last month the circus came to town (with us being the circus) as we had the privilege of presenting our work at the annual Auburn Student Research Symposium. We packed up all of our props and panels, gadgets and gizmos, and hit the road for Auburn!
We were competing in the Oral Presentations section of the symposium, with ten minutes for presentation and two minutes for the judgesâ questions. Short presentations like this are a major challenge for us as we try and condense eight months of research into 10 minutes of narrative. But that struggle is extremely useful, forcing us to re-evaluate whatâs important and strip the presentation down to the essential concepts. By doing so, we gained a greater perspective on what is important to understand the project and gained a greater understanding of the projects ourselves. Thereâs no better way to learn than to teach.
Thanks to all of the judges, moderators, fellow presenters, faculty and staff who made this yearâs Symposium possible. We received third place (!) for Oral Presentations in Social Science, Creative Scholarship, Arts and Humanities. Or rather, Fergie did since she signed us up for the symposium and thus her name was on the certificate (donât worry, she duct-taped over it). Â A special shout-out to our very own David Kennedy for picking up our award for us so we didnât have to drive all the way back to Auburn!
Stay tuned for updates on some of our most recent experiments, including a lineage of oddly-named boxes, a surprising amount of insulation, and ever more sensors!
One fancy certificate later,
The Bedazzled Breathers
Soundtrack: On the Road Again / Willie Nelson
Fireman Samâs inaugural test - featuring Sal!
Sal in the South
This past weekend our research partner and personal hero Sal flew down from the frozen north (bringing the weather with him unfortunately) to help us run our first tests on the Breathing Wall Mass Timber System. In a hilarious twist, the heat flux sensors that he brought down canât run without a mobile network - we guess they werenât expecting rural researchers! So we had to turn Fergieâs dining room table in Greensboro into our own little laboratory. Thanks to the other Ladies of Octavia for putting up with us invading their house on a Sunday.
Our end goal for this research is to apply the Breathing Wall theory at the building scale - with large panels of laminated wood and a buoyancy driven ventilation system. But one thing weâve learned while becoming not only designers/builders but researchers is the necessity of incremental, well-documented processes. Instead of jumping straight into building and testing the pod, weâll get higher quality data by starting with small tests and isolating variable before moving up in scale.So for this first test, we used a small solid wood panel and fan-driven ventilation as proof of concept. We sized and manufactured a 12â x 14â x 2â Breathing Wall panel in our woodshop, and sealed it in at one end of an insulated foam-board chamber. At the other end we attached our blower door fan (thanks again Emily!), which allows us to regulate the air speed and pressure.
The next step was to attach a thermally active surface (TAS) to the Breathing Wall panel. Thatâs a lot of unwieldy words, but in reality it just means that since the Breathing Wall is a heat exchanger, there must be a source providing heat to be exchanged. So after a quick shopping trip in Thesis Barn and a couple of test samples, we put together a small electric blanket using sill seal and nichrome-80 wire (adding ameteur electricians to our ever-growing resume). This thermally active surface was stapled to the Breathing Wall and all systems were a go; we collected our first data point on test box #1 who we lovingly call Fireman Sam.
Using the heat flux sensors Sal brought down, we collected data throughout out the 3 hour test and were able to show graphically the Breathing Wall was in fact âworking.â Moving forward, weâll be improving our TAS and testing procedures with our next Test Box, Fireman Susan. This phase of test boxes is a vital step in moving from understanding the established Building Science to doing our own comparative research. These test apparatus will gradually increase in scale and complexity from box to cell to eventually building, each giving us insights and inspiration for the future of the Breathing Wall Mass Timber System.
Weâll be shedding our lab coats next week as we head off for spring break, but stay tuned for more posts about our up-and-coming experiments!
Sad that Salâs gone back to Canada,
The Massive Mourners
Soundtrack: Cognitive Contortions | Animals as Leaders
Lamination Station
The beauty of our project is the constant balance between theoretical and practical. Some of our days are spent conducting scientific experiments and some days we are outside swinging hammers. Today was a hammer day. As we design and develop the Breathing Wall, we also are taking into consideration construction details for the mass timber system. We want a breathing wall, not a leaking wall, so minimizing unintentional air infiltration is extremely important. Our hydraulic jig allows us to prevent air infiltration by squishing the individual wood members until they deform into their neighbors and create an air-tight seal. This takes care of air infiltration through the panel itself; however, there is still the issue of infiltration between the panels, where we canât use our jig.
