Rural Studio Farm

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sneak preview

Pig Roast is tomorrow! Who can believe it? All our work will be showcased tomorrow for all the world to see (or at least everyone who comes to Pig Roast). It’s our last day of studio and we are all busy getting ready for you guys, so come on over! We have gotten a lot done since the last update, if I do say so myself. 

On the farm we poured the last of our concrete last week and have since completed the stairs! There is also a fully functioning ramp in the courtyard now! 

The chairs have all been completely and are beautiful! Come see for yourself the visual evidence of the transformation of our woodworking skills! Our cutting boards from the beginning of the semester will be on display along with our final chairs. 

Update on team Shade & Shelter

shade     We’ve decided to propose for another team to finalize the fabric selection. In order to determine which canopy(ies) will best work for both shade and insulation, we need to complete a series of calculations. It will be best to complete these calculations when the glass has been fully installed in the greenhouse so that we know the actual conditions the greenhouse creates. We will compose all of our research and information to be readily available for the next group that works on this project. 

pulley     We have completed the mock up for the pulley system! wooo! We have made some suggestions for improvements and durability (with the help from Johnny) which we will also be handing off to the next team. 

shelter     The awning and gutters arrived on Tuesday!!! Can’t you just feel the excitement?! On Monday we began preparing for the awning’s arrival: the removal of some cladding and the installation of the ledger board that will aid in the connection from the awning to the building. Since Tuesday, we have started installing the gutters, primed the awning, and painted one coat of aluminum paint on the awning. Hopefully we will be able finish painting and then install the awning next week, along with the rest of our gutters!

Oh, and we also stayed up all night smoking 8 Boston butts for you guys, so you should show up and at least try it (so good). 

Have a great Friday and and even better weekend (I know you will if you come to Pig Roast)! 

[ruralstudiofarm]

Job Weldone!

This week, team Irrigation Nation learned how to weld! 

welding process

In order to complete Rural Studio Farm’s irrigation system, we must install a second gutter that will catch rainwater from the green house roof. This gutter will funnel water into below-grade cisterns that will then direct the water toward Morrisette’s garden beds. To create footings for the greenhouse gutter’s foundation, we welded steel pieces together. These structural shapes were formed by taking two steel angles and welding them in a “T”. Nine of these steel t-shapes will create a durable base for the soon-to-be-installed gutter. 

tree-planting teamwork

In addition to welding structural pieces, we also planted four beautiful pecan trees. Thanks again, Bass Pecan Nursery, for the trees! We can’t wait to watch them grow!

finalizing the drip lines

In Morrisette’s garden beds, we put finishing touches on our drip irrigation mock-up. Very soon, we hope to taste the vegetables produced by our efficiently-hydrated garden.

Want to meet the gang? Join us in Newbern on Saturday, April 30th for Pig Roast!

[ruralstudiofarm]

Don’t Mock It ‘Till You’ve Tried It

Last week the Worms & Berms team had great success mocking up the chimney and intake tube portions of our Earth-coupled heat exchanger (aka Worm). 

It’s lighter than it looks!

This black, aluminum chimney is 10 feet tall and will be attached with compression rods. It will be outfitted with a special cap that keeps out rain and prevents the wind from blowing back into the pipe.

This is (kind of) what our intake tube will look like! 

This mock-up intake cap was just a test. After much research, we have decided to use a non-directional double-screening intake cap that will attach directly to the HDPE double-walled pipe.

The HDPE pipe arrived!

Over 100 feet of HDPE double-walled pipe and various connectors will go underground to transport the air.

In other news, we’ve also started the plugs for the grasses and flowers that we plan to plant on the berms. Once they’ve started out-growing their trays, we can put them into the berm and they can grow from there!

[ruralstudiofarm]

Cheering up...

After enduring weeks of ceaseless rain, the moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. We finally poured concrete!!

Morrisette Courtyard

concrete formwork & finished concrete slabs

concrete pour process

We completed the first phase of our formwork, and on a beautiful sunny day—these of which have been few in the past couple of weeks—a huge concrete-mixing truck delivered our concrete. After allowing the concrete to set for a few days, we peeled off the formwork, and the finished product is beautiful. These concrete slabs will form a base for the courtyard stairs. In the coming weeks, we will complete the second and final concrete pour. This last piece will connect the first two slabs to each other, thus finishing the stairs’ base. So, stay tuned ladies and gents.

