Panel p e ab ica ion, modi ica ion: cu
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ABSTRACT
The p edominance o d awing as a mean o c ea e and ep esen a chi ec u e, whe he in an educa ional se ing
o in p o essional p ac ice, has had a p o ound in luence on he design p ocess. D awings a e so much a pa o
ha p ocess ha hey can o en be mis aken o a chi ec u e i sel . Bu d awings a e no a chi ec u e, a he hey
a e ools o c ea e and con ol.
His o ically, d awings g ea ly con ibu ed o he es ablishmen o he p o ession o a chi ec inaugu a ed by he
I alian Renaissance. They became he means by which a chi ec s gained con ol o e design and by ex ension
o e he cons uc ion p ocess. Con ol o he design p ocess e en ually mo ed om he hands o he mas e
builde s o a chi ec s’ pencils.
The long-held monopoly o d awings in a chi ec u e has pe pe ua ed a s uc u al disconnec be ween design
p ocess and he “making o hings”. The hea y eliance on d awings has lead o endencies o abs ac ion,
epe i ion, sel e e ence and a diminished sense o genuine inno a ion.
Design/build as an al e na i e deli e y me hod ocuses on a mo e in ui i e app oach based on he c ea i e powe s
o manual labo and he in e ac ion o he designe wi h he ma e ial wo ld. This me hodology has he ad an age
o e-engage a gene a ion o s uden inc easingly in es ed in a wo ld o i ual s imuli wi h he physical ma e iali y
o hings and p omo e he c ea i e alue o Homo Fabe . By “making hings” s uden s a e designing. A hands-on
app oach would also mee he needs o a s uden body who esponds well o ac i e lea ning pedagogy.
This pape will p esen a se ies o ecen u ni u e design/build exe cises whe e s uden s designed and u ni u e
and small building p o o ypes wi h limi ed eliance on d awings. We will discuss how subjec s such as s uc u es,
ma e ial sou cing and cons uc ion de ailing can be ansposed om a ious cou ses and applied o design/
build p ojec s. We belie e ha a pedagogy based on physical expe imen a ions could in use ene gy h oughou
cu icula no ma e he cou se subjec .
KEYWORDS
design/build, u ni u e, building p o o ypes
1 Flo ida A&M Uni e si y, School o A chi ec u e and Enginee ingTechnology
Design/Build: A Rele an Pedagogy
o A chi ec u e Educa ion
Oli e Chamel1
h p://dx.doi.o g/ 10.4995/ i u io-ija s.2016.6773
54
1. INTRODUCTION
In a wo ld whe e he omnip esence o digi al ools
has c ea ed a gene al disconnec wi h ega ds o
he physical wo ld, a pedagogy based on design/
build p ojec s would help e-engage he cu en
gene a ion o s uden s. In keeping wi h he concep
o ac i e lea ning he hands-on app oach o making
hings would help s uden s ocus on a single ask and
allow hem o lea n by doing. Building conc e e hings
would also in i e s uden s o ca e and espec he
ma e ial wo ld and alue he ans o ma i e p ocess o
wo king wi h ma e ials. Such expe iences could help
shape hei u u e a i udes owa ds he cons uc ion
p ocess and help de elop an in e es o cons uc ion
ela ed ac i i ies in he ield o a chi ec u e.
Cons uc ing such hings as u ni u e o e en small
building p o o ypes would help s uden s come o
he ealiza ion ha a chi ec u al d awings, whe he a
concep ual ske ch o a echnical de ail, ha e p ac ical
implica ions. As a ma e o ac de ailing may be
ano he a ea o a chi ec u e educa ion o bene i om
design/build exe cises. The necessi y o s uden s
o de ise adequa e connec ions in o de o join a
a ie y o di e en ma e ials would p o ide a p ac ical
in oduc ion o he concep o c ea i e de ailing.
