Representing Activism: Urban Design Build Studio Fall 2018

REPRESENTING ACTIVISM Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture Lin_Fall 2018

CONTENTS

2

BOOKS

HOME

COLOR OF LAW EVICTED

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PEOPLE

MRS. DICKSON SARAH MADIA MARLON BLACK DE_CON 01 CONTRIBUTORS DAVID BENNICK EYAL WEIZMAN

ELDI CONGREGATION B’NAI ISRAEL LARIMER CHOICE NEIGHBORHOODS SOLAR DECATHLON PAVILION KINGSLEY ASSOCIATION NOVA PLACE PROJECT PICKET FENCE

PLACES

WORK

HOME NEIGHBORHOOD LEXICON

MAPPING BLIGHT PHOTOGRAMMETRY DECONSTRUCTION

DECONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION

DE_CON GAME EXHIBITION

RE_CON 01 & 02 INHERITED WORK

RE_CON 01 & 02

6 6 6

8

10 12 14 16 18 20

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24 28 30 32 34 36 38

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42 44 48 50 56 62 82 96 98 100 108

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BOOKS

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LEARNING VIA LITERATURE In order to more quickly begin to grasp the complex issues and aspects of designing housing in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA, the Urban Design Build Studio was tasked with reading through and comprehending the vast web of issues described in Witold Rybczynski’s Home: A Short History of an Idea, Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law, and Matthew Desmond’s Evicted. These collections of stories and analysis begin to portray the extent of complexity embedded in the idea of a home, the role of policy in furthering segregation in the United States,

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and the social, economic, and political issues tied to concentrated poverty.In order to more quickly begin to grasp the complex issues and aspects of designing housing in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA, the Urban Design Build Studio was tasked with reading through and comprehending the vast web of issues described in Witold Rybczynski’s Home: A Short History of an Idea, Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law, and Matthew Desmond’s Evicted. These collections of stories and analysis begin to portray the extent of complexity embedded in the idea of a home, the role of policy in furthering segregation in the United States, and the social, economic, and political issues tied to concentrated poverty.

Right | All Books

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PEOPLE

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MRS. DIXON, HOMEWOOD RESIDENT On a related studio project MAPPING BLIGHT, a fellow UDBS student, Jake Clare, and I were able to visit Mt Vernon Street in Homewood across multiple days to apply a photogrammetry study to a series of condemned buildings. On these excursions, Jake and I encountered a local resident of 50 years named Mrs. Dixon who not only was able to amicably raise issues of communication, but also provided much insight to the perspective of a resident who has experienced and witnessed the development of nearby neighborhoods as well as the changes Pittsburgh has undergone.

We first met Mrs. Dixon, an avid activist, when we

were attempting to begin photographing the street in preparation for photogrammetry processes who explained how a local resident may feel uncomfortable with undeniably foreign individuals walking along the street taking photographs of buildings and conditions.

She expressed that, while she supported our efforts, that assignments like these could be approached in a more systematic manner in regards to avoid misunderstanding. We then proceeded to converse with Mrs. Dixon for a long period of time, learning about where she grew up, her family, her thoughts about her home and her city. Through these conversations, a series of compelling key ideas became quite evident in the way she spoke about Pittsburgh, her neighborhood, and her home.

“Nobody is safe today.”

“I don’t know people anymore.”

Mrs. Dixon

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Mrs. Dixon

Right | Residence in Homewood

“EVERYTHING STARTS IN THE HOME.”

PITTSBURGH RESIDENT OF 50 YEARS 11

HOUSING TOURS WITH SARAH MADIA On September 14, Sarah Madia, a real estate agent for REMAX who also works with the East Liberty Development Inc (ELDI), provided the UDBS a great opportunity to glance into the real estate and housing development scene of Pittsburgh all over the city, from Lawrenceville to East Liberty and Bakery Square.

Throughout the day, Sarah explained the significance of a plethora of variables in regards to designing and building a house, from having the confidence to market a house, to being able to secure a sufficient appraisal to achieve a target construction loan amount.

We toured market rate units, accessible units, and affordable units, noting the differences and similarities

between them, from the structural design, to the choice of finishes. This experience revealed the disparity in perception in regards to value which will prove to be an integral part of RE_CON 01. Furthermore, we also met many people with unique backgrounds, values, and personalities, from Jay, an active homeowner in East Liberty, to David, a developer who introduced the Lola Square project he was working on in Lawrenceville.

From these individuals we garnered helpful and inspirational messages, mentalities, and ideas to carry and consider forward when designing.

“Do better.�

Jay Scott Fanelli

Left | Sarah Madia introducing a house

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Right | Professor John Folan explaining a structural detail

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DISCUSSIONS WITH MARLON BLACKWELL Marlon Blackwell, a well known architect practicing ideals of critical regionalism as well as a known figure in the public interest design world, came to speak about his work, the work of both Professors John Folan and Gerard Damiani’s studios, as well as engage in discussion around topics dealing with both public interest design and context. In only the span of a brief discussion as well as a lecture following, Marlon was able to pass on countless lessons and new perspectives on both topics. In regards to public interest design as well as context in the respect that architects can often be placed in situations where they design for a foreign environment, people, and culture, Marlon recommended that architects “listen carefully, [then] act boldly”, in essence, being sincere in regards

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to the needs of people, but having the confidence inone’s own skills to then act upon those determined needs. And furthermore, Marlon recalled the Porchdog House project for survivors of Hurricane Katrina, where lapses in funding placed the people who were relying on the completion of the house, a man named Robert and his son, in an unfortunate position. While it wasn’t necessarily the fault of the architect in that case, Marlon decided to “do what it [took] to make it right”, so that not only the dignity of the clients could be preserved, but also to not betray the people for which we have the honor of designing buildings. This humble approach to architecture, willingness to listen to the local context in all forms, and confidence in executing design work is absolutely something to emulate moving forward.

“Be grounded in the places you work.”

Marlon Blackwell

Right | Marlon Blackwell discussion group

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DE_CON 01 NETWORK ANALYSIS In order to make DE_CON 01 possible, an immense number of people with a variety of different skills, backgrounds, and motivations was critical to the project being a success or even happening at all. From the involvement of many parts of the Carnegie Mellon University community to the massive contribution from RYCON Construction and the subcontractors involved, it was critical that each group pulled through and did what had to be done to get the project done in the allotted time. Despite the project being of a fairly small scale, it involved all of the systems that would be found in most buildings and dealt with a plethora of external issues not common to normal deconstruction

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project. For example, because the Carnegie Mellon University’s Children’s School and its playground was quite close to the deconstruction site, it became a liability and concern from parents that the extent to which the project would be able to spread out was limited. Furthermore, when planning mobilization and transportation of materials, it was important to consider the procession of parents driving their children to school every morning and picking them up every afternoon which could disable all traffic trying to get through. Ultimately, the success of the project is a testament to the consistent communication between the CMU FMCS, RYCON Construction, and Professor Folan, to raise concerns and reach resolutions quickly and efficiently whenever they came up.

Right | DE_CON 01 Network Analysis Diagram

CLIENT

AHJ CITY OF PITTSBURGH B B I

CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY

ERIK HARLESS

DECISION MAKING

CMU

DIRECTOR, BBI

CMU FMCS

LE GAL

ARCHITECT

So A

MARY JO D I V E LY

D O N C O F F E LT

ASSOC. FMCS VICE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL COUNSEL

REBECCA C I C C O

MARY BETH SHAW

WORKPLACE SAFETY MANAGER FOR EH&S

FACULTY LEAD JOHN FOLAN

RALPH HORGAN

ASSOC. CDFD VICE PRESIDENT

PROJECT MANAGER FOR PROJECT RE AND UDBS

RON CUNNINGHAM

PRINCIPAL FMCS PROJECT MANAGER

SHANNON WETZEL

AFFLIATED ORGANIZATIONS

DIRECTOR OF CLIENT SERVICES

A S S T. V I C E P R E S I D E N T & GENERAL COUNSEL

PROJECT RE_

RALPH HILBERT

JOHN FOLAN

FMCS ZONE MANAGER

EXEC. DIRECTOR

CONTRACTOR

R Y C O N CONSTRUCTION

JORDAN POLLOCK ALLEGHENY CRANE COMPANY EISLER LANDSCAPES RUTHRAUFF SAUER TRI RIVERS ELECTRIC UNIVERSITY MAINTENANCE

C M U S o A

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

SCOTT INSTITUTE

C M U STUDENTS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BILL SUTLIF SAMMY PART TIME STAFF OFF LOADING STAFF

ASST PROJECT MANAGER

PROJECT SUPERINTENDENT

UDBS

G A B L E

DECONSTRUCTION MANAGER

WILL FISCO

D AV E V E R R I C O

ACADEMIC STAKEHOLDERS

M I K E

BRIAN SWEARINGEN

RYCON PROJECT MANAGER

SUB CONTRACTORS

CONSTRUCTION JUNCTION

JOB SKILL TRAINING

STEVE POLUSNAK

PAT R I C K F E R G U S O N RISK MANAGMENT/SITE SAFETY/ OSHA COMPLIANCE

SITE SUPERINTENDENT

B M R A CONSULTANT D AV E B E N N I N K

CREW

AUBERLE LANDFORCE

CLARENCE BALL CLIFORD JONES JORDAN SIMPSON KENNY SIMPSON SHARON TAYLOR SHAWN TAYLOR STEPHEN GASPERIN

ALEX LIN ALISON KATZ ANTHONY KOSEC BOBUCHI KEN-OPURUM CHRISTINE ZHU EVER CLINTON FERNANDA MAZZILLI GARGI LAGVANKAR ISHWAR PRASAD BALAJI JACOB CLARE JAY TYAN KYLE BANCROFT LANA KOZLOVSKAYA MIRANDA FORD RICHARD ZHAN RYAN SMERKER SHAILAJA PATEL SRINJOY HAZRA TIM KHALIFA YASHWITHA MARAM REDDY

STEVE LEE

DEPARTMENT HEAD

D AV E K O LTA S ASST. DEPARTMENT HEAD

BURCU AKINCI

ANNA SIEFKEN

AKASH PUSHKAR

J AY W H I TA C R E

C E E D I R E C TO R , A S S O C .

DEAN FOR RESEARCH COE

C E E

P h D .

C E E

P h D .

YUJIE LUE GUANNAN HE E P P

P h D

E X E C . D I R E C TO R S C O T T INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY I N N O VAT I O N

DIRECTOR SCOTT INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY I N N O VAT I O N

PANAYIOTIS MOUTIS CIT ENERGY INSTITUTE SYSTEMS SCIENTIST

D E _ C O N 0 1 R E A L I Z E D NETWORK ANALYSIS17

DAVID BENNICK David Bennick, the consultant for the Deconstruction of the Solar Decathlon Pavilion, has an extremely unique perspective of the work he does, how to approach wicked problems, and how to maximize the positive benefit of his work. In a talk he gave, he discussed his long history of deconstructing buildings. Having deconstructed for 25 years, and over 1000 buildings, David has estimated that he has deflected around 100,000,000 pounds of waste from landfills. In regards to the magnitude of scale of the deconstruction, David explained that choosing to demolish a building could be more wasteful than an entire life’s production of waste, considering that: Americans produce 4.4 pounds of trash/day * 365 days/year * 75 years/lifetim = 120,450 pounds of trash/lifetime However that deciding to demolish one building could easily produce around 120,000 pounds of waste alone.

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Even outside of deconstruction, David had a very inspiring approach to work and life. Instead of renting a car to put on the project budget, he chose to purchase a bike which he would use to explore the city outside of work. Furthermore, after completing his work, he chose to gift his bike to someone who he believed could make great use of it (this time, it was Sammy from the Construction Junction Deconstruction Crew). This idea of making the absolute best use of resources to make the most positive impact as possible is quite humbling.

Furthermore, David clarified that deconstruction was an issue greater than sustainability, than reducing how much trash we produce, or reusing what has already been environmentally paid for. He explained that ultimately, deconstruction is inherently tied to human beings and people, that deconstruction is made to invest in people, not in landfills or material reuse facilities.

“I don’t want to win by others losing.”

David Bennick

Right | David Bennick presenting his past work

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EYAL WEIZMAN As an epitome of not only specific and strategic use of technologies that the UDBS studio is currently interacting with in collaboration with IDeATe, but also of activism and of speaking truth backed by data and science, Eyal Weizman portrayed the potential of architects to become activists, perhaps for themselves, but also for a civic purpose as a “Counter Forensics Agency� as he deems it. Not only does the work he has achieved and continues to pursue portray the severity of his work and the inherent dangers

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regarding prying at governmental activity, but it also underscores the objectivity of the stance that Forensic Architecture takes when engaging these issues and dilemmas. Ultimately, regarding the issue of how architects, who tread this tenuous border between art and science, can become activists, Eyal’s response was that one must push to become a public figure and to logically and confidently make powerful statements which may be shown in the most antagonistic of forms to compel a response for the ultimate goals of serving the public aspect of society, as well as contributing to the dissemination of information.

Right | Eyal Weizman Lecture discussing untruthful governmental communication with the public

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PLACES

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ELDI TOUR WITH SKIP, TED, AND TAMMY The UDBS visited the East Liberty Development Inc (ELDI) and were able to learn about the history of Pittsburgh and ELDI’s involvement in that process.

Through this meeting, the UDBS learned about the main two factors, education and safety, which fuel the desire to settle down in an area, as well as the work that ELDI has accomplished and what stands as a testament to that today. One of the dangers discussed was that of reputation and the perception of the ELDI as a gentrifying power despite the work that has been done to do the exact opposite and to promote diversity in regards to race and income amongst other characteistics in East Liberty.

Despite the perception of East Liberty being predominantly gentrified, ELDI has worked tirelessly to ensure that of 981 total rental units in East Liberty, that 40% of them are low income affordable housing for the next 30 years or more via Section 8, where renters pay

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30% of their monthly income with the rest subsidized, however much that disparity may be. Furthermore, ELDI is making use of many other funding sources and strategies to shape East Liberty into a mixed income community.

Not only was the UDBS exposed to the work of the ELDI, but also to the significance of Circles East Liberty as an organization which helps people in the community find connections to propel them faster and further in life where these breaks may not be as accessible or available.

Lastly, one of the most significant discussions that we engaged in was the aspects of a neighborhood that attracted people or contributed to loyalty to a home: safety and education, in other words, the ability to live without fear and the presence of hope for the future.

While these are obviously not things that architecture alone can solve, it is important to position the mentality, intent, and execution of work in a manner that will make meaningful and impactful change.

Right | Skip, Tammy, and Ted presenting to UDBS students about ELDI

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TRANSFORMATION In the process of extending the boundaries of the Neighborhood Map previously mentioned by Jake, I happened to stumble upon an anomaly while studying the general characteristics of the East Liberty area north of the Target on Penn Ave. As I was gathering my bearings by alternating between the plan and perspective views to begin understanding dimensionality, I noticed a particular building which looked completely different as I crossed the two views.

After a bit of research on Pittsburgh’s Real Estate Portal, I found out that the property that had stood out, 6427 & 6429 Collins Ave, was owned by East Liberty Development Incorporated (ELDI). The transformation of the site portrays the significance of addressing issues of blight. While it may be difficult to quantify the statistical impact of a blighted property on its surrounding context, “recent research illustrates the short term benefits [of calculated demolitions of blighted and vacant properties] accrued to adjacent or nearby properties, such as increase in property values and decreases in crime” (de Leon et Schilling). And although deconstruction methods should be considered over the potentially negative environmental and health impact of demolishing buildings, a study by Dynamo Metrics in 2015 “found that demolition investment from the Hardest Hit Fund in selected areas of Detroit helped

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to stabilize those markets [with each] demolition within Detroit’s Hardest Hit Fund zones [increasing] the value of occupied single family homes within 500 feet by 4.2 percent” (de Leon et Schilling). Whereas a blighted or vacant property may cause the devaluation of nearby properties, a functioning and occupied property can contribute to stability and potentially boost the property values near it.

Earlier in the semester, the UDBS visited ELDI and were able to learn about the history of Pittsburgh and ELDI’s involvement in that process. ELDI, despite some mistakes, has taken great strides in the realm of changing East Liberty into a more diverse neighborhood. Despite the perception of East Liberty being predominantly gentrified, ELDI has worked to ensure that of 981 total rental units in East Liberty, that 40% of them are low income affordable housing for the next 30 years or more via Section 8, where renters pay 30% of their monthly income with the rest subsidized.

Furthermore, ELDI is making use of many other funding sources and strategies for the purpose of shaping East Liberty into a mixed income community marked not by stark contrast of the rich and poor, but rather consistent quality housing worthy of calling home.

Sources Leon, Erwin de, and Joseph Schilling. “Full Report.” Urban Institute, Urban Institute, 11 Apr. 2017, www.urban.org/research/publication/ urban-blight-and-public-health/view/full_report.

Right | Comparison of 6427 & 6429 Collins Ave between June 2016 and 2018

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NEIGHBORHOOD: CONGREGATION B’NAI ISRAEL While exploring East Liberty, I happened to come across the Congregation B’Nai Israel designed by Henry Hornbostel, a historic synagogue in East Liberty that has since fallen out of use. After some research, I came to realize that critical to the landmark’s closing in June of 1995 was a flurry of issues dealing with the impact of Pittsburgh’s Urban Renewal agenda in the 1950s and the accompanying national policy at the time. “Spurred by the U.S. Housing Act of 1949” (Hagerty), urban renewal was a process practiced across the United States in the early 1900s which involved municipal governments exercising eminent domain to buy up private property to then sell to developers to build on.