Studio

Over the past few weeks, the Irrigation Nation has been making incredible progress. 

drip irrigation installation

We have completed a working mock-up of a drip tape irrigation system. This system, put together over the course of a few hours, is ready to be used by Eric in the Morrisette garden. 

greenhouse full system test

Last week, we completed a test of the greenhouse irrigation system. We hooked up the solar panel to the pump, which was attached to our underground cistern. The pump was also connected to the PEX piping (the red and blue pipes seen in the images above) that leads to the Column of Water.

discussion with Tim Wenger

In addition to testing our greenhouse system, we also spoke with Tim Wenger, our excavation consultant, about placing five more cisterns near the greenhouse. Within the next few weeks, we plan to install these cisterns as well as another gutter. This gutter will eventually collect rainwater form the greenhouse roof. Once glass is installed onto the greenhouse, creating a roof surface, our gutters will collect rainwater and deposit it into the below-grade cisterns.

So, what’s up next? We plan to finalize the greenhouse system and test drip irrigation within that system. Also, we are in the process of creating drawings for a proposal of future irrigation phases of Morrisette’s garden beds. 

[ruralstudiofarm]

Checking In...

Hello world! We’re back from Spring Break, rested, refreshed, and ready to finish out a strong semester. Since our last update, we’ve taken many steps toward completing our Worm and Berms. Soon, we’ll begin mock ups that will lead to the final proposals of what we intend to build!

Pig Roast is coming up fast! In just a little over a month, you might come down to visit the Rural Studio and to see what we’ve designed and built this semester in our small teams. What you’ll also get to see, is the work we’ve been doing in our other classes: Woodshop with Steve Long and Watercolor and Architectural History with Dick Hudgens.

Woodshop

Our final project for woodshop is a “museum quality” replica of an architecturally significant chair. Divided up into groups of two, each team had the option to make:

Lina Bo Bardi’s Cadeiras frei Egidio

Gerrit Thomas Rietveld’s Zig-Zag Chair

Jean Prouve’s Standard Chair

And Charles Mackintosh’s Ingram Chair.

Our mock ups were due before Spring Break, and now we are working diligently on our finals! In addition to the chair, we are developing a history of the chair and detailing our construction process into storyboards that will be presented alongside our chair at Pig Roast.

Watercolor & Architectural History

Every Monday Afternoon, the one and only Dick Hudgens takes us 15 new school adolescents on an amazing field trip back in time to when porches were considered extra rooms and mosquito nets were integrated into furniture. In a small caravan of cars and vans, we venture to little known downtowns and expansive properties to learn about the motives and designs of architecture from the 20th century.

At each site visit, we carefully explore the interior and exterior. Before we go, we’re sure to do a sketch or two of an elevation or a floor plan.

On most of our trips, we are joined by the wonderful Ian Crawford, Manager of the Jemison Van-de Graaf Mansion in Tuscaloosa. He is extremely knowledgable about the history of the buildings we go to and does a great job of making the tours memorable. Learning from Dick and Ian makes you feel like you’re actually *there* in a space and time that seems incredible.

In addition to our weekly sketchbook, we are all working on watercolor reproductions of a historical house (or building). Our compositions will show an elevation or section (or both!) and details of an element of the building. Most of us have never watercolored before, so we’re pretty nervous.

You’ll have to come to Pig Roast to see our final chairs and watercolors! See you then!!!

[ruralstudiofarm]

Catching up....

It’s been a while since we’ve last updated the blog world about our world, so I’ll fill you in on some things that have been going on since our last post. 

Studio

Shade & Shelter

The entire class decided it would be helpful to visit Sunrise Farms in Greensboro, so we went. Our team examined their shading system and spoke with them about different shading materials. 

(examining shading system)

(shade at Sunrise Farms)

We’ve had two pin-ups / reviews concerning out two projects. The reviews have really helped our team push forward in our design and decision-making; we’re making headway in both of our projects (relative to pre-review work). 