In addi ion, he c ea i e p ocess o making hings
can be empowe ing in he sense ha e en hough
s uden s may ha e a ious le els o echnical skill,
he inal ou come o hei p ojec would no depend
solely on hei abili y o hand d aw o c ea e elabo a e
digi al o physical models. The ela i e simplici y
and s aigh o wa dness o using basic ools may
gi e a ai oppo uni y o a b oad ange o s uden s
o ca y ou hei design ega dless o hei abili y o
use ep esen a ion ools. In ac , p o iding exposu e
o a mo e immedia e and accessible p ocess may be
a sou ce o mo i a ion o s uden s. Ano he bene i
o physically making hings would be o in use an
inc eased sense o esponsibili y and design owne ship
in p ojec s whe he he esul o he wo k is a ailu e o
a success. A buil design ends o speak o i sel and
in i es s uden s o a ce ain objec i i y when i comes
o he quali y o hei wo k. The o e all p ocess would
p omo e s uden engagemen and physical ac i i y as
an in eg al pa o he design p ocess.
Because he ou come o design/build p ojec s is a
physical objec wi h speci ic equi emen s in e ms
o s uc u e, connec ions and c a smanship such
p ojec s os e he de elopmen o p oblem sol ing
skills as hey a e ied o he accomplishmen o a
p ac ical goal. Due o he amoun o wo k ypically
in ol ed in designing and ab ica ing e en a small
piece o u ni u e, s uden s o en wo k in eams. As
a esul design becomes a collabo a i e p ocess
which b ings addi ional alue o he expe ience o
making. Building some hing as a eam also p omo es
pee lea ning. Fo example he o e all p ocess o
building u ni u e in a shop as opposed o lis ening
o a lec u e o designing in a s udio en i onmen
inc eases s uden engagemen and empowe s hem
o y new hings and ake isks. E en hough he e
is a clea objec i e when cons uc ing a p ojec he
o e all success depends on he abili y o apply ideas
o ma e ials and le ma e ials and echniques con i m
o con adic he alidi y o he o iginal design in en .
The need o build some hing also equi es an
acu e sense o ime managemen on he pa o he
s uden s o ake in o accoun such hings as ma e ial
p ocu emen , modes o assembly, possible ailu es
along he way as well as unexpec ed e en s. Time
managemen and scheduling jus happen o be
highly aluable skills necessa y o he success ul
deli e y o any a chi ec u e p ojec . Fab ica ion based
p ojec s p esen s uden s wi h he oppo uni y o
design, e i y he alidi y o hei design in en in he
ield, make changes du ing ab ica ion and o e see
a cons uc ion p ocess. Design and cons uc ion a e
no longe disconnec ed bu in eg a ed in a c ea i e
p ocess whe e hey in o m each o he .
2. THE DESIGN/BUILD PROCESS
The design/build p ocess is no based on abs ac
hinking alone bu a he on he abili y o he mind
o lea n and syn hesize om he ac ions o he body.
In o he wo ds i is less abou o ganizing ideas han
con on ing ideas o he eali y o he ab ica ion
p ocess. The ab ica ion phase is always a c ucial pa
o any p ojec deli e y due o he simple ac ha no
ma e he design in en ab ica ion has a huge impac
on he physical quali y o he inal p oduc . I can be
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a gued ha in si ua ions whe e ab ica ion is he esul
o a se ies o highly mechanized ope a ions he e is
li le oom o c ea ion in ha p ocess. In ac a c ea i e
ab ica ion p ocess is possible only because he e
is an engaged indi idual a he cen e o a dialogue
be ween he wo ld o ideas and he wo ld o ma e ials.
The ypical deli e y sys em o a chi ec u e p ojec s
in academia o in p o essional p ac ice can be
summa ized in wo main ope a ions; ep esen a ion
and cons uc ion. These wo phases a e usually no
concu en as ep esen a ion ypically p ecedes
cons uc ion. In con as , a ab ica ion based deli e y
sys em will usually allow o ideas o be es ed and
e i ied agains he laws go e ning he ma e ial wo ld
such as he abili y o ans o m and connec speci ic
ma e ials. In e ms o bo h p ocess and ou come
ep esen a ion and ab ica ion based designs ha e
signi ican di e ences. The design/build p ocess can
be gene ally desc ibed as a se ies o ans o ma i e
manipula ions whe e design ideas ans o m ma e ials
h ough an i e a i e p ocess and a e in u n ans o med
by he expe ience o wo king wi h ma e ials.