While in some cases urban renewal found success in improving the quality of urban areas or in augmenting the quality of life in cities, in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty and Hill District, urban renewal was a catastrophic failure. There, the “$58 million urban-renewal plan demolished 1,100 homes and relocated 3,900 people,” (Hagerty) and implemented counterproductive traffic rerouting. This failed effort, coupled with emerging new vehicular technology and highways, caused “people [to leave] Pittsburgh for new suburbs such as West Mifflin, Mount Pleasant, Shaler, Penn Hills, and Oakmont” (Fitzpatrick). This massive population shift was made possible by the G.I. Bill, “which gave World War II veterans access to long-term mortgages backed by the

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Veterans Administration” (Fitzpatrick). However, this migration of people to suburbs left out people of color as “banks generally wouldn’t make loans for mortgages in black neighborhood, and African Americans were excluded from the suburbs by a combination of deed covenants and informal racism” (Callahan). As such, these policies, agendas, and events occurred in parallel resulting in a concentration of poverty and advancement of segregation in East Liberty and the Hill District. Coming full circle, the abandonment of the Congregation B’Nai Israel isn’t quite as simple as a large population of Jewish people deciding to move to suburbs resulting in the decommission of a synagogue.

The history of this synagogue rather hints towards the insidious racially-motivated forces that undermined the African American community’s capacity to develop wealth and contributed to conditions of concentrated poverty present in many urban areas today.

Sources Callahan, David. “How the GI Bill Left Out African Americans.”

Demos, Demos, 11 Nov. 2013, www.demos.org/blog/11/11/13/howgi-bill-left-out-african-americans.

Fitzpatrick, Dan. “The Story of Urban Renewal.” Ellsworth Woman Is the Last Living Child of a Little Bighorn Survivor, 21 May 2000, old. post-gazette.com/businessnews/20000521eastliberty1.asp.

Hagerty, James R. “A Neighborhood’s Comeback.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 18 July 2012, www.wsj.com/ articles/SB10001424052702303612804577533112214213358.

Left | Front Entrance of the Congregation B’Nai Israel Right | Perspective of Front Alcove and Foliage

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LARIMER CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT WITH REBECCA COLE Rebecca Cole, a UDBS alumni currently working at TAI+LEE, took the time to show the UDBS around the Larimer Choice Neighborhood Development, which was to be built in two phases, the first producing 85 units over 18 houses and the second producing 150 units over 12 houses. Rebecca’s willingness to answer questions and her patience allowed the UDBS

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to experience what a large development was like, especially considering the development implemented accessible units, affordable units, and market rate units. The range and breadth of detail required for each type of unit can cause quite a variation in regards to priorities, especially in a situation where careful attention to certain guidelines is paramount to receiving the necessary funding and credits to make the project a success.

Right | Rebecca Cole answering questions regarding the tour

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SOLAR DECATHLON HOUSE TOUR Before beginning the process of deconstruction, it was crucial to consult with the individual who knew the buidling best that was present at Carnegie Mellon University, Professor Steve Lee. As the faculty advisor to the 2005 Solar Decathlon team and as a witness to the deconstruction and reconstruction of the building on multiple occasions, Professor Lee became an invaluable resource to begin understanding the

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detailing implemented in the building and how it was assembled on a finer scale of detail.While our first visit to the site only allowed the UDBS to glean so much information, Professor Lee proceeded to offer his time and energy to aid in ensuring that we were understanding and analyzing the building correctly.

Over multiple class sessions, Professor Lee continued to offer his expertise in regards to deconstruction processes that have been implemented in the past as well as what he recommends keeping those in mind.

Right | Professor Steve Lee explaining the mechanical systems in the Solar Decathlon House

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KINGSLEY ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY MEETING A couple of UDBS students including Alison Katz, Jay Tyan, and myself along with some students involved in Carnegie Mellon University Freedom by Design (CMU AIAS FBD) chapter were able to attend a community meeting at the Kingsley Association to discuss three key points in regards to the promotion of Fair Housing policy in Pittsburgh: Development/Zoning, Landlord/ Tenant Relationships, and Education/Outreach/ Training.

During the meeting, various moderators led discussions on draft policies to be refined and then proposed to be amended for the advancement of Fair Housing. Comments were captured by a typist and attendees were informed that an online process would also allow people to make further comments or feedback. In attending this event, it was humbling

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to see the insight and perspective that people from all different backgrounds could provide to enhance the proposed policy, as well as the passion that was infused into these discussions to find ways to make the system more just. The proposals discussed during the meeting ranged in application from some manifesting in the form of policy revising Pittsburgh’s zoning code regulations to allow more than three non-related individuals to share any rental property as housing and others proposing to improve outreach and education on a number of topics including the rights and available resources of protected classes. While some of the recommendations proposed carried significant flaws, the community meeting generated much needed discussion in a safe environment which respected everyone’s opinions and highlighted the valid points raised. In all, the community meeting was a great opportunity to experience engaged citizens who joined the conversation of how to positively influence their community.

Right | UDBS Students and Freedom By Design Members enjoying a meal and discussing Fair Housing

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AIA PITTSBURGH DESIGN AWARDS AT NOVA PLACE After the AIA Pittsburgh Design Awards Gala had taken place, a group of UDBS students was permitted to look through the competition entries and the exhibition both to gain exposure of the work that architecture practices in Pittsburgh were involved in and also to gain inspiration of exemplary work in the context of

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designing homes, albeit many were for much wealthier clients and situated in much different contexts. Even so, many ideas regarding specific application of materials harvested from the Solar Decathlon Building were proposed and discussed, from the polycarbonate being used as a modular interior component to the perception and opinions regarding skylights. While short in duration, being able to see the work representing the city’s architects was interesting and inspiring to see.

Right | Group Photograph of UDBS Cohort that attended

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PROJECT PICKET FENCE Over the course of the semester’s many site visits and excursions into Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, I have come across several sites labeled “Project Picket Fence Mayor, Tom Murphy 1994”. These lots featured simple landscaping and a small wooden picket fence only a couple feet tall with a sign nailed to it. And although there is little documentation of the project itself online, there was a mix of both formal and informal media from news articles to blogs that painted the public opinion of the project. One source documented that the project began “in 1994, [when] Mayor Tom Murphy had the idea to clean up some of the city’s vacant lots, [placing a] picket fence around them, and [showcasing] them as properties for sale” (Ninety Hoods). This initiative however was soon cut short in the summer of 1995 when the “City Council balked when it learned that in some cases, the weeds had grown back taller than the fences” (McArdle). Many of these sites to this day remain vacant though, and

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thus, the project’s impact has been for the most part a visual improvement with no real positive impacton the communities in which these vacant lots reside. Even so, the project, over the course of a year, “had cleaned up 80 lots, with 19 groups pledging to maintain them” (Ninety Hoods), portraying some level of interaction with communities and success, albeit on a surface level. Although positive in intent and simple in concept, this project reveals deeper issues tied to disinvestment and segregation in Pittsburgh which require much more precision, care, and complexity to address productively.

This project has left me wondering, however: How should we engage these discussions of topics of such complexity? How can lasting programs with continuous, meaningful impact be created?

Sources McArdle. “Mayor Tom Murphy.” Pittsburgh Metblogs » Mayor Tom Murphy, Bode Media, 28 Feb. 2007, 4:52 PM, pittsburgh.metblogs. com/2007/02/28/mayor-tom-murphy/.

Ninety Hoods. “Project Picket Fence.” Ninety Hoods, Wordpress, 25 May 2010, ninetyhoods.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/project-picketfence/.

Right | UDBS Students and Freedom By Design Members enjoying a meal and discussing Fair Housing

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WORK

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HOME: AN INTROSPECTIVE LOOK Home is a peculiar subject to collage about. The comfort, the atmosphere, the memories are aspects that almost transcend physicality. However, embedded in the places I’ve called home are aspects that I hold dear, from the simple inclusion of a window to look out of while I wash the dishes or having grass to bike on

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so I felt safe as a child. Other aspects are as simple as where I felt it was proper to wear shoes or walk barefoot, often based on the materiality of the path.

Home has never been an easy place to describe, however it is most definitely the place where I feel safe.

To design a home is a gargantuan task, yet in doing so, there must be an anchor to ensure that a specific something is not lost.

Right | Set of four collages

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NEIGHBORHOOD For the Neighborhood assignment, the UDBS was assigned around 2 sites to survey in person to achieve an understanding of how people interact with the site, what exists/lives on the site, and study the movement on the site. Afterwards, the goal was to synthesize what we saw, took note of, and recorded individually and then begin to collaborate with one another to achieve a graphic consistency combined to generate a map. This

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task soon became a group collaborative experiment interacting with issues of lineweight, opacity, and contrast to convey an accurate and consistent representation of the space and neighborhood. This progression began with a line drawing style which soon evolved into more high contrast styles to draw in attention and to read more readily to the eye. In addition, the goal is to eventually develop a standard for this series, then focusing on expanding to form a comprehensive spatial study of the neighborhood.

Right | Progression of Styles for Clarity

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Center | Residential Context of Produced Block

Center | Commercial Context of Produced Block and Abundance of Parking Lots

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LEXICON To better familiarize the UDBS with the complex network of terminology required to discuss effectively and intelligently about issues of concentrated poverty, we were assigned a list of words and phrases that have been mentioned during the DECONSTRUCTING BLIGHT introductory presentation at ELDI on August 28, 2018, on the September 07/14 site visits, in studio, and through some of the literature that we have read (Color of Law by Richard Rothstein and Evicted by Matthew Desmond). From the list of recurring vocabulary, we were tasked with generating complementary imagery, definitions, and examples to explain the terms. I chose to explain the concepts eminent domain and Homestead Exemption.

Eminent domain is, simply, the right of government to seize land for public use from individuals with or without consent provided they are compensated fairly. In some cases, it can be used to benefit communities by augmenting the quality of infrastructure, providing public resources, or constructing housing. Even so, in other, more infamous cases, it has been used for private profit at the cost of those displaced. Often, while those displaced receive “fair compensation� at market rate, their homes and claim to it can be more significant than a monetary sum. Their livelihoods, their community, and the stability offered by their homes can be disrupted by eminent domain seizures, which can further burden displaced families with more difficulties which can cause extra strain; finding a new home, spending 48

time away from work, and potentially forcing children to move schools. In the past, there have been examples of instances (ex. Brooklyn Heights, NY) where eminent domain has been leveraged for profit for large developers despite significant protest and community outrage.

In essence, the use of eminent domain demands an extensive conversation between those displaced to hear their side of their story as well as ensuring that the land will be utilized for the public good.

Homestead Exemption is policy that supports widowed individuals and their dependents through various means to avoid them losing or being forced to sell their homes that is exacerbated by the costs and stresses related to losing a spouse. While this policy varies by location, it is helpful to ameliorate the pressure on widowed individuals and their dependents, even potentially preventing a family from being forced into poverty. While this policy is very helpful for homeowners, the same does not apply for people renting their homes, unless they are responsible paying for property taxes which is exceedingly rare. Thus, whereas a family which owns a house may receive aid if one of the spouses passes away, a family renting their home may be significantly more susceptible to being forced into poverty as they still need to pay rent. The difference in situations for widowed families that own and rent homes is thus quite significant, whereas the owners may be fine and have time to plan out a course of action to adjust, the renters will have significantly more pressure to quickly figure out a solution and, as a result, will be much more vulnerable to the situation.

CentRight | Lexicon Collages

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MAPPING BLIGHT In collaboration with IDeATe, this project assigned a series of wards to a group to then explore issues of blight on various scales, ultimately aiming to tackle issues of materiality and quantity in regards to condemned buildings. The project also called for the use of Autodesk Recap to analyze condemned building(s) to then better understand, calculate, and reinterpret potential positive futures for the structures in regards to their materiality, their context, and their neighborhood. My group took ownership of wards 9-16 and decided to hone in on the greatest disparity

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of wealth, most severe demographic singularity, and most comprehensive portrayal of the impact of de facto and especially de jure segregation in the past, Homewood and Point Breeze. Point Breeze, one of the most affluent neighborhoods, is a mere 5 block widths away from Homewood, one of the the United States’ most devastatingly disinvested neighborhoods.

This stark contrast immediately is followed with the straightforward analysis of median incomes and crime rates, yet the architectural aspect of the issue perhaps shines a difference light, that the plethora of vacant lots in conjunction with their resource of condemned buildings can be implemented to provide a more positive outlook for Homewood.

Right | A pair of condemned buildings in Homewood

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Map of Vacant Lots

Map of Brick Buildings

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Map of Wood Building

Map of Masonry Building

Combined Material Map

MAP OVERLAY When combining all of the maps, it is possible to begin understanding the general composition of Homewood in regards to material or vacancy. From this, it is clear that there still is much potential in regards to land that can be purposed for uplifting communities, and also that the abundance of contextual brick and wood construction can serve as job opportunities for members of the community for developing valuable skills.

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PHOTOGRAMMETRY BEGINNINGS After visiting Homewood, I took a portion of the photos and did a test run of 50 photos which featured the steps up to a house accompanied by foliage. Albeit rough, this test allowed me to understand the process of generating the model and has revealed some issues to resolve moving forward. First, although the 3D model does include meshes and can be imported into a 3D modeling software (in this case Rhinoceros), there are clearly gaps and holes in the model. This likely can be resolved by increasing the number of photos in the session to provide more perspective and depth perception in the model. Secondly, as photogrammetry programs generally cap the number of photos per session (Autodesk Recap allows 100 per session), it will be necessary to increase the number of sessions to augment the accuracy and cleanliness of the final model. Furthermore, it will be critical to also understand how to stitch models from different sessions together to ultimately generate a 3D model of an entire

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condemned home. I took the photos that had been taken for photogrammetry and attempted the creation of a 3D model of the condemned home. Along the way, we ran into issues with Autodesk Recap being a Cloud powered software requiring that we upload our photos (capped at 100 photos per session) to a server which would then externally process the images. In engaging this process, we quickly realized that although Autodesk Recap would allow for less strain to be placed on our computers, the queue for the service can quickly make a couple sessions require a monumental amount of time to upload, register, process, and redownload the result. As such, we decided to test a different software, 3DF Zephyr, a free photogrammetry software that runs the stitching processes locally using the computer’s CPU. Although 3DF Zephyr caps the free version of their software at 50 photos, there is more control in regards to selecting the quality and layers of information desired. In completing a quick test, 3DF Zephyr output a series of point clouds, meshes, and textures which could then be exported and brought into Rhinoceros for further 3D modeling and editing.

Right | Photogrammetry Test using 50 unsorted photos

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Center | Photogrammetry Test using 3DF Zephyr which focused on the foliage and cut out the house

Center | Photogrammetry Test Export to Rhinoceros which protrays the resultant distortion of geometry when the photos provided are insufficient or not sorted well

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PHOTOGRAMMETRY PROCESS DEVELOPMENT Iterating upon the previous photogrammetry process development work for Mapping Blight assignment, I began to apply feedback regarding the number of photos to aim for and the relative quality to be achieved in the relative short span of time. Thus, my process redirected its attention to be more efficient with the photo selection. Of 2000 photos, I narrowed the collection down to 78 photos of the building. As a first pass, I began by taking out photos that were mostly sky, sidewalk, road, or other buildings to shave off a significant chunk of the collection. To determine which photos were more important and more likely to be useful, I utilized a locally run photogrammetry software called 3DF Zephyr (the free version) to process scans of 50 photos at a time. This software, after running the scan, happens to show which photos were actually used and paired in the resulting scan. As a result, I was

able to filter photos out in this way, slowly narrowing in on an elite selection of photos which would produce a better scan. Then, I ran Autodesk Recap scans to test the photo groups, eventually settling for a scan with some gaps. Despite the imperfect quality of the scan, when considering the fact that the building was elevated above the street plane and attached to three other buildings on one side as well as the inability to walk around the building and on the property for privacy reasons, the scan is successful in capturing, to a decent degree of reality, the site. With the resulting scan, I generated an animation which scrolls around the property and not only in its state and general appearance, but also in regards to its construction and what materials can potentially be repurposed should it be deconstructed. This offers a more optimistic perspective to the issue of blight and condemned buildings which are often associated with bleak future prospects.

Right | Photogrammetry Experimentation Final Iteration using multiple photo-

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grammetry softwares and photographs from multiple trips

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DECONSTRUCTION INTERIOR WALL & CEILING CLADDING The deconstruction of the interior wall and ceiling cladding was fairly straightforward. An assortment of power drills with Square #02 bits as well as some supplementary flat bars, hammers, and chisels were sufficient for the job. While the the task would have been significantly easier with two people on a scaffold or with two ladders so that that less movement is

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required for mobility as the team is able to unfasten more screws more efficiently. One instance occurred where the deconstructing cohort on site did not know whether the ceiling panels were glued on or just screwed on as the plywood did not come off after the screws were unfastened. While it turned out that the plywood panel we were testing happened to be an outlier that was stuck on because of paint, it portrayed the difficulty that can be experienced with even a very basic assembly detail.

Right | Positions for Unfastening Interior Cladding

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DECONSTRUCTION SOUTHERN EXPOSURE Gargi, Yashwitha, and I were part of the deconstruction of the RE_VIEW: SOUTHERN EXPOSURE portion of the Solar Decathlon Pavilion. The first prototype of RE_VIEW: SOUTHERN EXPOSURE is still a beautifully detailed wall system designed and installed into the Solar Decathlon Pavilion the June of 2013 by previous UDBS students collaborating with CMU Facilities Department, CMU School of Architecture Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, and the Construction Junction Deconstruction Crew with support from the Heinz Endowments, McKamish Metal Fabrication Group, and various consultants.