As of spring break, all of our parts have (finally) arrived for the greenhouse canopy mock-up, hooray! We are beginning our full mock-up today, get excited! Hopefully by the end of today / tomorrow we will have an operable pulley system spanning two bays in the seed-house. We have found a few more fabrics that are possible contenders for the canopy. We are in pursuit of some samples of these fabrics (wish us luck, it’s been challenging). 

Gutters & awning update: We have decided on the size, shape, material, finish, and structure of the awning. Next, we need to find out all the details of the awning as well as check with our structural consultant to make sure everything can / will work. In regards to the gutter system, we have resolved the directional flow of the gutters and how they connect as well as the general shape and sizes that we need. More specific decisions about the gutter system are still in progress. Hopefully we will soon be able to finalize all the specs and have our material ordered. We plan to mock-up different components of the gutter system next week. 

farm & courtyard work

Progress is most definitely being made on the farm. We have been getting the greenhouse ready for the long awaited glass-installation. The cladding in the courtyard is nearing completion (and looking remarkable). Additional work is in progress including something really exciting, which you will learn more about in a soon-to-be post! 

(greenhouse glass preparation)

(anticipation)

Friends

We have made several new friends in the past weeks. Jennifer, the lizard we domesticated, a turtle, Veronica the frog, and a dragonfly (as well as several other insects and spiders, some more frightening than others). 

Jennifer appeared in studio one day and decided to stay there. We tried to put him outside (yes, him), but he would not go. Every day we looked forward to seeing Jennifer all around studio. He enjoyed climbing on our lamps and blending in with our power cords. We gave him water in a bottle cap and fed him Mayflies out of Red Barn. Since returning after the break we have not seen Jennifer: maybe one day he will return to Red Barn and we will all be reunited. 

The turtle some of our students saved out of the road and returned to the wilderness. 

Veronica the frog we found while working in the courtyard. 

A dragonfly with an injured wing also found on site. 

This concludes a brief summary of some of what has been going the past few weeks. We hope to have some information & news to share with you soon! Well wishes from Shade & Shelter! 

[ruralstudiofarm]

Last week, Team Irrigation executed a test run of the solar pump system. We hooked up our solar panel to a DC-to-AC inverter, which transforms the panel’s high voltage signals to a voltage that is compatible with standard utility power. This inverter was then connected to our solar-powered pump, which was linked to a water source.

The conclusion? SUCCESS!!!

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Irrigation Introductions

The Irrigation Nation is back! We’ve taken our polaroids and are fresh from an intimate interview session. So, sit down and get comfy. You’re about to get to know the team on a much deeper level.

Our team members have answered the following questions:

Where are you from?

What’s the best thing about Rural Studio?

What’s your favorite game/activity to play/do here?

What’s your biggest hope for the semester?

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Why?

What do you want to do with your life? (question courtesy of Charlie Lucas—self-taught sculptor and painter)

Brandon Richardson (team material estimator and budget manager):

Huntsville, Alabama

He enjoys being away from a high maintenance lifestyle. He is glad to not have to worry about being connected to everyone all the time.

Run

To complete a functioning and working irrigation system

Alaska; it is away from a fast-past and demanding lifestyle

Make stuff.

Chelsea Elcott (team blogger):

Birmingham, Alabama

She loves the community and the lifestyle that has been created here.

Do puzzles, watch sunsets/stargaze, & have field day

To be happy with the work that she accomplishes and to create things that will make a positive difference

Everywhere; she wants to see as many new places as possible

Help people and constantly learn new things throughout her life.

Madge Ellis (team tool manager):

Sylacauca, Alabama

She’s thankful for the opportunity to get to come to Rural Studio.

Sing & make music

To accomplish what we set out to do and to gain knowledge along the way

Gee’s Bend, Alabama; it’s a poor community that’s rich in culture

Design aquariums, zoos, and orphanages.

Chris Stone (team presenter):

Chattanooga, Tennessee

He enjoys the extracurricular classes outside of studio.

Read & play the bass again

To learn something new

Anywhere; he wants to experience new things

Design to fill a need.

Mary Kat Cole (team documenter):

Selma, Alabama

She likes the pods and the rural-ness (not having to rely on technology to have fun).

Hang out with Mr. Charles (the Rural Studio cat)

To finish and be satisfied with all of her projects

New Zealand; because of Lord of the Rings and its beauty

Complete her architecture major and psychology minor. Then, figure out everything else after graduation.