3. THE NATURE OF BUILDING THINGS
AThe e is some hing immedia e and ewa ding abou
making hings wi h ou hands and a he same ime i
is ha d o explain wha goes on while we a e engaged
in ha p ocess. While he ac o physically ans o ming
ma e ials wi h ools elies on a speci ic se o echnical
skills i also elies on ou in ui ion. The hand inds, he
mind esponds. Fo example ou body knows o adjus
i s s eng h when applying a asp o a piece o so
wood and we do no ha e o ac i ely hink abou ha
speci ic ac . Spinoza in his E hics makes he ollowing
obse a ion.
“No one hi he o has gained such an accu a e
knowledge o he bodily mechanism, ha he can
explain all i s unc ions; no need I call a en ion o
he ac ha many ac ions a e obse ed in he lowe
animals, which a anscend human sagaci y, and ha
somnambulis s do many hings in hei sleep, which
hey would no en u e o do when awake: hese
ins ances a e enough o show, ha he body can by
he sole laws o i s na u e do many hings which he
mind wonde s a .”
The mechanisms in ol ed when we a e physically
building some hing a e di icul o someone o
desc ibe because hey a e no p ima ily con olled by
he sole powe s o ou mind. The p ocess o making
belongs o he ealm o ou body and in ol es a
mo e complex sys em o pe cep ions. While ac i ely
engaged in ab ica ing a piece o u ni u e we canno
simul aneously engage in elabo a e hough s. Ins ead
we a e ocused on ou pe cep ion while wo king. The
ac o making equi es he ocus o many o ou senses
and he momen we engage in abs ac hinking we
ins an ly lea e ha in ui i e mode o ope a ion. The
ac ha building wi h ou hands engages ou body
and i s in ui i e p ocesses opens he doo o a c ea i e
ealm unknown and inaccessible o ou analy ical
mind.
Ou goal he e is o discuss a design me hodology
based on he alue o physically making hings. Jus
as he physical ac o building some hing can lead o
he acquisi ion o aluable echnical skills i can also
become he ehicle o a powe ul design p ocess. The
in oduc ion o hands-on design/build ype p ojec s
whe e ab ica ion is concei ed as a p ocess a he
han an end can p o ide a coun e poin o he abs ac
endencies o a chi ec u al design and in use ene gy
h oughou he a chi ec u e cu icula no ma e he
cou se subjec .
We will p esen and discuss a se ies o ecen p ojec s
designed and buil by s uden s and ou line a c ea i e
me hodology which elies p ima ily on ab ica ion
as a p ocess a he han on ep esen a ion. We will
discuss how design/build exe cises can be in eg a ed
in a a ie y o ways o cou ses such as Design S udios,
S uc u es, Ma e ials and Me hods, In oduc ion o
Technology and En i onmen al Sys ems. The design
p ocess in a chi ec u e ypically elies on a se ies o
ep esen a ion ools as a means o c ea e, o ganize
and p esen ideas. Hand-d awn concep ual ske ches,
design de elopmen d awings, cons uc ion
documen s, physical and 3D models o name a ew,
ha e become a se o indispensable ools o na iga e
he design p ocess o inc easingly complex p ojec s.
These ools ely on a se ies o g aphic con en ions
o ep esen hings ha a e o be physically buil in
he ield. They do belong o a wo ld o ep esen a ion
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which lies somewhe e ahead and besides he physical
wo ld. Al hough ep esen a ion is and will emain
c ucial o he p oduc ion o con empo a y a chi ec u e
his pape ocuses on an al e na i e design p ocess
which would in oduce o e-in oduce s uden s o he
physical wo ld o ma e ials, ools and c a smanship.