As a wall system that was designed 7 years ago and installed 6 years ago, it has withstood the test of time and exceeded its anticipated performance objectives by 61.6% over a 3 year monitoring period. As such, it holds value not only in the material that compose it, but even more so as a carefully detailed and reasoned wall system. However, because it would be cost prohibitive and difficult to extract, transport, and store as one entire module, it was decided that it would be labeled, cataloged, deconstructed, and reconstructed in a different building. While the system was carefully designed for disassembly, it was built for permanence and our trio experienced some difficulty in trying to deconstruct the system while preserving the condition of the material. As it was constructed for permanence,

64

many pieces were solidly glued together. Furthermore, with the creative and careful detailing of the system, the design was seamless, making it difficult at times to figure out how pieces were attached, where screws were, and how to deconstruct without damaging the material.

Given this challenge, two very logical readings of the situation became apparent, both of which were valid.

The first was that the preservation of the wall system and the maintenance of its pieces were integral to being able to reconstruct and reuse the wall system.

Thus, the quality of the deconstruction and the careful documentation of how its pieces are assembled are absolutely crucial. The second perspective was that given deconstruction being an already pricey operation, there generally isn’t a lot of leeway in terms of time to spare as time, and thus money, is of the essence. In the case of RE_VIEW: SOUTHERN EXPOSURE, given the unique condition and value in the system being able to be re-assembled, our trio with the help of many others, including David Bennick, the Deconstruction consultant for the project, and Brian from the Construction Junction Deconstruction Crew, acted as the exploration team carefully digging into the wall system, extracting information regarding its construction, and reporting to Professor Folan, David, Brian to discuss the next steps and how to approach the system efficiently while maintaining the material to the best of our ability.

Right | Deconstruction of Southern Exposure

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DECONSTRUCTION SOUTHERN EXPOSURE The wall system has been disassembled using a combination of power drills, chisels, hammers, flat bars, and limited use of a reciprocating hand saw.

And although some pieces were roughened up in the process, much of the material was still in good condition and the design is intended for repurposing as a unit, not as their separate materials.

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Top Left | Removal of hardware on shutters Top Right | Dismantling of top pieces Bottom Left | Discussing how to detach the ledge

DECONSTRUCTION SOUTHERN EXPOSURE (CONT.) As discussed by both Professor John Folan as well as David Bennick, deconstruction is a balancing act on time and labor, and while some materials (ex. bricks) hold value in their own materiality, other assemblies (ex. wood stud walls or, in this case, Southern Exposure) hold more value as a module and thus should be treated and applied as such following deconstruction.

Top Right | Removal of windows Bottom Left | Unfastening metal flashing Bottom Right | Prying off metal flashing

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DECONSTRUCTION WINDOWS While windows are a crucial aspect of any building, their assembly can vary depending on the type, of window, how it was built, etc. With the help of Brian from the Construction Junction Deconstruction Crew, this process was streamlined and followed a simple series of guidelines to preserve the condition of the products.

The process began by sizing up all of the hardware and determining the tools required to deconstruct the product. Then, the layers of the assembly were deconstructed hierarchically to ensure that the product

68

remained in good condition. When more rough tools were used, such as the reciprocating saw, the deconstructor has to be careful, ensuring that most of the movement was against something insignificant and not pushing against something in direct contact with the product like a window hangar. This process continued until the window could be pried off and transported to the storage area.

In conclusion, while windows may seem simple, their deconstruction is ultimately a task that is not feasible to perform safely and without damaging the product without the help of another person. Again, the delicate balance of time and labor in deconstruction must integrate feasibility and efficiency at the same time.

Right | Brian explaining how to begin deconstructing the windows

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DECONSTRUCTION PROCESS WINDOWS 1. The fascia boards around the windows on the outside must first be pried off using a flat bar and hammer or unscrewed using a power drill with a S02 bit (2 people, 1 to pry, 1 to hold) 2. On the inside of the window, begin by using a steel crowbar and hammer to pry off the oak trim nailed to the assembly (1 person) 3. Unfasten the screws to free the window hangars from the vertical LVL members (1 person)

70

Top Left | [1] Image of outside condition Top Right | [2] Removing finish pieces Bottom Left | [3] Unfastening the window hangars

DECONSTRUCTION PROCESS WINDOWS (CONT.) 4. Using a reciprocating saw, carefully penetrate through to the outside, then cut the window free, avoiding the window hangars (1 person) 5. With a steel crowbar and hammer, dig into the wood underneath the window, then push outwards on the crowbar to free the window. Repeat along the bottom of the window, pushing the window manually as possible with people ready to catch the window on the outside (4 people, 1 to pry, 1 to push, 2 to receive) 6. Transport the window to the designated material storage location (2 people) Top Right | [4] Brian using the reciprocating saw Bottom Left | [5] Prying the window off the sill Bottom Right | [6] Transporting the deconstructed window

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DECONSTRUCTION MECHANICAL SYSTEMS The deconstruction of mechanical systems is quite like a puzzle, where by knowing a couple key principles, one can attempt to figure out the best way to deconstruct a system. The main principle, at least for plumbing, was to avoid cutting pieces at the joints so that washers/nuts/ hardware would not get damaged and risk rendering the entire connection of the pipe useless. Furthermore, when cutting along the length of a pipe, it is important to remember to keep as long of a length as possible intact so that it can be more easily reused.

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In regards to the electrical system, the main issue in this case was that the sensors had to remain in one piece and not be cut so that they could be reused again. Besides that, the wires generally are going to be recycled a opposed to being reused immediately so it is completely acceptable to cut them if it is inefficient and unproductive to waste time untangling it.

On the first day, Jake and I tagged along with Brian and Bill from Construction Junction to disassemble the first floor mechanical systems. By the next session, Jake and I were able to disassemble the mechanical system in the loft on our own by talking through the process of figuring out where to cut.

Right | Taking down an air vent

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Left | Jake and I deconstructing the fresh water system

Right | Jake and I discussing where to cut plumbing pipes

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MECHANICAL SYSTEMS FIRST FLOOR Some lessons that were learned in regards to deconstructing mechanical systems was the significance of procedure and hierarchy. The plumbing which is intended to be cut, could be deconstructed first to free 76

up other systems that were embedded deeper in the network (ex. electrical). network (ex. electrical). In addition, while it was critical that deconstruction be done carefully and materials shouldn’t be randomly cut for no reason, materials that would be recycled and not reused (ex. electrical cables/wiring), were cut to increase efficiency and ease in terms of freeing other materials.

Left | Existing First Floor Mechanical Systems to be deconstucted Right | Deconstructed First Floor Mechanical Systems

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MECHANICAL SYSTEMS LOFT FLOOR The main lesson learned in deconstructing the loft level’s mechanical systems was that in situations were 78

larger parts (in this case, a water heater) were part of the system, all of the deconstruction revolved around it until it was the only thing left. Only then was it taken away.

Left | Existing Loft Floor Mechanical Systems to be deconstructed Right | Deconstructed Loft Mechanical Systems

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DECONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION PHOTOGRAPHY Throughout the process of deconstruction, documentation through photography and videos has been crucial to serve as a reminder as to how pieces came together and were taken apart. Furthermore, at times, an image of people interacting with materials can speak much louder and clearer than an exploded

80

axonometric or isometric drawing. In addition, as DE_ CON 01 was a pilot deconstruction project, being able to refer back to photography and film of all kinds was critical to being able to perform valid analysis of what took place and to understanding what aspects of the project could be imrpoved for the next project. This became readily clear when trying to understand what material was taken off, what happened to it, and how much labor it took to achieve those processes.

Right | Photographing during Crane Day

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53

61 4. UNFASTEN THE SCREWS TO FREE THE WINDOW HANGARS FROM THE VERTICAL LVL MEMBERS (1 PERSON)

HARD HAT HIGH VISIBILITY VEST WINDOW HANGAR

WORK GLOVES

19 3/8" OAK CEILING PANEL 1" OAK TRIM

HARD HAT

5000 FORBES AVENUE DE_CON 01 PITTSBURGH, PA 15213

KEY NOTES: 1. ¾” THK CEDAR EXTERIOR CLADDING 2.

RED MAPLE INTERIOR CLADDING 3. ¼” CYPRESS PLYWOOD 4. ¾” THK x 3” WIDE OAK INTERIOR TONGUE-AND-GROOVE CLADDING 5. ⅜” THK OAK INTERIOR CEILING PANELS 6. 1" BIRCH HARDWOOD TRIM WITH P.U. COATING 7. 1/2" DOMESTIC BIRCH PLYWOOD SHEATHING WITH P.U. COATING 8. BIRCH HARDWOOD DADO BORDER WITH P.U. COATING 9. ¼” ASH PLYWOOD VENEER 10. GYPSUM WALL BOARD 11. BACKER ROD WITH DRY CAULK 12. HARDWOOD TRACK SHOE WITH GASKET SEAL 13. BIFOLD DOOR TRACK 111 SERIES BY JOHNSON HARDWARE 14. MILLED HARDWOOD DOOR WITH GASKET SEAL 15. STANDING SEAM METAL ROOFING 16. PERFORATED METALWORK 17. SOLID GALVANIZED STEEL AWNING 18. PERFORATED GALVANIZED STEEL AWNING 19. FIXED WINDOW: REFERENCE AS2.11 20. AWNING WINDOW: REFERENCE AS2.11 21. MIXED TYPE WINDOW: REFERENCE AS2.11 22. SINGLE EXTERIOR DOOR METAL WITH INSET GLAZING AND STATIONARY PANEL 23. DOUBLE EXTERIOR DOOR METAL WITH INSET GLAZING 24. INTERIOR DOOR WOOD WITH INSET GLAZING 25. INTERIOR DOOR WOOD 26. EXTERIOR METAL DOOR FRAME 27. INTERIOR METAL DOOR FRAME 28. LADDER TO LOFT 29. PV PANELS BP5170 BP SOLAR MONO-CRYSTALLINE 30. RACK FOR PV PANELS 31. SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTOR 32. RADIATOR FOR SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTOR 33. 4” CELLULAR POLYCARBONATE INTERLOCKING PANEL 34. ⅝” TRIPLE WALL CELLULAR POLYCARBONATE 35. POLYCARBONATE EDGE DETAIL 36. ALUMINUM FRAMING FOR POLYCARBONATE 37. SHIM/BLOCKING 38. 3/4" RIGID INSULATION 39. 1" RIGID INSULATION 40. APA RATED OSB PLYWOOD SHEATHING FOR WALLS 41. OSB PLYWOOD SUBFLOOR 42. CLOSED CELL INSULATION 43. BIRCH PLYWOOD / RIGID INSULATION COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION 44. 1” x 3” WOOD FURRING STRIPS 45. WALL MEMBRANE CCW 705 46. ICE AND WATER SHIELD 47. TCS GUTTER 48. TCS FLASHING 49. 10 GA GALVANIZED CARBON STEEL COLLAR 50. 20 GA GALVANIZED STEEL 51. 5/16” THK STEEL PLATE 52. 3-1/2” X 9-1/4” PSL MEMBER 53. LVL MEMBER 54. 2”X4” DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 55. 2”X6” DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 56. 2”X10" DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 57. 2"X12" DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 58. COMPOSITE LUMBER DECKING 59. COMPOSITE LUMBER RAILING 60. COMPOSITE LUMBER RISERS 61. 10 ¼” THK SIP 62. ¾” THK PLYWOOD 63. ⅜” THK PLYWOOD 64. WR GRACE WATERPROOF MEMBRANE 65. 2’ 1-¾” LVL BLOCKING 66. C 10X22 STEEL CHANNEL 67. WT 9X32.5 STEEL SECTION 68. 18” DIA. CAST CONCRETE FOOTING W/ #4 BAR AND STL BEARING PLATE 69. 3½” THK POURED CONCRETE SLAB W/ EMBEDDED PEX TUBING 70. LIGHT FIXTURE 71. STAINLESS STEEL BAR HANDLE 72. WOODEN CUBBY 73. WOODEN KITCHEN CABINETRY SET 74. STAINLESS STEEL MICROWAVE 75. STAINLESS STEEL OVEN 76. STAINLESS STEEL STOVE 77. OPEN CELL SPRAY FOAM INSULATION 78. SEE MECHANICAL KEYNOTES 79. 5/16” GALVANIZED STEEL ANGLE PICK POINT 80. OSHA-COMPLIANT CRANE HOOK 81. SPREADER BAR 82. 8' 0" TALL CONSTRUCTION FENCE AT WORK AREA BOUNDARY BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 83. PORTABLE TOILET PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 84. 30 YARD ROLL OFF DUMPSTER PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 85. 180 DEGREE ACCESS GATE PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 86. EXISTING TREE 87. EXISTING LAMP POST 88. EXISTING CURB AND SIDEWALK 89. EXISTING PLUMBING EASEMENT/CONNECTIONS 90. 12' LONG X 8' WIDE X 3' HIGH 10-YARD ROLL OFF RECYCLING DUMPSTER PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 91. 35' ROLL OFF TRUCK FOR DELIVERY OF DUMPSTERS PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 92. 50-TON CAPACITY NATIONAL CRANE NBT50 MOUNTED ON A PETERBILT 359 4-AXLE CHASSIS WITH A 102’-0” BOOM LENGTH PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 93. FLAT BED TRUCK W/LIFT GATE FOR PORTABLE TOILET SERVICING PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 94. TEMPORARY ELECTRICAL SERVICE, 4 GFCI DUPLEX OUTLETS PROVIDED BY ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR 95. SCAFFOLDING 96. PORCELAIN CAROMA DUAL FLUSH TOILET 97. PORCELAIN HAND SINK 98. BATHROOM FIXTURES 99. OAK RAILING 3' 6-1/8" LONG X 1' 0-9/16" WIDE, 44" ABOVE FLOOR 100. ¾” THICK X 3” WIDE BATHROOM DECKING 101. METAL SUPPORT FOR RAISED FLOOR PANEL 102. CONTINUOUS PIANO HINGE 103. 4”X3/4” PLYWOOD FLOOR PANEL 104. 2”X2” LVL FLOOR SPACER 105. STEEL FLOOR RISER

CARLISLE CCW

STEEL CROWBAR

SAFETY GLASSES

7. ONCE THE WINDOW IS FREE, TRANSPORT THE DECONSTRUCTED WINDOW TO THE DESIGNATED MATERIAL STORAGE LOCATION (2 PEOPLE)

HAMMER 19

3. ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOW, BEGIN BY USING A STEEL CROWBAR AND HAMMER TO PRY OFF THE OAK TRIM NAILED TO THE ASSEMBLY (1 PERSON)

TAR MASTIC

MEP 15

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HAMMER

A B C D AND HAMMER, DIG 6. WITH A STEEL CROWBAR INTO THE WOOD BLOCKING E UNDERNEATH THE WINDOW, THEN PUSH OUTWARDS ON THE F CROWBAR TO FREE THE WINDOW. REPEAT ALONG THE BOTTOM OF THE G WINDOW, THEN PUSHING THE WINDOW MANUALLY OUTWARDS H AS POSSIBLE. BE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE J THE WINDOW (4 READY OUTSIDE TO CATCH PEOPLE, 1 TO PRY, 1 TO PUSH K ON INSIDE, 2 TO

20 5/16" X 2" PHILLIPS PAN HEAD SCREW*

POWER DRILL

MEP 15

SQUARE #2 SCREW

DOOR NO.

LOCATION

CARLISLE CCW

WINDOW AND THE LVL MEMBER, THEN CUT THE WINDOW FREE, AVOIDING THE WINDOW HANGARS (1 PERSON)

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HARD HAT

63

DOOR TYPE

DBL FLUSH W/ PANELS WINDOW HANGAR DBL FLUSH W/ PANELS SGL FLUSH SGL FLUSH W/ PANELS SGL FLUSH W/ PANELS DBL FLUSH W/ PANELS SGL FLUSH

TAR MASTIC

WINDOW HANGAR

#2 X 2" PHILLIPS PAN HEAD SCREW

POWER DRILL 53

DISASSEMBLY TYPE 1

4. UNFASTEN THE SCREWS TO FREE THE WINDOW HANGARS FROM THE VERTICAL LVL MEMBERS (1 PERSON)

E

26

19

REQUIRES: 4 PEOPLE

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26

FIXED FIXED FIXED 26 FIXED FIXED AWNING-CASEMENT-AWNING AWNING AWNING AWNING FIXED

19

A01 VESTIBULE A02 VESTIBULE MECHANICAL ROOM B01 C01 BATHROOM D01 BEDROOM 5. USING A RECIPROCATING SAW, CAREFULLY E01 LIVING ROOM PENETRATE THROUGH THE FOAM PIPE INSULATION AND TAR MASTIC BETWEEN THE F01 STORAGE ROOM

FOAM PIPE INSULATION

MATERIALS REMOVED FOR REUSE: WINDOWS, WINDOW HANGARS, FASCIA BOARDS, 1" OAK TRIM

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

WINDOW TYPE

26

FASCIA BOARDS

1. THE FASCIA BOARDS AROUND THE FIXED WINDOWS ON THE OUTSIDE MUST FIRST BE PRIED OFF USING A FLAT BAR AND HAMMER OR UNSCREWED USING A POWER DRILL WITH A SQUARE #2 BIT (2 PEOPLE, 1 TO PRY, 1 TO HOLD)

WINDOW HANGAR 1

TAR MASTIC

RECIPROCATING SAW

19

19 DISASSEMBLY TYPE

RECEIVE ON OUTSIDE)

2. IF AN OPERABLE WINDOW, THE WINDOW MUST FIRST BE OPENED, THE SCREW UNFASTENED, THEN THE WINDOW CLOSED AGAIN *NOTE: IN SOME CASES, MAY BE A #2 X 2" PHILLIPS PAN HEAD SCREW (1 PERSON)

26

STEEL CROWBAR

DESIGNATOR

5/16" SOCKET BIT

26

61 HARD HAT

MANUFACTURER TRACO TRACO TRACO TRACO TRACO HURD TRACO

MODEL

TR200 TR200 TR200 TR200 TR200 OUTSWING FRE TR200

GENERAL NO 1. THESE DO PROPERTY O STUDIO (UDB FOR ANY PUR ON THE COV PURPOSE, S AUTHORIZED STUDIO AND 2. NONE OF T TO BE CONS UTILIZING TH SURVEY, AND INFORMATIO INFORMATIO GOVERNING BEFORE PRO INFORMATIO GUIDELINES BIDDERS, ES BIDDING AND CONSTRUCT STUDIO (UDB MISINTERPR BIDDING AND 3. EXISTING S 4. MATERIAL OTHERWISE

26

26

26

26

E01

F

26

26

4 EXPLODED APERTURE PERSPECTIVE NOT TO SCALE

J H H G

A

B

B K C

D

EL

E

Left | Keynotes and Window Deconstruction Process and Details Right | Exploded Aperture Perspective

3 EXPLODED APERTURE PERSPECTIVE NOT TO SCALE

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KEY NOTES: 1. ¾” THK 2.