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Big thanks to Bass Pecan Nursery in Raymond, Mississippi for donating four 15 gallon, high-quality pecan trees to the Rural Studio Farm. May the legacy of this day live on for our children and grandchildren when they gobble down those pecan pies of the future. 

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Let’s Talk Worms & Berms:

Have you been wondering in suspense about the Worms & Berms team? Wonder no more! We’re back to shed a little light on our affectionately named projects for this semester.

Project Worms!

This time last year, Rural Studio third years were working on the Storehouse. Situated perpendicular to Cat’s kitchen, the Storehouse is equipped with a walk-in refrigerator, two freezers, and a bathroom on the North half. The South half will soon hold some dry storage items as well as fresh produce and preserves from our garden that will one day be a full-scale farm. The produce and preserves will need to be kept at a certain temperature throughout the year, and our project is about doing that passively with an ‘Earth-coupled heat exchanger’ (also known as an ‘Earth tube’ or ‘Worm’).

A pipe will extend 100′ out from under the Storehouse and will be buried 6 to 8 feet in the ground where the Earth’s temperature is more constant (around 55 degrees). At the end of the pipe where it sticks out of the ground, we will design a cap to keep out rain and bugs and bring in outside air. The air will flow into the intake pipe, through the Storehouse, and out of a chimney located on the West side. This sun-heated chimney will pull the ground-cooled air through the system using the Bernoulli effect. The outside air might be less than 55 degrees in the Winter and higher than 55 degrees in the Summer, but by running the pipe so far underground, by the time it gets to the Storehouse, it will be around 55 degrees.

Project Berms!

If you’ve been to the Rural Studio, then you’re probably familiar with the Greenhouse made of barrels on the North side of our campus. While one side is (almost) all glass and (almost) all ready to start growing, cultivating, and producing, the other side of the Greenhouse looks like the image above. Last semester, our fellow third years did an awesome job with a tool closet and workshop for Eric, and now it’s up to us to fill the other cavities.

When the Greenhouse was built, that team constructed a berm in the second cavity from the right. The berm protects the barrels behind it and also allows light to reach any plants that could grow on the slope. Right now, our plan is to place another berm in the far left cavity with a similar barrel retaining wall. We will turn the far right cavity into a pump house for the farm’s new irrigation system (shoutout to the Irrigation Nation) and storage for Greenhouse equipment (shoutout to Shade & Shelter)!

We are diggin’ our two projects and we’re pumped about getting started! Check back often for updates on how things progress!

[ruralstudiofarm]

Shade & Shelter: meet the team

Hello again! This week we are introducing ourselves to you interview-style.

Now that we’ve taken our Polaroids, we are official! Check us out.

Frank / Birmingham, AL / just to let you know, he’s wearing a hat in this photo and his hair is not perfectly rounded as it may appear

Frank identifies his ‘fromness’ by the way he talks. His favorite thing about living at the Rural Studio is “the fact that everything kind of revolves around architecture here” and his field day is his favorite pastime here. His favorite childhood book series is The Series of Unfortunate Events and he is looking forward to Pig Roast this semester.

Additional interview questions:

Describe yourself in one word: alright

Favorite superhero? Batman

Favorite meal of the day? lunch

Hunter or gatherer? gatherer

Hero, villain, or civilian? villain

Least favorite thing about humanity? humorlessness

Best age to live? 65

How honest are you? pretty good (out of ten)

What color do you associate your mother with? sky blue

Abby Fields / Birmingham, AL

Abby identifies her ‘fromness’ with wherever her inspiration comes from at the time. Her favorite thing about living at the Rural Studio: “I would say the pods: they’re like tiny homes / camp / a sleepover every night. And they’re so innovative, which makes them really fun.” She enjoys writing letters in her pastime here. Her favorite childhood book series is The Boxcar Children, and she is looking forward to actually being able to build something that she and her team design.