Despi e he ob ious disconnec be ween design
and cons uc ion in e m o p ocess and he ac ha
a chi ec s a e no expec ed o build hei own p ojec s,
a chi ec s a e ne e heless expec ed o unde s and
he p ope ies o he a ious ma e ials in ol ed in
cons uc ion as well as hei modes o assembly. The
p ocess o simul aneously designing and building
a p ojec may e eal o s uden s a physical wo ld
hey may no be amilia wi h. The unde s anding o
no ions such as g a i y, s uc u al in eg i y and he
need o p o ide adequa e connec ions can be a
sou ce o limi a ions bu mo e impo an ly a sou ce o
g ea oppo uni ies.
4. CASE STUDIES
The ollowing case s udies p esen a se ies o ecen
design exe cises comple ed by s uden s. In some cases
s uden s we e asked o design u ni u e using only a
limi ed se o ma e ials and connec ion echniques and
ind c ea i e oppo uni ies wi hin hese bounda ies.
In o he ins ances hey had o anspose a s uc u al
sys em o a di e en scale in o de o sol e echnical
equi emen s. They also looked a how cons uc ion
de ails can in luence design as a whole. Each exe cise
was ypically e y clea ly s uc u ed and p esen ed
a speci ic se o educa ional goals wi h ega ds o
design pedagogy.
4.1 MATERIAL BASED FURNITURE DESIGN
The p emise o hese exe cises was o design and
build a piece o u ni u e using a speci ic ma e ial o
combina ion o ma e ials. In his con ex s uden s we e
expec ed o ely on an in-dep h analysis o a ma e ial’s
p ope ies (gypsum wall boa d, dimensional lumbe
o co uga ed ca dboa d) in o de o gene a e design
ideas. The unde s anding o a ma e ial’s p ope ies
allowed s uden s o de ine p ac ical s a egies in e m
o s uc u al sys ems, connec ions and inishes. The
pu pose o his ype o exe cises was o emphasize
he impo ance o ma e ials wi hin he design p ocess
bo h as a limi ing ac o bu also and mo e impo an ly
as a sou ce o inspi a ion.
4.1.1
THE CARDBOARD CHAIR
This design p ojec was assigned wi hin a second-yea
a chi ec u e s udio and spanned o e a wo-week
pe iod. The pu pose o his exe cise was o design and
build a chai using co uga ed ca dboa d as he only
a ailable ma e ial. The chai was equi ed o ha e a
sea ing su ace loca ed a 18” abo e he inished loo
and a back. The assembly o he a ious ca dboa d
pa s had o be comple ed by ic ion o wi h a
cus om-made wa e and lou based glue. S uden s
had jus comple ed he design o he semes e main
a chi ec u e p ojec and he goal was o expose
hem o a di e en mode o design and p oduc ion.
A sho lec u e p o ided s uden s wi h p eceden s
o success ul ca dboa d chai p ojec s as well as an
o e iew o he s uc u al p ope ies o co uga ed
ca dboa d. Following a sho p esen a ion, s uden s
spen app oxima ely 2 hou s b ains o ming design
ideas which hey p esen ed in ske ch o m a he end
o he class session. S uden s wo ked in eams o wo
and we e esponsible o ob aining enough ca dboa d
o build hei chai . Once hei concep ual design was
app o ed by he acul y, s uden s buil hei chai s
wi h limi ed supe ision. Access o comme cial-g ade
band saws a he school o a chi ec u e wo kshop
allowed s uden s o cu se e al laye s o ca dboa d
a a ime. The assembly o he a ious pieces was
comple ed in he s udio space.
The assignmen was success ul in he sense ha
all eams we e able o build a chai wi hin he ime
ame imposed. The o e all design quali y o he
chai s seemed in line wi h he le el o wo k displayed
in he s udio’s p e ious assignmen s. Ne e heless
some o he weake s uden s seemed mo e in ol ed
and pe o med be e on his pa icula p ojec
when compa ed o p e ious ep esen a ion based

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a chi ec u e p ojec s. The less success ul chai s
lacked a ue s uc u al concep based on he physical
p ope ies o he ma e ial assigned. As a side no e
s uden s managed hei ime e icien ly and we e able
o ob ain enough ecycled ca dboa d o ca y-ou
hei design.