RED M 3. ¼” CYP 4. ¾” THK 5. ⅜” THK 6. 1" BIRC 7. 1/2" DO 8. BIRCH H 9. ¼” ASH 10. GYPSU 11. BACKE 12. HARDW 13. BIFOLD 14. MILLED 15. STAND 16. PERFO 17. SOLID G 18. PERFO 19. FIXED W 20. AWNIN 21. MIXED 22. SINGLE 23. DOUBL 24. INTERIO 25. INTERIO 26. EXTERI 27. INTERIO 28. LADDER 29. PV PAN 30. RACK F 31. SOLAR 32. RADIAT 33. 4” CELL 34. ⅝” TRIP 35. POLYCA 36. ALUMIN 37. SHIM/B 38. 3/4" RIG 39. 1" RIGID 40. APA RA 41. OSB PL 42. CLOSE 43. BIRCH P 44. 1” x 3” W 45. WALL M 46. ICE AND 47. TCS GU 48. TCS FL 49. 10 GA G 50. 20 GA G 51. PREFAB 52. 3-1/2” X 53. LVL ME 54. 2”X4” D 55. 2”X6” D 56. 2”X10" D 57. 2"X12" D 58. COMPO 59. COMPO 60. COMPO 61. 10 ¼” T 62. ¾” THK 63. ⅜” THK 64. WR GR 65. 2’ 1-¾” 66. C 10X22 67. WT 9X3 68. 18” DIA. 69. 3½” THK 70. LIGHT F 71. STAINL 72. WOODE 73. WOODE 74. STAINL 75. STAINL 76. STAINL 77. OPEN C 78. SEE ME 79. PREFAB

5000 FORBES AVENUE DE_CON 01 PITTSBURGH, PA 15213

KEY NOTES: 1. ¾” THK CEDAR EXTERIOR CLADDING 2.

RED MAPLE INTERIOR CLADDING 3. ¼” CYPRESS PLYWOOD 4. ¾” THK x 3” WIDE OAK INTERIOR TONGUE-AND-GROOVE CLADDING 5. ⅜” THK OAK INTERIOR CEILING PANELS 6. 1" BIRCH HARDWOOD TRIM WITH P.U. COATING 53 7. 1/2" DOMESTIC BIRCH PLYWOOD SHEATHING WITH P.U. COATING 8. BIRCH HARDWOOD DADO BORDER WITH P.U. COATING 9. ¼” ASH PLYWOOD VENEER 10. GYPSUM WALL BOARD 11. BACKER53 ROD WITH DRY CAULK 12. HARDWOOD TRACK SHOE WITH GASKET SEAL 13. BIFOLD DOOR TRACK 111 SERIES BY JOHNSON HARDWARE 14. MILLED HARDWOOD DOOR WITH GASKET SEAL 15. STANDING SEAM METAL ROOFING 4 16. PERFORATED METALWORK 17. SOLID GALVANIZED STEEL AWNING 18. PERFORATED GALVANIZED STEEL AWNING 19. FIXED WINDOW: REFERENCE AS2.11 101 20. AWNING WINDOW: REFERENCE AS2.11 21. MIXED TYPE WINDOW: REFERENCE AS2.11 22. SINGLE EXTERIOR DOOR METAL WITH INSET GLAZING AND STATIONARY PANEL 53 51 23. DOUBLE EXTERIOR DOOR METAL WITH INSET GLAZING 24. INTERIOR 69DOOR WOOD WITH INSET GLAZING 25. INTERIOR DOOR WOOD 26. EXTERIOR METAL DOOR FRAME 27. INTERIOR METAL DOOR FRAME 53 28. LADDER69 TO LOFT SIMPSON SIMPSON SIMPSON 29. PV PANELS BP5170 BP SOLAR MONO-CRYSTALLINE STRONG-TIE 2"X4" STRONG-TIESTRONG-TIE 2"X4" 2"X4" 30. RACK FOR PV PANELS 20-GAUGE FACE 20-GAUGE FACE 20-GAUGE FACE 31. SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTOR 53 53 51 53 51 51 32. RADIATOR FOR SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTOR 51 POLYCARBONATE INTERLOCKING PANEL 33. 4” CELLULAR 34. ⅝” TRIPLE WALL CELLULAR POLYCARBONATE 35. POLYCARBONATE EDGE DETAIL 53 53 53 36. ALUMINUM FRAMING FOR POLYCARBONATE 53 53 53 66 37. SHIM/BLOCKING 38. 3/4" RIGID INSULATION WITH 165 "METAL PLATE AND 53 LUMBER 53 BEAM TO COLUMN CONNECTION53 39. 1" RIGID INSULATION 3/4 - 10 X 2-1/4" HEX DRIVE 40. APA RATED OSB PLYWOOD SHEATHING FOR WALLS PARTIALLY-THREADED STEEL BOLTS 41. OSB PLYWOOD SUBFLOOR 42. CLOSED52 CELL INSULATION 43. BIRCH PLYWOOD / RIGID INSULATION COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION 44. 1” x 3” WOOD FURRING STRIPS 54 45. WALL MEMBRANE CCW 705 51 46. ICE AND WATER SHIELD 5 DIMENSIONAL LUMBER RESTS UPON 5 5 TO COLUMN CONNECTION WITH 16 BEAM "METAL PLATE AND 47. TCS GUTTER DIMENSIONAL DIMENSIONAL LUMBER RESTS LUMBER UPON RESTS SIMPSON UPON HANGERS SIMPSONBOLTED HANGERS TO BOLTED TO SIMPSON HANGERS BOLTED TO LUMBER BEAM LUMBER TO COLUMN BEAM TO CONNECTION COLUMN CONNECTION WITHLUMBER WITH PLATE AND PLATE AND 52 16"METAL 16"METAL AN LVL BEAM 3/4 10 X 2-1/4" HEX DRIVE 48. TCS FLASHING AN LVL BEAM AN LVL BEAM 3/4 - 10 X 2-1/4" 3/4 -HEX 10 XDRIVE 2-1/4" HEX DRIVE 53 49. 10 GA GALVANIZED CARBON STEEL COLLAR PARTIALLY-THREADED STEEL BOLTS PARTIALLY-THREADED PARTIALLY-THREADED STEEL BOLTS STEEL BOLTS 50. 20 GA GALVANIZED STEEL 51. 5/16” THK51STEEL PLATE 52. 3-1/2” X 9-1/4” PSL MEMBER 54 54 53. LVL MEMBER 54 54 54. 2”X4” DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 55. 2”X6” DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 56. 2”X10" DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 57. 2"X12" DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 53 53 53 53 58. COMPOSITE LUMBER DECKING 59. COMPOSITE LUMBER RAILING 60. COMPOSITE LUMBER RISERS 53 61. 10 ¼” THK SIP 54 54 62. ¾” THK PLYWOOD 54 63. ⅜” THK PLYWOOD 64. WR GRACE WATERPROOF MEMBRANE 65. 2’ 1-¾” LVL BLOCKING 53 66. C 10X22 STEEL CHANNEL 53 53 67. WT 9X32.5 STEEL SECTION 53 51 37 37 37 37 68. 18” DIA. CAST CONCRETE FOOTING W/ #4 BAR AND STL BEARING PLATE 69. 3½” THK POURED CONCRETE SLAB W/ EMBEDDED PEX TUBING 70. LIGHT FIXTURE 71. STAINLESS STEEL BAR HANDLE 72. WOODEN CUBBY 51 37 37 37 37 53 73. WOODEN KITCHEN CABINETRY SET 53 74. STAINLESS STEEL MICROWAVE 75. STAINLESS STEEL OVEN 76. STAINLESS STEEL STOVE 77. OPEN CELL SPRAY FOAM INSULATION 53 78. SEE MECHANICAL KEYNOTES 79. 5/16” GALVANIZED STEEL ANGLE PICK POINT 80. OSHA-COMPLIANT CRANE HOOK 69 81. SPREADER BAR 4 53 53 53 AT WORK AREA BOUNDARY BY GENERAL 82. 8' 0" TALL CONSTRUCTION FENCE CONTRACTOR 83. PORTABLE TOILET PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 84. 30 YARD ROLL OFF DUMPSTER PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 52 LUMBER BEAM TO COLUMN BRIDLE JOINT 101 85. 180 DEGREE ACCESS

BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 53 53 GATE PROVIDED 53 86. EXISTING TREE 87. EXISTING LAMP POST 88. EXISTING CURB AND SIDEWALK 52 89. EXISTING PLUMBING EASEMENT/CONNECTIONS 69 4 4 4 69 90. 12' LONG X 8' WIDE X 3' HIGH 10-YARD ROLL OFF RECYCLING DUMPSTER PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 91. 35' ROLL OFF TRUCK FOR DELIVERY OF DUMPSTERS PROVIDED BY GENERAL LOFT BASE JOINT BEAM TO COLUMN BRIDLE JOINT 69 UMN JOINT BRIDLELUMBER JOINTCONTRACTOR 101 101 NBT50 MOUNTED ON A PETERBILT 359 4-AXLE 69 92. 50-TON CAPACITY101 NATIONAL CRANE CHASSIS WITH A 102’-0” BOOM LENGTH PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 93. FLAT BED TRUCK W/LIFT GATE FOR PORTABLE TOILET SERVICING PROVIDED BY GENERAL CONTRACTOR 51 69 BY 94. TEMPORARY ELECTRICAL SERVICE, 69 69 4 GFCI DUPLEX OUTLETS PROVIDED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR NOT TO SCALE 95. SCAFFOLDING 96. PORCELAIN CAROMA DUAL FLUSH TOILET 66 97. PORCELAIN HAND 69 SINK 69 THE 5/16" THK STEEL PLATE 69 98. BATHROOM FIXTURES 99. OAK RAILING 3' 6-1/8" LONG X 1' 0-9/16" WIDE, 44" ABOVE FLOOR 100. ¾” THICK X 3” WIDE BATHROOM DECKING 101. METAL SUPPORT FOR RAISED FLOOR PANEL THE 5/16" THK STEEL PLATE 51 51HINGE 51 52 102. CONTINUOUS PIANO 103. 4”X3/4” PLYWOOD FLOOR PANEL 104. 2”X2” LVL FLOOR SPACER 105. STEEL FLOOR RISER

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38. 3/4" RIGID INSULATION 39. 1" RIGID INSULATION 40. APA RATED OSB PLYW 41. OSB PLYWOOD SUBFL 42. CLOSED CELL INSULA 43. BIRCH PLYWOOD / RIG 44. 1” x 3” WOOD FURRING 45. WALL MEMBRANE CC 46. ICE AND WATER SHIEL 47. TCS GUTTER 48. TCS FLASHING 49. 10 GA GALVANIZED CA 50. 20 GA GALVANIZED ST 51. PREFAB BRACKETS, 5 52. 3-1/2” X 9-1/4” PSL MEM 53. LVL MEMBER 54. 2”X4” DIMENSIONAL LU 55. 2”X6” DIMENSIONAL LU 56. 2”X10" DIMENSIONAL L 57. 2"X12" DIMENSIONAL 58. COMPOSITE LUMBER 59. COMPOSITE LUMBER 60. COMPOSITE LUMBER 61. 10 ¼” THK SIP 62. ¾” THK PLYWOOD 37 63. ⅜” THK PLYWOOD 64. WR GRACE WATERPR 65. 2’ 1-¾” LVL BLOCKING 66. C 10X22 STEEL CHANN 67. WT 9X32.5 STEEL SEC 68. 18” DIA. CAST CONCRE 69. 3½” THK POURED CON 70. LIGHT FIXTURE 71. STAINLESS STEEL BA 72. WOODEN CUBBY 73. WOODEN KITCHEN CA 74. STAINLESS STEEL MIC 75. STAINLESS STEEL OV 76. STAINLESS STEEL ST DIMENSIONAL LUMBER RESTS UPON SIMPSON77.

HANGERS BOLTED TO FO OPEN CELL SPRAY 41 61 78. SEE MECHANICAL KEY 61 61AN LVL BEAM 79. PREFAB BRACKETS, 1 80. OSHA-COMPLIANT CR 81. SPREADER BAR 54 82. 8' 0" TALL CONSTRUC CONTRACTOR 83. PORTABLE TOILET PR SIP PANELS 84. 30 YARD ROLL OFF DU 85. 180 DEGREE ACCESS 86. EXISTING TREE 87. EXISTING LAMP POST 88. EXISTING CURB AND S 19 89. EXISTING PLUMBING E 90. 12' LONG X 8' WIDE X 3 PROVIDED BY GENER 91. 35' ROLL OFF TRUCK F 53 53 CONTRACTOR 92. 50-TON CAPACITY NAT CHASSIS WITH A 102’93. FLAT BED TRUCK W/L GENERAL CONTRACT 94. TEMPORARY ELECTR ELECTRICAL CONTRA 53 95. SCAFFOLDING

SIMPSON STRONG-TIE 2"X4" 20-GAUGE FACE

53 53

SIP PANELSSIP PANELS

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STEEL TENSILE CABLE 51

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PORCELAIN CAROMA PORCELAIN HAND SIN BATHROOM FIXTURES OAK RAILING 3' 6-1/8" ¾” THICK X 3” WIDE BA STEEL FOR TEN METAL SUPPORT CONTINUOUS PIANO H 4”X3/4” PLYWOOD FLO 51 2”X2” LVL FLOOR SPA STEEL FLOOR RISER 51

51 53

53 LOFT BASE JOINT

1 STRUCTURE EXPLODED PERSPECT NOT TO SCALE

STRUCTURE EXPLODED PERSPECTIVE

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SIMPSON STRONG-TIE 2"X4" 20-GAUGE FACE

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DIMENSIONAL LUMBER RESTS UPON SIMPSON HANGERS BOLTED TO AN LVL BEAM

LUMBER BEAM TO COLUMN CONNECTION WITH 165 "METAL PLATE AND 3/4 - 10 X 2-1/4" HEX DRIVE PARTIALLY-THREADED STEEL BOLTS

SIP PANELS

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4 37 LUMBER BEAM TO COLUMN BRIDLE JOINT

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LOFT BASE JOINT 69

1 STRUCTURE EXPLODED PERSPECTIVE

Left | Keynotes and Structural Details and Callouts Enlarged Right | Exploded Structure Perspective

NOT TO SCALE

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THE 5/16" THK STEEL PLATE

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DECONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION TOOL PORTFOLIO

Facilities Management and Campus Services (FMCS), and RYCON Construction to make the project possible.

As a process, deconstruction provides much opportunity outside of the environmental and health benefits, specifically in the realm of job creation and creating a market in need of a skilled labor force. By nature of having to compete with demolition (in cases where deconstruction is not mandated) and requiring careful attention to budget and labor costs, deconstruction must function with a strict margin of finances, however it outperforms demolition in “[creating] 6 to 8 jobs [for every one that demolition creates]” (Details). As part of the studio’s ASSESSMENT of the Deconstruction of the Solar Decathlon House, the Architecture-EngineeringConstruction Management cohort took careful note of and gathered information of the tools required in deconstructing specific materials. This information can then serve as a reference portfolio for deconstruction trainees to use in seeking out jobs after their training of their experience working with a plethora of tools.

Furthermore, the tool portfolio shows the wide range of equipment necessary to deconstruct even a small, modular structure, albeit one that was fully conditioned and serviced in regards to mechanical systems. It represents just the tip of the iceberg of planning that was undertaken by Professor John Folan, CMU

Given that the deconstruction of the Solar Decathlon House was executed on site by many more people than usual and on a significantly shorter timeline, one of the key inefficiencies was tool management. With so many people working at the same time, on different parts of the building, interacting with a variety of materials, finding the correct tool with an attachment correctly sized and abiding by the regulations of checking tools out caused a significant inefficiency. Furthermore, as there was much overlap of simultaneous work on different materials and systems, there was at times a lack of available tools to complete tasks in a more efficient way. These issues, however, are inherently tied to compressing the timeline of the deconstruction project and involving the help of so many people to deconstruct.

In general, deconstruction projects are more commonly completed by a smaller group of deconstructors focusing on one specific system or material at a time which eliminates some of the issues experienced during the deconstruction of the Solar Decathlon House.

Sources Details. “Why Deconstruct?” Details, Details, www.details.org/whydeconstruct/.

Right | Tool Portfolio for the Solar Decathlon Deconstruction Project

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DECONSTRUCTION TOOLS INSIGHT RECIPROCATING SAW The reciprocating saw, or also used oscillating saw, was a crucial member of the deconstruction toolkit.