While hashing through construction details, we have been experimenting with two lamination styles: the industry standard, also called a spline connection, and our own design we are calling a horizontal tongue and groove. On paper, this âhorizontal tongue and grooveâ connection has many appealing qualities but also raises some concerns about the feasibility of making the connection work due to its complexity. We accordingly decided to make a mock-up of the panel connection using NLT and DLT laminations to test both the ease of constructing the panels and the ease of connecting those panels. As expected, the panels did not initially fit together, due to the tight tolerances. So we chamfered the edges of each piece of wood and tried again. With a little persuasion from a sledgehammer, we got the panels to engage and made the connection.
There are multiple reasons why the horizontal tongue and groove lamination is attractive to us despite the potential complications. This lamination style is intrinsically more air tight due to the complicated path air must take to reach the interior as opposed to the straight line infiltration path of the standard spline lamination style. It also allows for a potentially more air tight corner detail by taking advantage of the panel geometry, but also poses constructability issues. The orientation of the wood in this panel style provides an interesting opportunity to integrate the Breathing Wall into the structure of the wall, assuming we go with DLT construction. Since the dowels run from the interior of the wall to the exterior, the dowels could be hollowed out to create the Breathing Wall. Integrating the Breathing Ball into the structure of the wall simplifies the construction process and furthers the idea of integrated systems, but again poses potential issues. The horizontal tongue and groove lamination may be challenging but offers enough benefits to be worth further exploration.
Stay tuned for scientific shenanigans with Sal as we design, build, and test our very first Test Box!
Out of Breath,
The Heavy Hitters
Soundtrack: Another Brick in the Wall | Pink Floyd
Southeast Wood Design Symposium
This past Thursday, we put down our tools and traded our work clothes for our Sunday finest in preparation for heading to the big city. We were destined for the Southeast Wood Design Symposium hosted by Woodworks in Birmingham. The folks from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) invited us to what they promised would be a fun and informative afternoon learning about the mass timber construction industry.
After navigating our way through the city, we were treated to a lunch and introductory lecture focusing on Mass Timber from a contractorâs perspective. One of the guys from Developer Lendlease used their Candlewood Suites Hotel at Redstone Arsenal as a case study to examine the design and construction processes of a CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) system and the lessons learned from the experience. The Introduction also included a brief discussion of the opportunities afforded by CLT from a representative from the International Beams plant in Dothan, Alabama (which you may remember from our earlier post, see the Forest for the Trees).
For the rest of the afternoon, we were wholly engrossed in discussions of the merits and potential of mass timber as a construction material, process, and ethic. The first lecture we attended was a dialogue between the architect and contractor on a recently completed student dorm at the University of Arkansas. The dialogue between the two of them allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the design process and a greater appreciation of how mass timber construction requires intensive collaboration between the architect, client, and contractor. The second lecture focused on the builderâs perspective and again showcased the collaborative nature of mass timber construction. This lecture also highlighted the difficulties inherent in adopting a new construction system, from the lack of experience in the industry to the unstandardized nature of this emerging market sector.
Between lectures, we perused the offerings of the industry and talked to company representatives about their products. We were inspired by the passion and enthusiasm of these industry leaders who are spearheading such amazing development. Unsurprisingly, many of the companies are European, as mass timber is a more established and cultivated industry in Europe. We are very excited to witness and be part of this transfer of knowledge and are enthusiastic for the future of mass timber in the USA.
We left the symposium with a greater understanding of the inner workings of the mass timber construction industry and with great enthusiasm for the future of mass timber, both for breathing walls and non.
Stay tuned for our own continued forays into mass timber, as we trade in our chinos and heels for carhartts and hammers and try out some new details.
From the big city to the small town,
The Metropolitan Massers
Soundtrack: Empire State of Mind | Alicia Keys