Figu e 1.
Ca dboa d chai by second-
yea s uden
Figu e 2.
D ywall chai by 3 d-yea
S uden
4.1.2
THE DRYWALL CHAIR
This assignmen was unde aken in an elec i e cou se
i led “Making Fu ni u e and Up-Cycling” and in ol ed
hi d-yea s uden s. I was de eloped du ing a 3 week
pe iod.
S uden s we e asked o design and build a lounge
chai using a combina ion o ½” shee o gypsum wall
boa d and 2”x2” nominal size-lumbe wi h d ywall o
wood sc ews o assembly. As he inal assignmen
o an elec i e class he pu pose o his p ojec was o
design and build a chai using cons uc ion ma e ials
which ypically p oduce la ge amoun s o was e.
The cons uc ion o he chai s would p esen an
oppo uni y o di e was e h ough upcycling.
The d ywall chai p ojec was p eceded by a week-
long exe cise du ing which s uden s buil a eplica
o he amous Red and Blue Chai designed by Ge i
Rie eld in 1918. The cons uc i e concep o he
Red and Blue Chai , a combina ion o imbe ames
suppo ing wo planes was o se e as inspi a ion
o hei chai design. S uden s buil he o iginal Red
and Blue Chai using ½” enee plywood o he sea
and back and 2”x2” and 2”x4” nominal lumbe o
he ames. F om ha poin s uden s we e gi en wo
choices. They could design hei chai based on he
s uc u al concep o he o iginal Red and Blue Chai
(plans suppo ed by a ame) o de ine a concep o
hei own choosing. An ob ious challenge was o
add ess he limi ed esis ance o a ½” shee o gypsum
wall boa d in lexion. The e o e designs we e o ake
ad an age o he shea p ope ies o gypsum boa d
as a shea hing ma e ial and he abili y o wood o
pe o m well in lexion. In o de o ob ain a success ul
solu ion he wo ma e ials had o wo k oge he .
The p oposed equi emen o combine wood and
gypsum wall boa d in a meaning ul s uc u al sys em
p oduced p ojec s ha we e ei he qui e success ul
o qui e weak wi h e y ew “in be weens”. One o
he success ul designs p oposed o c ea e wo shea
planes suppo ing 2”x2” pieces o lumbe which in
u n ca ied he sea and back su aces o he chai .
Ano he s ong p oposi ion combined gypsum wall
boa d and wood o c ea e he equi alen o a wood
58
I-beam using he shea hing ma e ial in lieu o ½” OSB
( ig. 2). This was especially in e es ing as a c ea i e
solu ion combining he wo ma e ials oge he . A
hi d chai mo e closely inspi ed by he o iginal Red
and Blue Chai p oposed a sys em o ligh ames
suppo ing 3 planes.
In some o he less success ul p ojec s s uden s
planned o use ½” d ywall as i i we e ½” plywood only
o ealize hey had o come back and add addi ional
suppo o he d ywall in he o m o se e al laye s o
gypsum boa d o wood aming.
4.1.3
THE LIMITED RESOURCES CHAIR
The pu pose o his pa icula assignmen was o
design and build a chai using as only esou ce one
8 ee long 2x4 wood s ud. The chai sea ing su ace
was se a 18” abo e he inish loo and he chai was
equi ed o ha e a back. The ime ame p oposed o
comple e his p ojec was wo weeks.
Building a piece o u ni u e wi h a limi ed amoun
o esou ces became an oppo uni y o p o ide a
eal example o wha i means o be e icien in e ms
o esou ce a ailabili y. This exe cise was also an
oppo uni y o b eak he mono ony o a lec u e-based
class. S uden s s a ed he assignmen by submi ing
an axonome ic ske ch including ma e ial no es and a
de ailed lis o all pa s wi h dimensions.