Able to make quick and precise cuts, it is a extremely useful for a number of materials due to the versatility afforded in changing blades which contributed to the deconstruction of many materials and products, including windows, the polycarbonate panels, the plumbing system, and the structurally insulated panels (SIPs). It was used not only to cut material into smaller,

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more manageable pieces, but also to free materials from the assembly by cutting through screws and nails.

The reciprocating saws used during the deconstruction process varied from cordless to corded to allow for more ease in use where convenient. And although too rough for more intricate details (ex. Southern Exposure previously mentioned in Yash and Gargi’s posts), the reciprocating saw was efficient where there was a significant margin of error and space around the cut to enable a safe cut that would not damage the surrounding material.

Right | Reciprocating Saw Collage

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DECONSTRUCTION MATERIAL REUSE BREAKDOWNS After undergoing the process of deconstruction, the material that has been diverted from the landfill and has been determined to be able to be of use must be sorted, separated, wrapped, and sent to its respective destinations. In order to better understand the variety of destinations where material is projected to end up, I developed a graphic to represent these possibilities.

In the example of the deconstructed Cypress Plank Siding, it is possible to see how the deconstructed material continues its life. On the right are educated estimates of the number of people, the estimated quantity of person hours, and the tools required to deconstruct the material based on records of the project, timelapse and still photography, film, and the individual records of participants. On the left, is a two-layered pie chart which describes the initial yield on the outer layer which is broken down in the inner layer. In this case, the calculations performed based on data collected by the Architecture-Engineering-

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Construction Management (AECM) students estimated that 98.7% of the planks would be salvaged with 1.3% of the planks being sent to landfill whether due to damage in deconstructing, damage to the material in the current use, or other reasons that reduce the materials’ usefulness. Of the 98.7% salvaged, 21.61% were calculated to have recycling potential as perhaps wood chips, mulch, or other wood products. The other 77.09% was determined to be more fitting to be reused.

However, this percentage of the material will inevitably generate some waste sent to either landfill or recycled in material manipulation processes, thus of the reused material, it is broken down into an estimate of 19.27% being lost in processing with 57.82% of the material becoming a reusable product. This breakdown graphic has been applied to many other materials that were deconstructed during DE_CON 01 as a representation of the life of the materials after being deconstructed. It will also serve as a foundation for future deconstruction projects to get an idea of the ultimate yield of the potential projects.

Right | Material Breakdown Graphics for Cypress Plank Siding

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DECONSTRUCTION EXPEDITING REUSE GRAPHICS In order to better facilitate future use of the graphic previously mentioned, I prepared a Grasshopper script for future use which takes three inputs and reduces the hassle of making the diagrams. The script takes inputs of the percentages of material salvaged, recycled, and lost to material processing and creates a framework of lines for the diagram. This basic geometry can

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then be exported from Rhinoceros into Illustrator to post process and then formatted alongside the other deconstruction information. This script dramatically reduces the amount of work that needs to be done and increases the efficiency of generating these diagrams.

It was helpful during the analysis of DE_CON 01 and should serve as a resource for future projects as a way of disseminating information about the physical and material impact of deconstruction projects.

Right | Grasshopper Script for Generating the Material Reuse Diagram

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Left | Material Breakdowns

Right | Material Breakdowns

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DE_CON GAME Working in collaboration with the Reality Computing students at CMU’s IDeATe Department, one of the final projects for the Reality Computing students was a deconstruction game catered to job skills training.

Given models and information regarding building deconstruction processes relayed from the UDBS, the team of Reality Computing students created a strong foundation of work representing a variety of critical of interactions, from teleporting around the space and picking up objects, to using tools to deconstruct a solar panel array and designing an interaction feedback loop for knowing when screws were fully unscrewed. While still in development, this gamecould be further updated to represent more material systems and eventually cover the most common materials that deconstructors would encounter on jobs, supplementing the experience with concepts and information of material breakdowns.

By creating a platform of conveying information and getting simulated practice with deconstructing, this game could eventually become a powerful tool for

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teaching deconstruction principles and processes in a safer, more manageable, and more entertaining manner to deconstruction trainees. Furthermore, with the amount of time the students were allotted and their ambitious goals, they have made great strides and have developed a strong jumping off point for the next semester.

My role in this process was acting as the liason between the Reality Computing students and the UDBS cohort.

Although it was difficult to truly collaborate and work alongside the Reality Computing students with the various scheduling conflicts and existing software experience gap in regards to Unity, I find virtual reality experiences quite intriguing and do hope to become more involved in this process and delve deeper into how these new technologies can be implemented to advocate for and compel change. And while my responsibilities this time were limited to providing models, information, feedback, and graphics, I would like to better integrate myself into these teams and contribute a larger degree to the project.

Right | Yashwitha interacting with the DE_CON Game with Alejandro from Reality Computing narrating the experience

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EXHIBITION At midsemester, the UDBS compiled and curated a set of work that was displayed in the Great Hall of the College of Fine Arts Building. The resulting exhibition consisted of four films, the deconstruction document set, individual documentation booklets, a series of models, and many, many 9X7 cards. For the review, many professors from the School of Architecture, Skip Schwab from ELDI, and other curious individuals

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joined in a discussion regarding the work executed so far as well as the work to be pursued for the rest of the semester. The work exhibitied portrayed primarily work related to deconstruction on one side (as shown on the right), and work related to the neighborhood context and experiential aspects of home. In a short period of time, it was possible to hear the opinions, perspectives, and experiences of many people about the work portrayed to inform the approach to the rest of the semester.

Right | Image from Exhibition Review

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RE_CON 01 & 02 INHERITED WORK CONCENTRATED POVERTY The premises of RE_CON 01 & 02 lie in the issue of concentrated poverty specifically in the context of Pittsburgh. Areas of concentrated poverty are defined by census tracts where 40% or more of its residents live below the federal poverty threshold and generally refers to a density of socio-economic deprivation confined to a specific geographic area. Due to a history of systematic de jure and de facto segregation, areas of concentrated poverty are disproportionately inhabited by minority groups with 25.2% of African Americans and 7.5% of white Americans living in these areas in the United States. In regards to Pittsburgh, these

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divisions of race and economic class become blindingly obvious with massive disparities of wealth and extremely homogenic demographics. In one specific case of two neighborhoods sharing a common border, Homewood and Point Breeze portray this severe division. Homewood’s median household income is $20,400 and the neighborhood’s population is 92.84% African American. Point Breeze, on the other hand, has a median household income of $109,300 and 80.55% of the neighborhood’s population is white. These divisions become evident in the architectural and urban landscape, and thus, how can architecture be applied as a catalyst and agent to facilitate more diversity in neighborhoods in regards to both demographics and wealth?

Right | Concentrated Poverty Matrix Generated by the 2017-2018 UDBS

FEELING UNWELCOME TO NEW DEVELOPMENT

PEOPLE GETTING PUSHED OUT

HOMELESSNESS

NEW RESIDENTS LACK COMMUNITY REVERENCE

RISING RENTS

Image courtesy of Maya Dukmasova

NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF OUTSIDERS

PAST EXPERIENCE WITH DEVELOPERS

GENERATIONS OF FAILED URBAN RENEWAL

NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES

LACK OF TRUST

DISENFRANCISEMENT

Images courtesy of ABC/NBC/FOX

Image courtesy of Lucas Jackson / Reuters

EVICTION

ABSENTEE LANDLORDS SLUMLORDS

POOR BUILT ENVIRONMENT

COMPLICATIONS WITH DISABILITY

HIGHER CRIME RATES

DEFICIENT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Image courtesy of Iris Schneider / LA Times

Image courtesy of CIEH

LACK OF SKILLS TRAINING

Image courtesy of John Marino

HIGH COST OF LIVING

Image courtesy of Getty Images

SINGLE PARENTING

Image courtesy of Chris Saulit

MASS INCARCERATION

LACK OF OPPORTUNITY

LIMITED ECONOMIC MOBILITY

POOR QUALITY OF HEALTH

Image courtesy of Marion Post-Wolcott

Image courtesy of The Grio

Image courtesy of The Atlantic

Image courtesy of Yves Marchand

LARGE DEATH QUANTITIES

Image courtesy of Patrick Semansky / AP

Image courtesy of Randy Simes / UrbanCincy

UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING

DIMINISHED QUALITY OF LIFE

DECAY OF CULTURAL TRADITIONS

Image courtesy of Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

LACK OF COMMUNITY

CONCENTRATED POVERTY

POOR HOUSING CONDITIONS

STIGMATIZATION OF URBAN BLIGHT

LACK OF COMMUNICATION

Image courtesy of Louisa Marie Summer

Image courtesy of Rick Wood

LEGAL DISPUTES

Image courtesy of Deborah Svoboda / KQED

GENTRIFICATION

BIASED PERCEPTIONS

MEDIA-DRIVEN NARRATIVES

NORMALIZED PERCEPTION

NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGES SEEN AS NEGATIVE

Image courtesy of Detroit Urbex

Image courtesy of Metro Times

SENSE OF LOSS OF COMMUNITY

Image courtesy of Amy Stone

Image courtesy of Camilo José Vergara

Image source unable to be found

GANG ACTIVITY BECOMES A CULTURE

Image courtesy of okayplayer

LACK OF WELLPAYING JOBS

Image courtesy of Seth Wenig / AP

Image courtesy of Megan Harris / WESA

Image courtesy of John Dominis

DEPRESSION

Image courtesy of Getty Images

LACK TO TIME SPENT WITH CHILDREN

Image courtesy of The Washington Post

Image courtesy of Getty Images

DRUG ADDICTION

MULTIPLE LOW-WAGE JOBS NECESSARY

LIMITED ABILITY TO BUILD EQUITY

Image courtesy of Elvis Batiz

TEEN PREGNANCY

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RE_CON 01 & 02 INHERITED WORK TAKTL HPCP APPLICATIONS In regards to generating work that is locally relevant, sustainable, and replicable, the research executed regarding the prototyping of TAKTL panels for use in RE_CON 01 & 02 as well as other projects emulates these concepts of public interest design. As a material that is produced just outside of Pittsburgh’s city limits yet is nationally renowned, it is extremely local to the area and the reason for the interest specifically in this product is that the company that manufactures it is notorious for the level of attention and care for creating products that are manufactured and shipped in essentially perfect condition. Thus, slight imperfections are unacceptable and historically, the rejected material

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has been sent to landfill. This opens the opportunity to repurpose material with negligible defects by scaling the product down and prototyping systems that can implement the material’s insulative capacity and durability. This research and prototyping is intended to be applied in RE_CON 01 & 02 and continued in future projects. One potential issue is TAKTL’s investment on finding ways of recycling material to prevent potential profit loss due to research such as that done by the UDBS. And while that would definitely render the continued application of UDBS’ work much more difficult, it is inspiring still in the regard that the exploration of one studio was able to compell an entire company to consider more environmentally conscious and less wasteful ways of manufacturing.

Right | Array of Work Surrounding TAKTL Panel Research Performed by previous UDBS students

JOB SKILLS TRAINING NATIONAL SUPPLIER

JOB SKILLS TRAINING HPCP PROCESSING PROCEDURE 05:00.00

- PARK THE ACHILLI LIFT TABLE WITHIN ONE FOOT OF THE CASTER TABLE. - LINE THE PANEL EDGES UP WITH THE TABLE EDGES SO THE TRANSFER OCCURS SEAMLESSLY

05:00.00

- TWO PEOPLE MUST SECURLY GRASP THE PANEL EDGES TO PREPARE TO TRANSFER - TRANSFER THE PANEL OVER TO THE CASTER TABLE FROM THE ACHILLI LIFT TABLE

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE PANEL

RE_CON 01 REPURPOSES THE OVERSTOCK OF THIS DURABLE MATERIAL, AND THE PROCESSING OF THE PANELS WILL PROVIDE JOB SKILL TRAINING AND ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES

TAKTL IS THE NATIONAL SUPPLIER OF PROJECTS ACROSS THE COUNRTY - THE TWO PEOPLE WILL MOVE THE PANEL TO THE EDGE OF THE CASTER TABLE - AFTER THE PANEL IS SECURED, THE ACHILLI TABLE CAN BE REORIENTED VERTICALLY AND CAN LEAVE TO RESTOCK

- TWO PEOPLE WILL THEN FEED THE PANEL ALONG THE L-BRACKET EDGE THROUGH THE BRIDGE SAW TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPTH TO CUT - THE EDGE MUST THEN BE CLAMPED TO SECURE THE PANEL FOR CUTTING

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THE ULTRA HIGH PERFORMANCE PRODUCT IS SHIPPED INTERNATIONALLY , AND TAKTL IS THE ONLY MANUFACTURER OF ITS KIND IN THE THE COUNTRY

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JOB SKILLS TRAINING HPCP PROCESSING AT PROJECT RE_

GENERAL NO 1. THESE DO PROPERTY O STUDIO (UDB FOR ANY PU ON THE COV PURPOSE, S AUTHORIZED STUDIO AND 2. NONE OF T TO BE CONS UTILIZING TH SURVEY, AN INFORMATIO INFORMATIO GOVERNING BEFORE PRO INFORMATIO GUIDELINES BIDDERS, ES BIDDING AND CONSTRUCT STUDIO (UDB MISINTERPR BIDDING AND

JOB SKILLS TRAINING HPCP WALL ASSEMBLY PROTOTYPE

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE PANELS NOT TO SCALE

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HAT CHANNELS NOT TO SCALE

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CASCADIA CLIPS NOT TO SCALE

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SUPPORT STRUCTURE NOT TO SCALE

KEY NOTES: 1.

2 X 4 DI 2. 2 X 4 DI 3. 2" BATT 4. 81" X 12" 5. 21" OSB 6. 2" RIGID 7. 2" CASC 8. Z GIRT 9. HAT TR 10. 58" THICK 11. FASTEN 12. TYVEK 13. 18 GAU 14. 5 21" X 6" 15. 5 21" X 5

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3 FRAMING NOT TO SCALE

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9 INSULATION NOT TO SCALE

6 VAPOR BARRIER NOT TO SCALE

NOT TO SCALE

2 FRAMING NOT TO SCALE

Production Salary | Allegheny County: $36,592.00 $36,592.00 = $17.59/hr

PROCESS CAN BUILD TO BECOME ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY

11 PANELLING

JOB SKILLS TRAINING AT PROJECT RE_

NOT TO SCALE

8 Z - GIRTS NOT TO SCALE

5 SHEATHING NOT TO SCALE

1 FRAMING NOT TO SCALE

high performance concrete panel

GENERAL NOTES: 1. THESE DOCUMENTS ARE THE COPYRIGHTED PROPERTY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF THE CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY URBAN DESIGN BUILD STUDIO (UDBS). THE DOCUMENTS ARE NOT TO BE REPRODUCED OR UTILIZED FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN ORIGINALLY INTENDED AND AS STIPULATED ON THE COVER SHEET AND TITLE BLOCK. USE OF THE DOCUMENTS FOR ANY PURPOSE, SPECIFICALLY STIPULATED OR NOT, SHALL BE GRANTED ONLY VIA AUTHORIZED WRITING BY THE CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY URBAN DESIGN BUILD STUDIO AND ITS DIRECTOR, JOHN FOLAN AIA, LEED AP. 2. NONE OF THE DOCUMENTS INCLUDED IN THE DRAWING INDEX ARE INTENDED TO BE CONSIDERED IN ISOLATION OF ONE ANOTHER. ALL PARTIES/ENTITIES UTILIZING THESE DOCUMENTS FOR COST ESTIMATION, BIDDING, QUANTITY SURVEY, AND/OR CONSTRUCTION SHALL CONSULT THE GENERAL NOTES AND INFORMATION LOCATED ON THIS SHEET AND ALL "G" SERIES (GENERAL INFORMATION AND DATA) SHEETS FOR INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS GOVERNING WORK DESCRIBED IN DOCUMENTS LISTED IN THE DRAWING INDEX BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH PROCUREMENT AND/OR CONSTRUCTION. GENERAL INFORMATION AND DATA SHEET(S) ("G") PROVIDE CODE, PROCEDURAL AND USE GUIDELINES GOVERNING ALL BID AND/OR CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS. ALL BIDDERS, ESTIMATING, AND PRICING SHALL UTILIZE COMPLETE SETS OF THE BIDDING AND/OR CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS IN QUANTIFYING AND CONSTRUCTING. NEITHER THE OWNER, ARCHITECT, NOT URBAN DESIGN BUILD STUDIO (UDBS) ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR MISINTERPRETATIONS RESULTING FROM THE USE OF INCOMPLETE SETS OF BIDDING AND/OR CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS.

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URBAN DESIGN BUILD STUDIO CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERISTY 5 0 0 0 F O R B E S A V E N U E 201 COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS P I T T S B U R G H , P A 1 5 2 1 3

JOB SKILLS TRAINING HPCP PROCESSING AT PROJECT RE_

JOB SKILLS TRAINING HPCP WALL ASSEMBLY PROTOTYPE

12 JULY 2 0 1 8 F O R R E V I E W

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KEY NOTES: 1.