Additional interview questions:

Describe yourself in one word: indecisive 

Favorite superhero? Iron man

Favorite meal of the day? breakfast

Hunter or gatherer? hunter

Hero, villain, or civilian? civilian with mannerisms of both heroes and villains

Least favorite thing about humanity? inconsideration

Best age to live? 39

How honest are you? 98.75% or appropriately honest

What color do you associate your mother with? yellow or green (it changes)

Keena LeWayne Miles / ‘Mobtown’ (Mobile, AL)

Keena identifies his ‘fromness’ with wherever the people he loves are gathered the most. His favorite thing about living here is the freedom, and he enjoys sleeping in his pastime. Captain Underpants is his favorite childhood book series. Keena looks forward to exploring throughout this semester.

Additional interview questions:

Describe yourself in one word: Mr. Fantastic 

Favorite superhero? Iron man

Favorite meal of the day? dinner

Hunter or gatherer? hunter

Hero, villain, or civilian? civilian hero

Least favorite thing about humanity? insincerity

Best age to live? 28-32

How honest are you? brutally honest

What color do you associate your mother with? red

Caleb R. Munson / Bolingbrook, IL (Chicago)

Caleb identifies his ‘fromness’ with his family. His thoughts on living at Rural: “It feels like a home. You know, it’s got that Grey’s Anatomy feel.” His favorite pastime here is organizing himself, and his favorite childhood book series is The Bailey School Kids. Caleb is looking forward to finishing the project this semester.

Additional interview questions:

Describe yourself in one word: calm (hand motions to display his calmness)

Favorite superhero? Batman

Favorite meal of the day? dinner

Hunter or gatherer? probably hunter

Hero, villain, or civilian? thinks he’s a villain but he’s a hero

Least favorite thing about humanity? inequality

Best age to live? 65

How honest are you? inconspicuously honest

What color do you associate your mother with? brown

Shelby Stanfield / Boaz, AL

Shelby identifies her ‘fromness’ where she knows everyone. She enjoys building things while living here at Rural and likes passing time with the game Mafia. Her favorite childhood book series is The Series of Unfortunate Events, and this semester she is looking forward to seeing our project done!

Addition interview questions:

Describe yourself in one word: awesome 

Favorite superhero? Spider-man

Favorite meal of the day? dinnerrrrrrrr

Hunter or gatherer? gatherer

Hero, villain, or civilian? civilian

Least favorite thing about humanity? egos

Best age to live? 25

How honest are you? too honest

What color do you associate your mother with? orange! It’s her favorite color!

Here we are all together! Hopefully now you have a sense of our team dynamic (or maybe not at all since you don’t know us). We hope to have some progress on our projects to show you guys next week! Wish us luck.

[ruralstudiofarm]

Irrigation Nation

Hi folks. Wondering what Team Irrigation has been up to these past few weeks? Fear not. We’re here to give you a run-down of our past and present triumphs and failures.

This semester, we plan to complete two projects. Project 1 includes completion of an irrigation system for the greenhouse. So far, we’ve researched types of irrigation systems and determined that drip irrigation is our best option. We also visited Sunshine Organic Farms in Greensboro, where we were able to see a fully-working drip irrigation system. We’ve met a few hurdles along the way, including finalizing calculation (and re-calculation) of rainwater harvesting as well as discovering that our solar-powered pump was missing a few parts. Last week, we finally secured the last piece (a pump booster/LCB/DC to AC inverter) needed to complete the system. On Friday, we hooked up the system, did a mini-test, and it worked!! Our next step will be to put the whole greenhouse system together, which includes pumping the water from the tank into the C.O.W. (aka Column of Water).

For Project 2, our team will design an irrigation system for the garden beds in front of Morrisette. We hope to provide Eric, our gardener, with a working drip system. In addition, we will create a fully-detailed water and piping plan for Rural Studio Farm as a whole. We will design an adaptable system that can be altered as the farm grows.

Stay tuned for the next post, where you’ll get to know a little more about the team!

[ruralstudiofarm]

Shade & Shelter: introduced

Hello everyone, this is team Shade & Shelter’s first public appearance (via text, obviously) so bear with us through this first post. This post will attempt to explain the two projects we have been so brave to take on this semester.

Project 1: Shade

Above: our team testing the current shading device in the seed-house

We are working on testing/editing/completing the shading device(s) for the greenhouse. So far we have done a lot of research on shading materials as well as insulating materials and strategies. A previous class had planned on using Aluminet for the greenhouse shading and insulation. Based on our research, we are leaning towards using the Aluminet to shade during the summer season and using a different (unknown) material for insulation in the winter. This week we have tested the current pulley system and have ordered new parts to both test a more full mock-up and to fix any problems we found with the system. Yay for progress!

