AIAS Freedom by Design

FREEDOM BY DESIGN Iowa State University Mustard Seed Farm Project Spring 2019

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About AIAS-FBD Iowa State

Project Team

AIAS Freedom by Design is a program of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) that utilizes the skills and talents of architecture students in service to their community.

At Iowa State University we continually strive to seek out ways in which we help the community to fulfill this mission. Some ways we have done this is by volunteering our time with local nonprofit organizations and by providing creative solutions to community design build projects.

Through these experiences our members have been able to impact the lives of people in our community and build relationships with local residents and organizations.

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Samuel Contreras FBD Director

Sirina Reed FBD Project Manager

Madison Cardenas

Sara Cobb

Ben Hansen

Rob Murrow

Heather Schulte

Lauren Stokes

Nolan Sullivan

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Mustard Seed Community Farm In the fall semester of 2018 AIAS-FBD-ISU had the privilege of performing service work for Mustard Seed Community Farm, which is located in Iowa State’s hometown of Ames, Iowa. At Mustard Seed Community Farm, we assisted in the task of processing the farm’s garlic crop and were educated on the farm’s operations and beliefs as summarized by their mission statement below: “Guided by our faith and ethics, we are dedicated to sustainable, simple living, love of our neighbor, and creating a community in which everyone can participate in growing and eating delicious, healthy, locally produced food.”

-Mustard Seed Community Farm It was through these first interactions that our continued interest and contact grew into a positive relationship with the farm. Seeing as how Mustard Seed Community Farm embodies similar values of that of Freedom by Design, the team agreed that working with the farm would allow us to learn and grow in the values of FBD, as well as serve the greater community of Ames.

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The Project Mustard Seed Farm approached ISU’s Freedom by Design chapter with an idea of creating a space in their newly constructed building as a place to store and display their crops and other goods made on the farm. This included various items such as their handmade rugs, pottery, candles, and their seasonal vegetables and crops. They were looking for help generating ideas about what a space like that might look like and how it would fit into their building as well as with the eventual fabrication of the display.

Using our knowledge of CAD and 3-D modeling we were able to create various design ideas and renderings to present to them and help them get a feel for different display options and what the space may become. Once a design was decided upon, we began fabrication using the College of Design model shop. After constructing the cabinets and displays, we made our final trip to MSF for installation and we completed the project before the end of May, 2019.

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Finances

Receiving a lumber donation from MSF, we were able to incorporate elements from the farm into the project. The rest of the lumber used for the cabinets, as well as hardware and acrylic, were purchased from Lowe’s and Country Plastics (a local plastic fabrication company in Ames). Our project’s total expenses were split between our AIAS FBD Grant money, as well as contributions from our chapter for a grand total of $497.93.

Grant: $225.00 Chapter Contribution: $272.93 Total Expenses: $497.93 Finishes: $62.54 Acrylic: $46.54 Tools: $58.20 Hardware: $107.16 Lumber: $223.49

By keeping track of our expenses throughout the project, we were able to visualize what category our purchases were made in. The five categories are detailed as follows: Finish (materials): Protective stain and wood filler

Material Expense Breakdown

Acrylic: 1/8” clear acrylic Tools: Brushes, stain applicators, drop-cloths, gloves, mallet Hardware: Shelf inserts, screws, drawer handles, pull bar, hinges Lumber: White-wood, plywood, sheathing, wooden panel

Finishes Acrylic

As this was the first FBD project in our chapter we needed to purchase all of the tools that were needed that the college’s model shop did not have. However, now that they have been purchased, things like the brushes, drop-cloths, and extra finishes will be available for use on future projects.

Tools Hardware Lumber

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Concept Development It was important to the farm for us to address current and future storage needs because their goods and quantities of those goods are always changing. Through a group discussion, we decided the best way to accomplish this would be to create a variety of storage options that allowed for a small portion of products to be displayed, while the rest remain protected. The challenge in this was to provide functional but flexible storage to accompany what MSF currently has, but also to adapt to the needs of the farm as it evolves over time.

Group Discussion about Design Approach

Spatial Planning Sketch

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Initial Design Charrette of the Freedom by Design Committee

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Design Development Mustard Seed Farm was a very involved client during the design process. Members of the Freedom by Design committee met with the farm team to present ideas and they provided helpful feedback to move towards a design that worked well for them. Because of the need for flexibility we moved away from any permanent installations and towards a variety of cabinet styles which can me moved around to suit the needs of the farm as they like. After a few reviews we agreed on a design to move forward with into construction.

Presentation to Mustard Seed Farm Team

Miscellaneous

Loom Supplies

Overhead Display

Rugs Candles on Display

Rug On Display

Vegetables

Loom Supplies

Loom Supplies

Vegetables

Vegetables

Rugs Candles Candles

Pottery/Miscellaneous

Rugs

Candles

Pottery

Pottery/Miscellaneous

Proposed Layout 1

Proposed Layout 2

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Proposed Layout 3

Approved Rendered Designed

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Fabrication Once we acquired all of our materials, we used our construction documents and the College of Design model shop to start making our pieces. We had to be very tactical when measuring out the wood in order to produce as limited scraps as possible. Staying organized in the process was crucial as there were a variety of cabinet styles. After all our pieces were cut we began a process of alternating sanding and applying polyurethane to achieve a beautiful finish. We then assembled everything in the College of Design to ensure that everything would fit together and go smoothly when we got to the site for final installation.

Sanding and Applying Polyurethane

Recovered Wood Provided by MSF

Making Measurements

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Cutting Wood Down to Size

Pre-Assembling Cabinets

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Installation We installed the cabinets in early May and had two installation days where we brought the cabinets to the farm. On site we stained and assembled the cabinet doors to ensure the acrylic was not scratched and damaged in transport.

Bringing Shelves In

Staining Frame

Adding Tops

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Installing Doors

Installing Doors

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Final Product All together FBD Iowa State constructed 5 cabinets for this project. Two with acrylic faces and tilted top displays, one for quilts and rugs that has a single swinging drawer and acrylic top, one with full wooden doors, and a small corner unit to hold materials for a loom.

Cabinet Tops

Full Cabinet Display

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Cabinet Detail

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Reflection Working with Mustard Seed Farm was a tremendous learning opportunity and a great way for AIAS-FBD Iowa State to give back to the local community. The hands on experience of detailing and coordinating the design and construction of even such a small scale project was very beneficial and rewarding. The skills we have learned will be of great use to us as we continue our education and transition into practice. We intend to maintain our relationship with Mustard Seed Farm by continuing to volunteer with them and hope to be tasked once again with another architectural opportunity to give back to the community.

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