2 X 4 DIMENSIONAL LUMBER SUPPORT FRAME FIXED ON FLOOR WITH TAPCON 2. 2 X 4 DIMENSIONAL LUMBER 3. 2" BATTING INSULATION 4. 81" X 12" HOT ROLLED A-36 STEEL FLAT - 6.16 Lb/ Sq.ft 5. 21" OSB SHEATHING 6. 2" RIGID INSULATION 7. 2" CASCADIA CLIPS VERTICAL 8. Z GIRT STANDARD 1.5" x 1" x 1.25", PRE PUNCHED - 18 GAUGE 9. HAT TRACK STANDARD 1" DEEP x 4" WIDE, PRE PUNCHED - 18 GAUGE 10. 58" THICK HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE PANEL (HPCP) 11. FASTENER - SX3-D12 BI-MET 300 #12 4-3/4" 12. TYVEK VAPOR BARRIER 13. 18 GAUGE ALUMINUM FLASHING 14. 5 21" X 6" X 21" WOOD SHIM 15. 5 21" X 5 21" BUILT UP BEAM

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NSR MOOSE 68

112 E SHERMAN ST. MILLVALE, PA 15209

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1 EXPLODED PERSPECTIVE NOT TO SCALE

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2 1

2 PERSPECTIVE VIEW

PERSPECTIVE DRAWINGS

JOB SKILLS TRAINING TAKTL MANUFACTURED LOCALLY IN PITTSBURGH

AS1.00

source: livingwage.mit.edu

THE PROCESS OF REFABRICATING, APPLICATION TO PROJECTS AND OR SHIPMENT TO EXTERNAL PROJECTS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR JOB SKILLS TRAINING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

NOT TO SCALE

02

OF

07

material processing

A HPCP MATERIAL PROCESSING INSTRUCTION BOOKLET WAS DEVELOPED TO INITIATE A JOB SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM THAT CAN BE CARRIED OUT AT PROJECT RE_

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RE_CON 01 & 02 INHERITED WORK CONCEPT

most suitable for the funds and time available to the project.

The intent of RE_CON 01 & 02 is to ultimately have a positive impact on the community of East Liberty, both to the existing members and new arrivals. As in many situations of an area of historically concentrated poverty being transformed into an up-and-coming community, the issue of gentrification is one that poses a multi-faceted and complex ethical dilemma.

Gentrification has, for the most part, historically been guilty of displacing existing members of the community while benefiting people not native to the location. At the same time, areas of concentrated poverty fail to attract retail and businesses which would serve as conveniences and resources which may be missing.

Thus, the dilemma then becomes a discussion of ways in which change can generate wealth for members of the community while having all of the benefits tied to investment in neighborhoods. To this effort, the 20172018 cohort of UDBS students performed extensive research on the various development proposals for attracting investment while minimizing the displacement of native members of the community. Of the explored proposals, the fee simple proposal was deemed the

In the fee simple development proposal, market rate houses are designed, built, and sold at competitive prices. The profit generated from the project’s profit with the construction costs subtracted, is then invested in an escrow account to support existing community members. In essence, the model sports a Robin Hood way of working where profits from the market rate members helps offset rising rent costs or supplement house repairs for the existing members. In addition, the replacement of a vacant lot can then drastically increase the value of surrounding homes, thus generating wealth for their owners. In this development proposal, our role in achieving the maximum impact rests in designing a marketable, replicable home that can be constructed efficiently and inexpensively to make as high of a profit margin to make as large of an impact as possible. However, in addition to this goal, we must reconcile how our collective and individual knowledge and passions also inform the design of the house whether in regards to sustainability, technology, beliefs, or otherwise and balance these factors.

Right | Array of Diagrams of the Fee Simple Model by the 2017-2018 cohort of UDBS students

FEE SIMPLE PROPOSED MARKET RATE HOUSES

MARKET RATE HOUSE

OPINION OF COST $415,000 SALE OF HOUSE: $500,000

HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE PANEL

RE_CON 01 REPURPOSES THE OVERSTOCK OF THIS DURABLE MATERIAL, AND THE PROCESSING OF THE PANELS WILL PROVIDE JOB SKILL TRAINING AND ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES

RE_CON 01 LEVERAGING MARKET RATE TOWARD AFFORDABILITY

FEE SIMPLE DIRECTED TOWARDS MARKET RATE BUYERS

NOT IN THE WORKFORCE

AFFORDABLE <60% AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME

EDITH

SHERRY + KIDS

$28,399

$36,540

Annual Income:

Annual Income:

WORKFORCE AFFORDABILITY

MARKET RATE

MIKE + NINA + KIDS

NIKHIL + ADITI

$46,650

$156,023

60 - 80% AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME

Annual Income:

DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH ECONOMIC CLASSIFICATIONS IN EAST LIBERTY

NOT IN THE WORKFORCE

AFFORDABLE

EDITH

SHERRY + KIDS

$28,399

17.3% of people in East Liberty are seniors 65+

Annual Income:

Annual Income:

WORKFORCE AFFORDABILITY

MARKET RATE

MIKE + NINA + KIDS

NIKHIL + ADITI

$36,540

$46,650

$156,023

69.6% of households

23.8% of families

79.1% of families in East Liberty are familes without kids

<60% AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME

60 - 80% AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME

Annual Income:

Annual Income:

Annual Income:

MARKET RATE

AFFORDABLE

17.3% of people in East Liberty are seniors 65+

69.6% of households in East Liberty are single mothers

23.8% of families in East Liberty are families with kids

79.1% of families in East Liberty are familes without kids

in East Liberty are single mothers

in East Liberty are families with kids

Source:StatisticAtlas.com Source:Bureau Labor of Statistics

DEVELOPMENT SCENARIOS POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO RESOLUTION

Source:StatisticAtlas.com Source:Bureau Labor of Statistics

RE_CON 01 SITE DEVELOPMENT

FEE SIMPLE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

MIRIANNE

(CURRENT RESIDENT)

316 N ST. CLAIR ST.

318 N ST. CLAIR ST. 83-K-129

MARKET RATE PROFIT

LAND + HOUSE OWNED BY BUYER

83-K-128

314 N ST. CLAIR ST. 83-K-127

304 RURAL ST. 83-K-116

105 NEW CONSTRUCTION EXISTING RENOVATION

FEE SIMPLE

RE_CON 01 & 02 INHERITED WORK CONCERNS TO ADDRESS Last May (2018), a cohort of students presented in front of the East Liberty Development Inc. (ELDI) and were met with many positive comments regarding the work. Even so, there were some concerns brought up about the proposed design that were discussed as points of improvement and aspects of the design to revisit. While some issues were related to simpler fixes in code compliance of bathrooms and stairs, others

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were pointed towards the marketability of the design in regards to the lack of storage space, the sizes of bedrooms, and the issue of safety and privacy with a very open first floor. Another comment made was that the proposal did not look like Pittsburgh specifically in its aesthetic from the outside. These issues were to be resolved continuing into this semester, however a significant change of the type of site from a corner lot t a double infill condition occurred which also changed the resultant approach to designing the building.

Right | Array of Objectives Determined for RE_CON 01 & 02 and Comments Made in May 2018 by ELDI

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RE_CON 01 & 02 BLIGHT & DECONSTRUCTION The title of the studio, Deconstructing Blight, deals with a multitude of issues and complex relationships that are implicit in the vocabulary utilized. The body of work executed this semester explores these relationships in regards to both what blight and deconstruction mean in the context of the built environment. Furthermore, the relationship between the two, in regards to the impact of physically deconstructing blight as well as conceptually deconstructing and performing analysis of urban blight in Pittsburgh. These explorations can then be related to one another and viewed from a more optimistic perspective in regards to how physical deconstruction can provide job opportunities and living wages for

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communities while also generating significant figures of tax revenue. In addition, as a more sustainable substitute for demolition, deconstruction of buildings can also prevent devastating impacts of exacerbated air quality for those in the vicinity of demolition work as well as divert significant quantities of material from landfills. The resulting vacant lots or building structure can then be build upon or renovated to boost the value of properties nearby. The lots can also be utilized for community projects as a resource for the community.

In essence, the relationship between blight and deconstruction can be a generator of opportunity both in compelling social and economic change for those in areas of concentrated poverty, as well as impact the environmental and health related consequences of demolition waste.

Right | Array of Images Representing Blight and Deconstruction

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RE_CON 01 & 02 REPLICABILITY STUDY In order to design a project to make a large an impact as possible, replicability is a principle that can not be overlooked. While one can have impact in executing a project once, one can have exponentially larger impact by designing with the intention of replication. For a project like RE_CON 01 & 02, one critical element of replication is what kinds of vacant lots the design will be applied to and how that compares to the site for the first execution of the prototype. In this case, by working through ArcGIS, the Pittsburgh Real Estate Portal, and other online resources, Alison Katz and I were able to catalogue specific attributes in vacant lots in Garfield, East Liberty, and Larimer. We focused on issues of lot size, whether lots were grouped or individual, whether they were corner lots or infill lots, whether they were adjacent to an alleyway, and their dominant orientation of the longer axis of the lot. This information allowed us to determine what kind of mindset should be applied to RE_CON 01 & 02.

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In regards to lot size, we struggled with issues of width and having a much slimmer site, debating whether to apply for a variance or just comply with code. It was also beneficial to know that the 20â&#x20AC;&#x2122; X 100â&#x20AC;&#x2122; vacant lot was fairly common to make sure that our design could be applied to differently proportioned sites. In terms of understanding the grouping or individuality of lots, this was important to know when considering detached schemes or duplex/attached schemes. The corner and infill lot designation shows how common each type of lot is found which represent two different conditions to design for. The adjacency to alleyways allows lots to have parking behind the house and may serve as an argument to not provide parking if pursued as an option. Lastly, the orientation of the lots, although with some outliers, gives a general idea how the design will be positioned in relation to the sun and have an impact on how the design is manipulated to account for more specific environmental information. This information has been exceedingly significant, especially when making decisions between designs to be able to rule designs that would not be applicable on other sites.

Right | Vacant Lots Study Diagram

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VACANT PARCELS PITTSBURGH VACANT LOT ANALYSIS

VACANT PARCELS 315 & 317 N SAINT CLAIR ST.

89% ARE INFILL LOTS 1,139 LOTS

80% ARE GROUPED LOTS 1,024 LOTS

317 315

OVER 32,000 LOTS LOTS OVER 32,000

7% ARE -25° E/W 90 LOTS

27% ARE 25’X100’ 346 LOTS

VACANT PARCELS EAST LIBERTY: OVERALL ANALYSIS

6% ARE ALLEYWAY ADJACENT 4 LOTS

81% ARE INFILL LOTS 52 LOTS

EA

ST

LIB

ER TY

GARF

IELD

64 LOTS LA

34% 112 ARE GROUPED LOTS 54 LOTS

R

IM

E

R

Left | Studies of Vacant Lots and of the RE_CON 01 & 02 Sites

N

VACANT PARCELS EAST LIBERTY: ORIENTATION ANALYSIS

-25° N/S

-25° E/W*

17 LOTS

45 LOTS

26%

70%

5° N/S

5° E/W

1 LOT

1 LOT

2%

2%

N

VACANT PARCELS EAST LIBERTY: LOT SIZE ANALYSIS

25’x100’*

60%

38 INFILL / CORNER LOTS

25’x125’

30’x70’

7 INFILL / CORNER LOTS

3 CORNER LOTS

11%

Right | Studies of Vacant Lots and of the RE_CON 01 & 02 Sites

5%

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RE_CON 01 & 02 CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS In order to facilitate a better understanding of RE_ CONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s context as well as the broader Pittsburgh context, a series of stitched elevations were created to 114

begin understanding ideas dealing with parking, porch culture, roof strategies, and boundary conditions. These aspects of buildings then speak to one another and impact how the house and its occupants interact in the public realm. The houses on the left donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily have extremely spacious porches, however it is clear Center | Stitched Elevation of Rippey Way Near the RE_CON Sites

that they maintain a connection to the sidewalk, and thus to passersby. Regarding the houses on the right however, the implementation of a garage elevates the porch and disconnects the space from the sidewalk.

This elevation also shows the interesting variety of roof typologies, nd begins to imply a generally steeper slope

considering the Pittsburgh winter. Lastly, in regard to the boundary conditions, many of the houses along this elevation make use of greenery and wooden fences along the sides and a combination of masonry and plants to initiate an elevation change (actual or perceived along the front to denote that boundary.

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Above | Stitched Northwest Elevation of North Saint Clair Street (the RE_CON 01 & 02 Site)

Below | Stitched Southeast Elevation of North Saint Clair Street (across from the RE_CON 01 & 02 Site)

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RE_CON 01 & 02 HOUSE PROPOSAL After much discussion and working through a variety of proposals, it was decided that the barbell scheme would be used in consideration of the abundance of narrower vacant lots in general. Furthermore, in regards to achieving a sense of spaciousness, it was important to not lose width by positioning the stair along the long axis of the building as it would make spaces more narrow in nature and create a more claustrophobic effect. The design also incorporates a more informal carport in the place of a garage which is intended to dissuade people from parking there in favor of using the space as an extension of the porch. The issues brought up during the May 2018 meeting have been resolved, with more storage space implemented, the code compliance issues resolved, and bedrooms have been sized to compete with market rates homes.

Regarding issues of privacy and safety stemming from the quantity of fenestration on the first floor presented in May are no longer as relevant considering that the

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infill situation makes the first floor open porch concept illogical. Because RE_CON 01 is the southern house, the design of the fenestration is heavily focused along the south, west, and east facades and is very conservative with fenestration along the north facade.

This general strategy differs greatly from the natural lighting strategy for RE_CON 02 and will be one of the most considerable differences between the two designs.

Sprinkled within the plans, diagrams, and renders are proposed ways in which the UDBS can design and build pieces of the house. Given the timeline, logistics, and other challenges related to having students build the houses from foundation to finishes, it has been decided that a general contractor will build the project. Although it would have been a fantastic learning experience, it would be less feasible and it is quite valuable to have a general contractor on board who can interpret and test the drawings and design to see if it is buildable by the construction force and contractors in Pittsburgh.

Right | Proposed Set of Floor Plans for RE_CON 01

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4

4

1. OPEN TO BELOW 2. LAUNDRY 3. WALK-IN CLOSET 4. MASTER BATH 5. MASTER BEDROOM

3

3

1. BEDROOM 2. FLEX SPACE 3. FULL BATH 4. BEDROOM

4

1. BEDROOM 2. FLEX SPACE 3. FULL BATH 4. BEDROOM

3

2

13’-0” x 11’-0” 10’-0” x 11’-5” 5’-0” x 11’-0” 13’-0” x 12’-0”

2 13’-0” x 11’-0” 10’-0” x 11’-5” 5’-0” x 11’-0” 13’-0” x 12’-0”

143 sq. ft.

115 sq. ft.

55 sq. ft.

165 sq. ft. .

143 sq. ft.

115 sq. ft.

55 sq. ft.

165 sq. ft. .

143 sq. ft.

115 sq. ft.

55 sq. ft.

165 sq. ft. .

1

1

1

1

1 13’-0” x 11’-0” 10’-0” x 11’-5” 5’-0” x 11’-0” 13’-0” x 12’-0”

3

2

RE_CON 01 & 02 THIRD FLOOR PLAN

2

.

BEDROOM 332.1.sq.

FLEXft. SPACE FULLft. BATH 484.3.sq.

BEDROOM 65 sq. ft.

155 sq. ft.

.

4

1 13’-0” x 11’-0” 143 sq. ft.

RE_CON 01115 & sq.

02 ft.THIRD FLOOR PLAN 10’-0” 4 x 11’-5” 5’-0” x 11’-0” 55 sq. ft.

13’-0” x 12’-0” 165 sq. ft.

3

5’-5” x 6’-0” 6’-0” x 8’-0” 5’-0” x 13’-0” 15’-5” x 10’-0”

162 sq. ft.

178 sq. ft.

33 sq. ft.

27.5 sq. ft.

186 sq. ft.

85 sq. ft..

162 sq. ft.

4

N

N

N

N

119

N

. .

N 143 sq. ft.

115 sq. ft.

55 sq. ft.

165 sq. ft.

13’-0” x 11’-0” 10’-0” x 11’-5” 5’-0” x 11’-0” 13’-0” x 12’-0”

N

4

RE_CON 01 & 02 SECOND FLOOR PLAN

1. BEDROOM 2. FLEX SPACE 5 3. FULL BATH 4. BEDROOM

RE_CON 01 & 02 FIRST FLOOR PLANS RE_CON 01 & 02 SECOND FLOOR PLAN RE_CON 01 & 02 THIRD FLOOR PLAN 9’-0” x 18’-0” 15’-5” x 11’-5” 5’-5” x 6’-0” 5’-0” x 5’-5” 15’-5” x 12’-0” 15’-5” x 5’-5” 9’-0” x 18’-0”

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

1. BEDROOM 2. FLEX SPACE 3. FULL BATH 4. BEDROOM 33 sq. ft.

48 sq. ft.

65 sq. ft.

155 sq. ft.

5’-5” x 6’-0” 6’-0” x 8’-0” 5’-0” x 13’-0” 15’-5” x 10’-0”

THIRD FLOOR PLAN

4

5

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

1. OPEN TO BELOW 2. LAUNDRY 3. WALK-IN CLOSET 4. MASTER BATH 5. MASTER BEDROOM 162 sq. ft.

178 sq. ft.

33 sq. ft.

27.5 sq. ft.

186 sq. ft.

85 sq. ft..

162 sq. ft.