The submission o hese d awings was equi ed o
help s uden s e i y he easibili y o hei design on
he basis o hei limi ed esou ces. Design p oposal
we e e iewed by acul y and ma ked-up i necessa y,
a e which s uden s buil hei chai in he school o
a chi ec u e wo kshop.
Al hough s uden s p oduced an ini ial documen
indica ing design in en i was made clea o
hem ha designs could be modi ied du ing he
ab ica ion p ocess as a esul o speci ic p oblems
o oppo uni ies. This p ojec was ini ially ecei ed
wi h some le el o skep icism by s uden s al hough
hey quickly u ned ha app ehension in o a desi e
o success ully comple e a challenge. S uden s we e
gi en a p esen a ion on adi ional and con empo a y
wood joine y in he hope ha hey would apply hese
p inciples o he ab ica ion o hei chai .
Un o una ely and due o he ela i e sho schedule
o he p ojec no one was able o inco po a e such
in ol ed connec ion de ails. Assembly o he a ious
wood pieces was accomplished ei he wi h wood
glue alone o a combina ion o wood glue and b ad
nails. E e yone was able o build he basic s uc u e
o hei chai gi en he limi ed esou ces allowed.
App oxima ely hal o he inal chai s buil we e
s uc u ally sound while he o he hal p esen ed
majo s uc u al weaknesses in e m o he o e all
s uc u e i sel , b acing o connec ion quali y.
4.2 STRUCTURE BASED FURNITURE SYSTEMS
The scope o his assignmen gi en o ou h-yea
a chi ec u e s uden s consis ed in designing and
building a bench based on he s uc u al p inciple o a
b idge uss. The ime allowed o comple e his p ojec
was h ee weeks. This exe cise challenged s uden s o
design a uss sys em composed o cables and ba s
in o de o allow a 12”x96” piece o ¾” plywood o
span 8 ee and success ully suppo ou people. The
bench sea ing heigh was se a 18” abo e inish loo .
S uden s we e gi en a choice o use ei he a Fink o
Bollman uss o achie e he equi ed span.
This p ojec had a e y s uc u ed se o equi emen s
so ha oppo uni ies o c ea i e design lied in he
speci ic de ini ion o a uss sys em, i s size, spacing
o i s componen s and connec ion de ails. A se ies o
connec ions be ween a ious elemen s (cables o ba s,
cables o bench op, ba s o bench op and bench legs
o bench op) was iden i ied as c i ical o he success
o he p ojec . Following a p esen a ion o he p ojec
equi emen s o s uden s, he class me a a la ge home
imp o emen s o e whe e acul y poin ed ou possible
ma e ials and assembly sys ems a ailable. Following
he “ma e ials and me hods” shopping ip each eam
was asked o p oduce an axonome ic iew o hei
bench wi h ma e ial no es along wi h a comple e ki
o pa s and p ojec ed budge . A e e iew o hese
documen s s uden s spen he es o he allo ed ime
building and e ining hei design in he wo kshop a
he school. Class mee ings occu ed in he shop om
he e on.
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Figu e 3.
Limi ed esou ce chai s
Some s uden s exp essed disappoin men abou he
pe cei ed lack o design eedom associa ed wi h his
p ojec . They a gued ha design, in hei opinion,
had o be shape o ming. Despi e he e y s uc u ed
guidelines o he assignmen he inal benches we e all
di e en . Each eam p o ided a unique in e p e a ion
o he o iginal uss concep s wi h solu ions in ol ing
a ious le el o p e ab ica ion.