Project 2: Shelter

Above: our attempt at taking a group photo that shows our shelter project

Our second project is to create an awning/cover between Chef Cat’s kitchen door and the storehouse roof along with an accompanying gutter system in the courtyard and Great Hall areas. So far we have decided mostly on what our awning will look like and are in the midst of deciding on details. The awning will tie into our gutter system which will help harvest water for use by the irrigation team.

Clearly, we are all loving it out here in Newbern. Next week, we will post team member introductions (wooooo, get excited).

[ruralstudiofarm]

Hey Y’all! We’re Worms & Berms!!

We are Gavin, AEon, Owen, Michael, and Sarah and we are the latest and greatest third years to come to the Rural Studio! Our team is called Worms & Berms and we are honored and excited to spend a semester here in Hale County.

Want to know a little more about us? *drumroll, please*

Gavin is from Central Texas and is fascinated by insects. His favorite song is ‘Heroes’ by David Bowie and he is really looking forward to improving the Morisette Campus!

AEon is from Helena, Alabama! Her favorite song is ‘Un****theworld’ by Angel Olsen. AEon is fascinated by biodegradable materials and she’s looking forward to general advances in sustainability becoming popular.

Owen is from Birmingham, Alabama and his favorite song is ‘Jambalaya’ by Pusswhip Banggang! He is looking forward to the Summer and he is fascinated by animal migration.

Michael is from Key Biscayne, Florida and he is looking forward to taking a shower! Michael’s favorite song is also ‘Heroes’ by David Bowie and he is fascinated by concrete.

Sarah is from Peachtree City, Georgia. She is fascinated by scientific phenomena and her favorite song is ‘Trembling Hands’ by the Temper Trap. Sarah is looking forward to the next blog post because she is the team blogger!!

Stay tuned for more updates from the Worms & Berm team - we can’t wait to tell y’all all about our semester project!

[ruralstudiofarm]

The Final Stretch

After Thanksgiving Break, there is only two weeks left for construction. Team Dogtrot is hitting the site full force to get each project completed! We have started the framing for the bench, countertop, and cabinets in the Kitchen Dogtrot and have started charring the wood for the cladding. Electrical for the lighting in each dogtrot is being installed very soon so we can move forward with building the structure for the ceiling. Details to keep the rope in tension for the screen are being tested. A combination of a turnbuckle or spring with steel cable and eye hooks is being considered. 

11 days until completion. Here we go!

[ruralstudiofarm]

Construction Begins!

After the annual Rural Studio Halloween Reviews, the design for the dogtrots and screen have been decided! Following the concept of contrast, we are starting out with painting the rafters and existing ceiling in both dogtrots black to not distract from the charred cladding that will later be installed. The wood for the framing and furring strips are going to be painted black for the same reason. 

The sink and faucet for the wash-station have been ordered and the custom stainless steel counter top is currently being quoted for the wash-station. It’s going to be a busy rest of the semester but, we can finish all three projects by December 12th with full days of focus and hard work!     

[ruralstudiofarm]

Extreme Makeover: Pod Edition / Pod 01

Halloween reviews were a critical moment for Team Solar. We unveiled our main project...renovating the pods! In the beginning, we were focused strictly on solar energy. Once we started to ask ourselves questions about ethics and large scale application, we decided to look into energy usage at Rural Studio as a whole. The pods seemed like the best place to start in terms of scale and testability. 

The pods were student designed and built between 1999-2001. They were used to experiment with different construction methods and materials. Many of these tests resulted in a variety of problems.

We decided to start with pod 01, because it was in critical condition. Pod 01 was made out of bales of shredded cardboard. Even the slab rests on a cardboard foundation. One issue that we found with the pod’s function was that the material had aged poorly. There are areas in the walls where holes have formed and the wall is shedding. On the east face the window was hanging against the wall. The pod was also missing the back of the slab in the north end of the pod. We sealed up all of the windows and poured a concrete slab in the back of the pod. Pod 02 comes next!