9’-0” x 18’-0” 15’-5” x 11’-5” 5’-5” x 6’-0” 5’-0” x 5’-5” 15’-5” x 12’-0” 15’-5” x 5’-5” 9’-0” x 18’-0”

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1. FRONT PORCH 2. LIVING ROOM 3. POWDER ROOM 3. MECH ROOM 4. KITCHEN 5. DINING/FLEX SPACE 6. BACK PORCH

3 1 4

1 1

1

2

4 2

3 4 5

3 4

2 3 1 5

3

2

2

1

2 3

1 3 1 6

3

2

1 2 3

2 3 2

3

5

1. FRONT PORCH 2. LIVING ROOM 3. POWDER ROOM 3. MECH ROOM 4. KITCHEN 5. DINING/FLEX SPACE 6. BACK PORCH

4

1

2 4 5

3 6

5

4

4

RE_CON 01 & 02 FIRST FLOOR PLANS

6

6

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Left | Array of Renders and Comparable Diagrams

Right | Array of Renders and Comparable Diagrams

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RE_CON 01 & 02 SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH Given that Pennsylvania (and thus PIttsburgh as well) recently adopted the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC 2015) updating the 2009 version, the requirements in regards to energy consumption in residential buildings have become more aggressive. Even so, many would consider it not enough and many rating systems were considered and researched as a benchmark to compare our design to. While extremely ambitious rating systems such as the Passive House Standard were very attractive, the price tag associated with getting certification for such a house could be better applied elsewhere. Although the argument could be made that for the sake of replicability getting one prototype certified would certainly imply that all future iterations of the design would be of the same energy performance standard, the risks associated with getting certified and the cut throat nature of the process could potentially yield no result.

Thus, the Solar Decathlon Competition, which has been redesigned, seemed to be an ideal option. Many

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of the ideals and goals of the competition lie parallel to the objectives listed for RE_CON 01 & 02 and it would provide a platform to evaluate our proposal and gain experience in regards to designing sustainable homes.

Furthermore, given that the spectrum of sustainability for the project would be at minimum IECC 2015 to meet code and the Passive House Standard at a relative maximum, the Solar Decathlon Competition allows for the project to find a healthy medium between the two where the intent of the project itself is not burdened by the cost of extra insulation or inhibited by the reduction of building width due to the thickness of the envelope, but also where the project strives to reduce energy consumption. One issue in reconciling the choice to be more sustainable is the initial investment and lifecycle as well as maintenance costs. While investing more initially can save a homeowner a large sum, it is uncertain as to how this converts into actual value for the pricing of a building. In essence, what is the price tag of sustainability in homes? And where is the healthy balance between meeting code and designing zero energy housing?

Right | Proposed Set of Floor Plans for RE_CON 01

ENERGY STANDARDS MEASURING EFFICIENCY AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE

IECC 2009

International Code Council Higher insulation & efficiency requirements than IECC 2006

Existing Typical U.S Home

$305 / mo.

$200/mo.

Passive House Institute U.S & D.O.E

U.S. EPA Energy Certification focusing on system efficiency. Satisfies many IECC 2015 requirements

Meets ZERH and ENERGY STAR V3.1 -Insulative approach -EPA Indoor AirPlus Program -EPA PV Ready

$143/mo.

HERS 85-90

SOLAR DECATHLON GOALS

PHIUS+

ENERGY STAR V3.1

HERS 55-65

AFFORDABILITY

$71/mo.

150

LIFE CYCLE COST

HIGH ENERGY PERFORMANCE

BALANCE HIGH PERFORMANCE DESIGN W/ APPROPRIATE CONSTRUCTION COSTS

HIGH SYSTEM EFFICIENCY

HERS 35-45

MORE ENERGY

LESS ENERGY 140

130

120

110

100

90

HERS 100

80

$235 / mo.

IECC 2006

International Code Council

Standard Reference Home

Climate Zone Systems Envelope requirements

70

60

50

HERS 48-55

40

30

20

$117/mo.

IECC 2015

0

HERS 0

$0/mo.

ZERH

Zero Energy Ready Home D.O.E

International Code Council HERS 50-55 Current PA Code. Includes Energy Rating Index (ERI) Tighter envelope requirement.

10

HERS 48-55 Baseline: ENERGY STAR V3.1 -EPA PV Ready -EPA Indoor AirPlus

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

RESILIENCY RESPOND & RECOVER LOCATIONAL DISASTERS (ie: grid outages)

PASSIVE STRATEGIES

PHIUS+ SourceZero

Passive House Institute U.S & D.O.E extends from PHIUS+ Building generates as much energy as it uses

Source: Resnet HERS Index Report Analysis of 1800 sqft home w/ basement in Cincinatti, Ohio Energy.gov, phius.org, energystar.gov * HERS Index based on exterior walls, ceilings, HVAC systems, windows.

Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Criteria PITTSBURGH HEATING DEGREE DAYS : 5176 @ 65 F PITTSBURGH COOLING DEGREE DAYS : 232 @ 75 F

RE_CON 01 & 02 PHIUS (PASSIVE HOUSE)

QUANTIFIES THE DEMAND FOR ENERGY TO HEAT OR COOL A BUILDING PER YEAR. $10 AVG PRICE FROM PEOPLE’S GAS SUPPLY

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

Collegiate competition to design highly efficient and innovative buildings powered by renewable energy consisting of “Contests.”

ROOF

U-Value 0.01 Area 850 sqft 1.055 MMBTU/YR

WINDOWS

U-Value 0.15 Area 311 sqft 5.795 MMBTU/YR

AESTHETICS

WALLS INFILTRATION HEATED VOLUME 14250 SQFT 22.94 MMBTU/YR

U-Value 0.027 Area 2289 sqft 7.6774 MMBTU/YR

ESTIMATED PASSIVE HOUSE CONSTRUCTION

7-15% PREMIUM

LOCALLY RESPONSIVE

SLAB

DOORS

U-Value 0.05

MARKET POTENTIAL DESIRABILITY

HEALTHY INDOOR ENVIRONMENT

APPEALS TO BOTH INTENDED OCCUPANTS AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

AESTHETIC AND FUNCTIONAL EXPECTATIONS OF OCCUPANTS

U-Value 0.25

Area 104 perimeter 0.645 MMBTU/YR

COMFORT & ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

Area 37.5 sqft 1.1646 MMBTU/YR

COOLING LOAD 42,000 BTU COOLING DEMAND FACTOR: 2.21

COOLING SYSTEM SEER RATING

19

92%

39.84

HEATING SYSTEM EFFICIENCY REQUIRED

MMBTU/YR HEATING SYSTEM DEMAND

RE_CON 01 & 02 COMP ENERGY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

ENERGY STANDARDS MEASURING EFFICIENCY AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE

IECC 2009

International Code Council Higher insulation & efficiency requirements than IECC 2006

Existing Typical U.S Home

$305 / mo.

$200/mo.

727 N. EUCLID 727 N. EUCLID AVE AVE IECC 2009 IECCCODE 2009 COMPLIANT CODE COMPLIANT

ENERGY STAR V3.1

U.S. EPA Energy Certification focusing on system efficiency. Satisfies many IECC 2015 requirements

$143/mo.

HERS 85-90

HERS 55-65

BUILDINGBUILDING HEATING &HEATING COOLING & COOLING ANALYSISANALYSIS

BUILDINGBUILDING HEATING &HEATING COOLING & COOLING ANALYSISANALYSIS

Solar Shading Passive Strategy Solar Panels Offset energy costs

Passive House Institute U.S & D.O.E

$650 per year of savings

$71/mo.

HERS 35-45

PV DC System Size: 5.1 kw 5641 kWh/yr AC production 20’ x 20’ area

ROOF ROOF U-Value 0.01 U-Value 0.01

ROOF ROOF U-Value 0.03 U-Value 0.03

130

120

110

100

HERS 100

90

80

70

60

50

$235 / mo.

$117/mo.

International Code Council

International Code Council

IECC 2006

Standard Reference Home

Climate Zone Systems Envelope requirements

Source: Resnet HERS Index Report Analysis of 1800 sqft home w/ basement in Cincinatti, Ohio Energy.gov, phius.org, energystar.gov * HERS Index based on exterior walls, ceilings, HVAC systems, windows.

40

IECC 2015

30

ZERH

Zero Energy Ready Home D.O.E HERS 35-55

SOLAR DECATHLON

U.S DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Meets ENERGY STAR V3.1 and ZERH Aims to be for high performance and efficiency appropriate to situation

20

10

0

HERS 0

WINDOWSWINDOWS U-Value 0.35 U-Value 0.35

WALLS WALLS U-Value 0.082 U-Value 0.082

$0/mo.

PHIUS+ SourceZero

Passive House Institute U.S & D.O.E extends from PHIUS+ Building generates as much energy as it uses

SLAB SLAB U-Value 0.81 U-Value 0.81

Prefabricated Wall Panels reduces construction cycle time and costs

Material Re-use TAKTL Repurposing local materials for new value

LESS ENERGY 140

URBAN SINGLE FAMILY 300-2,500 sqft meet or exceed DOE ZERH

HEIDELBERG HEIDELBERG PHIUS (PASSIVE PHIUS (PASSIVE HOUSEHOUSE ) STANDARDS ) STANDARDS

PHIUS+

MORE ENERGY 150

SOLAR DECATHLON VALUES

WINDOWSWINDOWS U-Value 0.15 U-Value 0.15

WALLS WALLS U-Value 0.027 U-Value 0.027

Ventilation promote occupant comfort

Porch Material Re-use Contextual to Pittsburgh

DOORS DOORS U-Value 0.33 U-Value 0.33

SLAB SLAB U-Value 0.05 U-Value 0.05

DOORS DOORS U-Value 0.25 U-Value 0.25

Mechanical Core efficient organization of space

123 Locally Responsive Appeal to community and to potential occupants

Replicability through larger scale impact

Inspire

and create discussion with community by going beyond what is required by code

Life Cycle Cost Consideration of high efficiency systems for long term savings

BEAUTY + SPIRIT

BEAUTY THE PROJECT MUST MEANINGFULLY INTEGRATE PUBLIC ART AND CONTAIN DESIGN FEATURES INTENDED SOLELY FOR HUMAN DELIGHT AND THE CELEBRATION OF CULTURE, SPIRIT, AND PLACE APPROPRIATE TO THE PROJECT’S FUNCTION.

RE_CON 01 & 02 LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE In our research and studies of different sustainability rating systems, one that was discussed was the Living Building Challenge which focuses on the primary categories of place, water, energy, health and happiness, materials, equity, and beauty. Within each category are imperatives that detail specific challenges to reach for that vary in specificity, from achieving net positive energy by producing 105% of the project’s energy needs with on-site renewable sources to designing with biophilic intent catering to the historical, cultural, ecological, and climatic studies related to the context. Although some imperatives may be more difficult to achieve, such as net positive water where all of the project’s water needs are supplied by captured precipitation, other closed-loop water systems, recycling used project water or a combination of the aforementioned, other imperatives are more simple to

BIOPHILIC ENVIRONMENT

implement, such as including operable windows in every THE PROJECT MUST BE DESIGNED TO INCLUDE ELEregularly occupied space. Parallel to the architecturalMENTS THAT NURTURE THE INNATE HUMAN/ NATURE EACH PROJECT TEAM MUST objectives of the Living Building Challenge, theENGAGECONNECTION. IN A MINIMUM OF ONE ALL-DAY EXPLORATION OF THE BIOPHILIC DESIGN POTENTIAL FOR organization, unlike many other rating systems, alsoTHE PROJECT. THE EXPLORATION MUST RESULT IN A BIOPHILIC FRAMEWORK AND PLAN FOR THE engages other initiatives titled REVEAL, JUST, andPROJECT THAT OUTLINES THE FOLLOWING: DECLARE which deal with the public documentation of the energy consumption of commercial buildings, the commitment of organizations to social equity, and the public documentation of the origin, contents, and reuse potential of materials respectively. The ideas CIVILIZED ENVIRONMENT and issues that the Living Building Challenge interact with and confront are in many ways related to the deconstruction and design work executed during the fall semester. And while RE_CON 01 & 02 would EVERY REGULARLY OCCUPIED SPACE MUST not be able to justify pursuing actual registration andHAVE OPERABLE WINDOWS THAT PROVIDE ACCESS certification through the Living Building Challenge due TO FRESH AIR AND DAYLIGHT. to the costs associated, it can definitely gain much from extracting valuable principles that can be proposed and implemented where deemed viable.

INDOOR QUALITY

• HOW THE PROJECT WILL BE TRANSFORMED BY DELIBERATELY INCORPORATING NATURE THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES, LIGHT AND SPACE, AND NATURAL SHAPES ANDFORMS. • HOW THE PROJECT WILL BE TRANSFORMED BY DELIBERATELY INCORPORATING NATURE’S PATTERNS THROUGH NATURAL PATTERNS AND PROCESSES AND EVOLVED HUMAN-NATURE RELATIONSHIPS. • HOW THE PROJECT WILL BE UNIQUELY CONNECTED TO THE PLACE, CLIMATE, AND CULTURE THROUGH PLACE-BASED RELATIONSHIPS. • THE PROVISION OF SUFFICIENT AND FREQUENT HUMAN-NATURE INTERACTIONS IN BOTH THE INTERIOR AND THE EXTERIOR OF THE PROJECT TO CONNECT THE MAJORITY OF OCCUPANTS WITH NATURE DIRECTLY. THE PLAN MUST CONTAIN METHODS FOR TRACKING BIOPHILIA AT EACH DESIGN PHASE. THE PLAN SHOULD INCLUDE HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND CLIMATIC STUDIES THAT THOROUGHLY EXAMINE THE SITE AND CONTEXT FOR THE PROJECT.

INDOOR QUALITY

EMBODIED CARBON FOOTPRINT

MATERIALS THE PROJECT MUST ACCOUNT FOR THE TOTAL EMBODIED CARBON (TCO2E) IMPACT FROM ITS CONSTRUCTION THROUGH A ONE-TIME CARBON OFFSET FROM AN APPROVED CARBON OFFSET PROVIDER.

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Right | Living Building Challenge Research Matrix

HUMAN SCALE AND HUMAN PLACES

EQUITABLE INVESTMENT

SITE

LIVING ECONOMY SOURCING

BEAUTY

FOR EVERY DOLLAR OF TOTAL PROJECT COST, THE DEVELOPMENT MUST SET ASIDE AND DONATE HALF A CENT OR MORE TO A CHARITY OF ITS CHOOSING OR CONTRIBUTE TO ILFI’S LIVING EQUITY EXCHANGE PROGRAM, WHICH DIRECTLY FUNDS RENEWABLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CHARITABLE ENTERPRISES

INSPIRATION + EDUCATION

SITE

HEALTHY INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT

INDOOR QUALITY

PROJECTS IN TRANSECTS L4-L6 MUST ALSO PROVIDE:

THE PROJECT MUST HELP CREATE A MORE JUST, EQUITABLE SOCIETY THROUGH THE TRANSPARENT DISCLOSURE OF THE BUSINESS PRACTICES OF THE MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED. AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS MUST HAVE A JUST LABEL FOR THEIR ORGANIZATION: • ARCHITECT OF RECORD • MEP ENGINEER OF RECORD • STRUCTURAL ENGINEER OF RECORD • LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT OF RECORD • INTERIOR ARCHITECT OF RECORD • OWNER/DEVELOPER • OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE OR PROJECT MANAGER • SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT • CONTRACTOR

SITE

PROJECTS MAY ONLY BE BUILT ON GREYFIELDS OR BROWNFIELDS: PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED SITES THAT ARE NOT CLASSIFIED AS ON OR ADJACENT TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SENSITIVE ECOLOGICAL HABITATS: • WETLANDS: MAINTAIN AT LEAST 15 METERS, AND UP TO 70 METERS OF SEPARATION. • PRIMARY DUNES: MAINTAIN AT LEAST 40 METERS OF SEPARATION. • OLD-GROWTH FOREST: MAINTAIN AT LEAST 60 METERS OF SEPARATION. • VIRGIN PRAIRIE: MAINTAIN AT LEAST 30 METERS OF SEPARATION.

THERE ARE TEMPORARY EXCEPTIONS FOR NUMEROUS RED LIST ITEMS DUE TO CURRENT LIMITATIONS IN THE MATERIALS ECONOMY. REFER TO THE V3.1 MATERIALS PETAL HANDBOOK FOR COMPLETE AND UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS. THE PROJECT CANNOT CONTAIN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING RED LIST MATERIALS OR CHEMICALS:

MATERIALS

UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO NATURE & PLACE

NET POSITIVE WASTE

• DESIGN PHASE, INCLUDING THE CONSIDERATION OF APPROPRIATE DURABILITY IN PRODUCT SPECIFICATION. • CONSTRUCTION PHASE, INCLUDING PRODUCT OPTIMIZATION AND COLLECTION OF WASTED MATERIALS. • OPERATION PHASE, INCLUDING A COLLECTION PLAN FOR CONSUMABLES AND DURABLES. • END OF LIFE PHASE, INCLUDING A PLAN FOR ADAPTABLE REUSE AND DECONSTRUCTION.

DURING CONSTRUCTION, THE PROJECT TEAM MUST DIVERT WASTED MATERIAL TO THE FOLLOWING LEVELS:

MATERIAL MINIMUM DIVERTED/WEIGHT METAL 99% PAPER AND CARDBOARD 99% SOIL AND BIOMASS 100% RIGID FOAM, CARPET, AND INSULATION 95% ALL OTHERS – COMBINED WEIGHTED AVERAGE 90% FOR ALL PROJECT TYPES, THERE MUST BE DEDICATED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE COLLECTION OF RECYCLABLES AND COMPOSTABLE FOOD SCRAPS. A PROJECT THAT IS LOCATED ON A SITE WITH EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE MUST COMPLETE A PRE-BUILDING AUDIT THAT INVENTORIES AVAILABLE MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLIES FOR REUSE OR DONATION.

MATERIALS

FOR STONE, PROJECT TEAMS MUST ADVOCATE TO QUARRIES AND/OR MANUFACTURERS OF ALL DIMENSION STONE PRODUCTS USED WITHIN THE PROJECT FOR CERTIFICATION UNDER THE NATURAL STONE COUNCIL (NSC) 373 STANDARD.