No able challenges du ing cons uc ion included he
adequa e e mina ion and ying o he ension cable
ends using c imp slee es and a c imp ool. Al hough
all eams unde s ood how he cable ends we e o
pass h ough a slee e and c ea e a loop hey had o
ind ou how o e ec i ely c imp he slee e in o de
o he cable o be i mly ancho ed. All buil benches
demons a ed a good unde s anding o he o iginal
uss sys em and he le el o c a smanship was high
o e all. Va ia ions in he size, spacing and connec ions
o each uss sys em esul ed in he ac ha he
igidi y and weigh ca ying capaci y o each bench
a ied. The e y s uc u ed na u e o his assignmen
seemed o explain, a leas in pa , he high quali y o
he wo k p oduced by s uden s. Figu e 4.
T uss bench example
60
4.3
A PREFAB OFFICE/STUDIO
The o e all goal o he P e ab O ice/S udio was o
design and build a small s uc u e using a cus om
p e ab ica ed insula ed panelized sys em. The physical
scope o he P e ab O ice/S udio was de e mined by
he ac ha i had o be designed and buil in one
semes e wi hin a lec u e ype cou se, in his case
Ma e ials and Me hods and ul ill he equi ed cou se
con en . Ano he equi emen o his p ojec consis ed
in he ac ha he small design/build s uc u e had
o be ab ica ed and assembled inside he School o
A chi ec u e. P e ab ica ion was he e o e selec ed as
he p ojec deli e y me hod.
The p ojec i sel consis ed o an 8' x 16' p e ab ica ed
s uc u e and includes an 8' x 8' enclosed o ice/
s udio adjacen o an 8’ x 8’ co e ed pa io. To he
exclusion o he loo sys em he o e all s uc u e was
buil using a p e ab ica ed panelized sys em. Powe
was p o ided by means o a pho o ol aic sys em in
o de o he pa ilion o ope a e o g id.
This p ojec was an in eg al pa o a Ma e ials and
Me hods cou se o e ed o hi d-yea s uden s a
Flo ida A&M Uni e si y School o A chi ec u e and
Enginee ing Technology (SA+ET). The p ojec
p esen ed an oppo uni y o s uden s o es and
apply he knowledge acqui ed du ing he cou se
in he o m o a design exe cise. This assignmen
was also concei ed as a p ac ical in oduc ion o
cons uc ion documen s, c ea i e de ailing and
p ojec scheduling. The o e all goal was o empowe
s uden s o plan an en i e cons uc ion p ocess and
unde s and he c i ical impo ance o cons uc ion as
a means o in o m design. In e ms o o e all planning
he s uc u e was p e ab ica ed in he shop a he
SA+ET and hen assembled in one o he school’s
la ge indoo a ium. Ul ima ely he s uc u e would be
aken apa and eassembled on a pe manen si e.
4.3.1
PROJECT DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
The p ojec was i s p esen ed o s uden s as an
assignmen wi h a se ies o b oad guidelines. The Figu e 5.
Panel p e ab ica ion
main design challenge consis ed in de eloping a
p e ab ica ed sys em ha would b ing he building
p og am o a success ul esolu ion and add ess issues
such as cos , cons uc ion e iciency and sus ainabili y.
The panelized sys em had o be ligh enough o
allow ins alla ion wi hou hea y equipmen and be
buil wi h a minimum o ma e ial was e. The s a ed
goal o his p ojec was o design a small s uc u e
consis ing o an enclosed space (o ice/s udio) and a
co e ed po ch. The enclosed space should unc ion
as an o ice/sleeping a ea whe eas he po ch would
p o ide an ou doo ex ension o he enclosu e and
a place o elax. The dimension o he o e all p ojec
should be go e ned by he dimensions o s anda d
building componen s in o de o minimize was e. The
p e ab ica ed panels should be buil wi h s anda d
wood aming ma e ials, shea hing and ecei e a laye
o igid insula ion on hei ex e io su ace. The inal
ex e io inish ma e ial would hen be applied o e
he igid insula ion. Openings should be designed in
o de o ul ill a a ie y o unc ions such as b inging
na u al ligh , p o iding iews o he ou side and
allowing na u al en ila ion. A small pho o ol aic
sys em ins alled on he oo would powe in e io and
ex e io LED ligh ing as well as powe ecep acles
inside he o ice space o up o 6 hou s. In o de