105% OF THE PROJECT’S ENERGY NEEDS MUST BE SUPPLIED BY ON-SITE RENEWABLE ENERGY ON A NET ANNUAL BASIS, WITHOUT THE USE OF ON-SITE COMBUSTION. PROJECTS MUST PROVIDE ONSITE ENERGY STORAGE FOR RESILIENCY.

SITE

THE PROJECT MUST ADVOCATE FOR THE CREATION AND ADOPTION OF THIRD-PARTY CERTIFIED STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE EXTRACTION AND FAIR LABOR PRACTICES. APPLICABLE RAW MATERIALS INCLUDE STONE AND ROCK, METAL, MINERALS, AND TIMBER.

ALL PROJECTS MUST USE, AT A MINIMUM, ONE DECLARE PRODUCT FOR EVERY 500 SQUARE METERS OF GROSS BUILDING AREA, AND MUST SEND DECLARE PROGRAM INFORMATION TO AT LEAST TEN MANUFACTURERS NOT CURRENTLY USING DECLARE.

ENERGY

THE PROJECT TEAM MUST STRIVE TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THE PRODUCTION OF WASTE DURING DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND END OF LIFE IN ORDER TO CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES AND TO FIND WAYS TO INTEGRATE WASTE BACK INTO EITHER AN INDUSTRIAL LOOP OR A NATURAL NUTRIENT LOOP. ALL PROJECTS MUST FEATURE AT LEAST ONE SALVAGED MATERIAL PER 500 SQUARE METERS OF GROSS BUILDING AREA OR BE AN ADAPTIVE REUSE OF AN EXISTING STRUCTURE. THE PROJECT TEAM MUST CREATE A MATERIALS CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT EXPLAINS HOW THE PROJECT OPTIMIZES MATERIALS IN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING PHASES:

WATER

FOR TIMBER, ALL WOOD MUST BE CERTIFIED TO FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC) 100% LABELING STANDARDS, FROM SALVAGED SOURCES, OR FROM THE INTENTIONAL HARVEST OF ON-SITE TIMBER FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLEARING THE AREA FOR CONSTRUCTION OR RESTORING/MAINTAINING THE CONTINUED ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF THE ON-SITE BIONETWORK.

NET POSITIVE ENERGY

SITE

PROJECT WATER USE AND RELEASE MUST WORK IN HARMONY WITH THE NATURAL WATER FLOWS OF THE SITE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE PROJECT’S WATER NEEDS MUST BE SUPPLIED BY CAPTURED PRECIPITATION OR OTHER NATURAL CLOSED-LOOP WATER SYSTEMS, AND/OR BY RECYCLING USED PROJECT WATER, AND MUST BE PURIFIED AS NEEDED WITHOUT THE USE OF CHEMICALS. ALL STORMWATER AND WATER DISCHARGE, INCLUDING GREY AND BLACK WATER, MUST BE TREATED ONSITE AND MANAGED EITHER THROUGH REUSE, A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM, OR INFILTRATION. EXCESS STORMWATER CAN BE RELEASED ONTO ADJACENT SITES UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS.

RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRY

• ALKYLPHENOLS • ASBESTOS • BISPHENOL A (BPA) • CADMIUM • CHLORINATED POLYETHYLENE AND CHLOROSULFONATED POLYETHYLENE • CHLOROBENZENES • CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (CFCS) AND HYDROCHLOROFLUOROCARBONS (HCFCS) • CHLOROPRENE (NEOPRENE) • CHROMIUM VI • CHLORINATED POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (CPVC) • FORMALDEHYDE (ADDED) • HALOGENATED FLAME RETARDANTS (HFRS) • LEAD (ADDED) • MERCURY • POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS) • PERFLUORINATED COMPOUNDS (PFCS) • PHTHALATES • POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) • POLYVINYLIDENE CHLORIDE (PVDC) • SHORT CHAIN CHLORINATED PARAFFINS • WOOD TREATMENTS CONTAINING CREOSOTE, ARSENIC OR PENTACHLOROPHENOL • VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS) IN WET-APPLIED PRODUCTS

LIMITS TO GROWTH

HUMAN POWERED LIVING

• A TRANSIT SUBSIDY FOR ALL OCCUPANTS OF THE BUILDING (IF OWNER OCCUPIED) OR A REQUIREMENT FOR TENANT EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE SUCH A SUBSIDY. • SHOWERS AND CHANGING FACILITIES THAT CAN BE ACCESSED BY ALL OCCUPANTS OF THE BUILDING. • AT LEAST ONE ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION. SINGLE FAMILY HOMES (ALL TRANSECTS): AN ASSESSMENT OF HOW THE RESIDENTS CAN REDUCE THEIR TRANSPORTATION IMPACT THROUGH CAR SHARING, USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, ALTERNATIVE FUELED VEHICLES, OR BICYCLES IS REQUIRED.

SITE

JUST ORGANIZATIONS

• COMPLIANCE WITH THE CURRENT VERSION OF ASHRAE 62, OR INTERNATIONAL EQUIVALENT. • SMOKING MUST BE PROHIBITED WITHIN THE PROJECT BOUNDARY. • RESULTS FROM AN INDOOR AIR QUALITY TEST BEFORE, AND NINE MONTHS AFTER, OCCUPANCY. • COMPLIANCE WITH THE CDPH STANDARD METHOD V1.1-2010 (OR INTERNATIONAL EQUIVALENT) FOR ALL INTERIOR BUILDING PRODUCTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO EMIT VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS).

• DEDICATED EXHAUST SYSTEMS FOR KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, AND JANITORIAL AREAS. • AN ENTRY APPROACH THAT REDUCES PARTICULATES TRACKED IN THROUGH SHOES. • AN OUTLINE OF A CLEANING PROTOCOL THAT USES CLEANING PRODUCTS THAT COMPLYWITH THE EPA DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT LABEL (OR INTERNATIONAL EQUIVALENT).

• SECURE, WEATHER-PROTECTED STORAGE FOR HUMAN POWERED VEHICLES THAT PROVIDE FACILITIES TO ENCOURAGE BIKING. • CONSIDERATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF PEDESTRIAN ROUTES, INCLUDING WEATHER PROTECTION ON STREET FRONTAGES. • PROMOTION OF THE USE OF STAIRS OVER ELEVATORS THROUGH INTERIOR LAYOUT AND QUALITY OF STAIRWAYS. • ADVOCACY IN THE COMMUNITY TO FACILITATE THE UPTAKE OF HUMAN POWERED TRANSPORTATION.

RED LIST

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ABOUT THE OPERATION AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROJECT MUST BE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC TO SHARE SUCCESSFUL SOLUTIONS AND TO MOTIVATE OTHERS TO MAKE CHANGE. ALL PROJECTS MUST PROVIDE: • A LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE CASE STUDY. • AN ANNUAL OPEN DAY FOR THE PUBLIC. • A COPY OF THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL.

FOR EACH HECTARE OF DEVELOPMENT, AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF LAND AWAY FROM THE PROJECT SITE MUST BE SET ASIDE IN PERPETUITY THROUGH THE INSTITUTE’S LIVING FUTURE HABITAT EXCHANGE PROGRAM OR AN APPROVED LAND TRUST ORGANIZATION. THE MINIMUM OFFSET AMOUNT IS 0.4 HECTARE.

EACH NEW PROJECT SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TOWARD THE CREATION OF WALKABLE, PEDESTRIAN ORIENTED COMMUNITIES AND MUST NOT LOWER THE DENSITY OF THE EXISTING SITE. TEAMS MUST EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL FOR A PROJECT TO ENHANCE THE ABILITY OF A COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT A HUMAN POWERED LIFESTYLE, AND PROVIDE A MOBILITY PLAN, WHICH ADDRESSES THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF THE PROJECT AND DEMONSTRATES AT A MINIMUM THE FOLLOWING: ALL PROJECTS:

MATERIALS

• 20% OR MORE OF THE MATERIALS CONSTRUCTION BUDGET29 MUST COME FROM WITHIN 500 KILOMETERS OF CONSTRUCTION SITE. • AN ADDITIONAL 30% OF THE MATERIALS CONSTRUCTION BUDGET MUST COME FROM WITHIN 1000 KILOMETERS OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OR CLOSER. • AN ADDITIONAL 25% OF THE MATERIALS CONSTRUCTION BUDGET MUST COME FROM WITHIN 5000 KILOMETERS OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE. • 25% OF MATERIALS MAY BE SOURCED FROM ANY LOCATION. • CONSULTANTS MUST COME FROM WITHIN 2500 KILOMETERS OF THE PROJECT LOCATION.30

HABITAT EXCHANGE

TO PROMOTE GOOD INDOOR AIR QUALITY, A PROJECT MUST CREATE A HEALTHY INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT PLAN THAT EXPLAINS HOW THE PROJECT WILL ACHIEVE AN EXEMPLARY INDOOR ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:

THE PROJECT MUST INCORPORATE PLACE-BASED SOLUTIONS AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXPANSION OF A REGIONAL ECONOMY ROOTED IN SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES. MANUFACTURER LOCATION FOR MATERIALS AND SERVICES MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS:

NET POSITIVE WATER

ALL PRIMARY TRANSPORTATION, ROADS AND NON-BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ARE CONSIDERED EXTERNALLY FOCUSED MUST BE EQUALLY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND, AGE AND SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS—INCLUDING THE HOMELESS—WITH REASONABLE STEPS TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE CAN BENEFIT FROM THE PROJECT’S CREATION. ACCESS FOR THOSE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES MUST BE SAFEGUARDED THROUGH DESIGNS MEETING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) AND THE ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS ACT (ABA) ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES.

BEAUTY

URBAN AGRICULTURE

MATERIALS

SITE PROJECT F.A.R. 1.0 < 1.49 MINIMUM PERCENTAGE OF PROJECT AREA FOR FOOD PRODUCTION REQUIRED 10%

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RE_CON 01 & 02 MATERIAL SORTING In regards to quanitfying what material could be repurposed in RE_CON 01 & 02, a cohort of students from the UDBS worked with Professor Folan and Fellow Rauck in Project Re_ at Construction Junction to begin sorting through and quantifying the materials that had been deconstructed, transported, and stored there during DE_CON 01. Tasks varied throughout the day and an effort was made to begin imagining ways in which the materials could be reused in RE_CON 01 & 02. In order to catalogue all of the materials there, students were broken up into groups which were assigned to pallets and gaylords to sort. Materials were sorted for what was useful, denailed to allow for stacking, catalogued, wrapped, then organized by material type into gaylords for storage. In order to begin understanding the quantity of material and its

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possible uses, it was crucial to go through the material and begin understanding not only what materials could be repurposed as and where they could find a home in RE_CON, but also to comprehend the amount of labor that repurposing materials implies and how material can be lost based on its condition and how it was used previous to deconstruction. From wooden members that were part of joinery systems or had been efficiently laminated, to unequal lengths of members and fractured pieces, these imperfections ultimately have a significant impact on the useful yield of the deconstruction and have been catalogued taking these factors into account so as to not overestimate the quantity of material that can be applied and designed with. This process will serve to not only better understand what the process of deconstruction entails with more accurate data of how the material breakdowns turned out, but also to push the work on RE_CON 01 & 02 to be continued next semester.

Right | Collage of Potential Issues in Repurposing Deconstructed Materials

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Left | Image Peering into the Metal Materials Gaylord

Right | Image of Two Carts Loaded with Sorted Lumber

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RE_CON 01 & 02 REVIEW During the final review, we were extremely lucky to have a large of people of diverse backgrounds take the time to gather and review the work done during this semester. Among the present were: Kendall Pelling (Director of Land Recycling @ ELDI), Skip Schwab (Deputy Director @ ELDI), Eric Vanistendael (Project Manager for RE_CON from ELDI), Rob Stephany ( Director of Community & Economic Development @the Heinz Endowments), Stefani Danes (Adjunct Professor @ CMU), Susan Bonk ( Urban Redevelopment Authority), Erica Cochran (Assistant Professor at CMU), Joshua Lee (Assistant Professor @ CMU), Stephen Lee (Head of the School of Architecture @ CMU), Gerard Damiani (Professor @ CMU), Mike Gable (Executive Director @ Construction Junction), Omer Akin - (Professor Emeritus @ CMU), Peggy Folan, Kai Gutschow (Professor @ CMU), Sarah Madia (Associate @ RE/MAX SELECT REALTY), Bill Caldwell, and others.

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The subject and focus of the review was how marketable the house design was and how feasible it was in regards to the cost of everything portrayed.

In conversing with a few architects, we realized that understanding the cost of what was drawn would be critical to finding success and that we would have to begin asking how much each decision would cost when designing to assess whether it would be worth it. Even so, it was also great to have a seasoned real estate agent such as Sarah Madia available to begin answering questions about what sells, what doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, and what directly raises or lowers the value of a home.

And contrary to what the studio had assumed, the home would have to be more spacious (2000+ sq. ft.) to achieve the price point we were targeting and a duplex scheme would not necessarily convert to a significant drop in price point for the home. The knowledge and experience of professionals such as Sarah Madia cannot be underestimated and should definitely be consulted to tie the work performed to reality as early on and as securely as possible.

Right | Image of Final Review

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RE_CON 01 & 02 CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION To get a head start on construction documents in preparation for the continuation of work for the Spring 2019 semester, I began developing a file structure and AutoCAD master file for the RE_CON 01 & 02 construction sets was started. While to a certain degree this process involved organizing drawings,

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many were still unfinished and would most certainly be updated. Thus, the majority of the development of the construction drawing set was focused primarily on engaging site and code analysis that would experience fewer changes. This process also included clearing up some of the simpler logistic and graphic conventions to keep in mind when developing the construction set during the spring 2019 semester.

Right | Image of the Annotated Construction Drawing Set

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RE_CON 01 & 02 WORKFLOW ORGANIZATION Looking back to generating the deconstruction drawing set for DE_CON 01, one of the flaws of the studio’s drawing process was the file organization for the drawings. Because the deconstruction set consisted of drawings heavily catered to assembly (given the nature of the set’s purpose), many of the drawings produced were placed in the AS Assembly Drawings folder leading to an inundation of drawings in the folder, thus making finding drawings much more difficult. Furthermore, moving into AutoCAD’s model space, the drawings were grouped into general categories and placed far from each other. While this system can function, it quickly became obvious that this only served to make more difficult the process of organizing the drawing set in the master file. In addition, this strain then solely rests on the individual who placed the drawings into the model space. If anyone else were to try and organize the set, it would take more time to go and find where drawings were placed to make changes. Given the relative lack of immediate pressure for the production of RE_CON 01’s construction document set, I decided to attempt a more extreme example of organization as a test for future deconstruction documentation

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sets. For file structure, I divided each resultant sheet into a folder (ex. SP100) which would hold drawings that would be included in the specified sheet. Then, in model space, I created rectangular outlines with accompanying text labels to designate the sheet in which the drawings would be placed. This, although more time consuming, would alleviate the pressure on the primary construction set keeper should unfortunate circumstances occur (ex. Getting sick) and allow others to step up and take the reins until they were able to rejoin. This system is definitely not without flaws however, as it could potentially be much more difficult to manage should drawings/files get moved around or used multiple times, as it would require significantly more management on the file structure side. In regards to the model space, it also quickly became harder for drawings of different scales to be organized in the arraylike fashion that had been originally spaced out. Even so, for the next deconstruction project, it may be better to split the file structure among the systems (ex. Overall building, mechanical, etc.) then splitting into type of drawings from there (ex. Plans, disassembly drawings, etc.). And while the outlining of drawings by sheet could use some tweaking, it could be implemented and could be useful as a precaution.

Right | Comparison of DE_CON 01 File Structure and Model Space to Proposed File Structure Applied in RE_CON 01

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Left | Drawings from the RE_CON 01 Construction Drawing Set

Right | Drawings from the RE_CON 01 Construction Drawing Set

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RE_CON 01 & 02 SCHEDULE MOVING FORWARD Looking forward, the schedule is to continue with the generation of a construction documentation set during the Spring 2019 semester with a mixture of meetings amd deadlines lining up for construction of RE_CON 01 & 02 to begin during the Summer of 2019. This then projects forward to construction being estimated to be complete in February of the following year,

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2020. The houses are scheduled to be presented for sale beginning March 1, 2020. Albeit ambitious, this project will forge on ahead, making adjustments as necessary to deliver a replicable, contextual product that addresses the premises and context at a scale that befits that of the issue discussed. To be continued in:

RECONSTRUCTING A U T H E N T I C I T Y

Right | Schedule of RE_CON 01 & 02 Moving Forward

WED 02.13.2019

ELDI COMMUNITY PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING

WED 03.20.2019

GENERAL CONTRACTOR SELECTED FOR RE_CON 01 & RE_CON 02 WITH ELDI AND HEINZ ENDOWNMENT

WED 04.10.2019

E L D I R E A L E S TAT E I N V E S T M E N T C O M M I T T E E M E E T I N G

FRI 04.26.2019

S U B M I T S C H E M AT I C D E S I G N O F R E _ C O N 0 1 & R E _ C O N 0 2 TO PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF BUILDING INSPECTIONS

FRI 05.03.2019

COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS AND S P E C I F I C AT I O N S O N R E _ C O N 0 1 & R E _ C O N 0 2

FRI 06.10.2019

COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF RE_CON 01 & RE_CON 02

FRI 02.21.2020

COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION OF RE_CON 01 & RE_CON 02

SUN 03.01.2020

P R E S E N TAT I O N F O R S A L E O F R E _ C O N 0 1 & R E _ C O N 0 2 139

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