Ecosa Blog

Ecosa Blog has moved to: http://ecosainstitute.org/blog/

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:37:10 -0700

Please note the Ecosa blog has moved to: http://ecosainstitute.org/blog/ Please go there for our latest blog postings. Thank you!

Habitat project: Phase 3

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:58:12 -0700

The Habitat for Humanity project has come a long way since Phase 2. The students have since divided in to two groups, and will propose two alternate designs to Habitat at the final presentation, next week. The first proposal has brought careful consideration to the relationship of the buildings on the site. This design is for six 2 bedroom units. Each unit has a bottom story that follows the contour lines of the slope, allowing for a minimal footprint and less expense due to not excavating the rocks. The second story “bridge” will maximize living space and allows each unit a personal patio by using the roof of the bottom units.

The group has met with several neighbors adjacent to the property and want to make sure the granite rock formation is still visible and accessible from the street. The goal with this proposal is to allow for movement between buildings so the greater community is still able to reach and enjoy the rocks.

Parking is still of primary concern for the group, and will continue to become more developed as the final week progresses. They are exploring the option of using 3’ strips of pavement for each tire to park on, reducing the pavement of an entire parking spot.

The group has created a pathway that connects to existing trails and outlines the rock areas on the site. This landscape design allows each unit to have their own outdoor living space. They calculated that 355,000 gallons of rainwater fall on this site, and there are three zones that will collect most of the runoff. The group is still figuring out the certain areas where they will create bioswale trenches to plant fruit bearing trees that will be watered with rainwater.

The second proposal has taken an entirely different approach. This group has started by looking at the family structure of typical Habitat families and has used that information to influence their design.

They have designed very well thought out floor plans for 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom units.

Their site layout includes the design of two 1 br units, three 2br units, one 3 and one 4 br units, for a total of 7 individual homes.

Their units will be constructed on stilts with the goal of ventilating radon, which is emitted from granite rock. The floor plans are designed to stack functions, to keep pluming, AC and heating tight on the plan to minimize costs.

Group two is including the creation of bike paths integrating with existing social trails, and a community mail room that will bring all occupants to a central location. When asked if Habitat had any budget for “beautification of the site” the answer was essentially no. However, they did say that if there is a plan that makes a lot of sense and will increase the quality of life for the residents, there will almost always be a way to make it work given their dedicated volunteer base.

The groups will both continue to address the parking issue in the coming weeks, as well as the issue of making sure homes are handicapped accessible. Given the heat in Prescott, these units will probably require an air conditioning unit. This presents a “messy” issue of where these exterior units will go. Air Conditioner units on the roof will really decrease from the whole visual aesthetic of buildings that blend seamlessly into the existing rocks.

The tight constraints of two parking spaces per unit still may force the groups to reduce the number of housing units on their site. We will have to see which solutions these groups arrive at in the final push of the semester!

Sizzlin' in Tucson

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:32:00 -0700

Last week our summer group loaded into the Ecosa bus to spend three jam-packed days in Tucson.

The first stop was at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum with the intention of getting acquainted with the flora and fauna of Southern Arizona. The group camped out both nights in the Gilbert Ray Campground in the Saguaro National Park. The first night they were lucky enough to observe a desert light show by mother nature as they watched monsoons pass in the distance.

The second day was a whirlwind multi-stop tour of the Tucson area with rainwater harvesting expert, Brad Lancaster. Brad took the students to many sites that demonstrated methods for passive and active rainwater harvesting.

Click below to keep reading!

Brad did the landscape design for Milagro co-housing, and while the students were there checking out the grounds they ran into Cathy Mullan, an Ecosa alumnus from 2003! Since many of the principles behind Milagro were consistent with the students Habitat for Humanity Project, they used this opportunity to pick Cathy’s brain on community living.

The final stop for the day, before checking out 4th Ave, was to rent bikes from Tucson’s Bicas (Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage) and finish the tour with Brad by bicycle!

The next morning the group headed back into downtown Tucson to meet with local restoration architect Bob Vint. Bob lead the group on a tour of Tucson’s historic barrio neighborhood and on to the San Xavier del Bac Mission he is working to restore, to the south of Tucson.

Bob is so passionate about his work and everyone appreciated his preservation perspective when talking about growth in Tucson.

The final stop on the way out of town was at Rick Joy’s studio. One of the architects working at the time gave the students a tour of the grounds and the apartments constructed out of rammed earth on the property.

The daytime temperature in Tucson was 100 degrees all 3 days, and the bus blew a tire in Phoenix on the way back, but spirits were high as these COOL people had fun and learned a lot at the same time.

Habitat project: Phase 2

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:11:19 -0700

Last week, several folks from Prescott area Habitat for Humanity came by the Ecosa studio to check out the progress on the Madison & Meaney project.

The students presented information about other Habitat affiliates and the precedents set as far as energy efficiency, multi-family units, and community spaces.

They have spent extensive amounts of time getting a handle on the topography and boulders of the site, so they also went over the areas that have been determined as the best spots to build upon.

They have begun exploring the idea of using prefabricated building panels for construction of the homes. Since the Habitat houses are built entirely by volunteers, using identical pieces will minimize the amount of training needed. Also, the buildings have potential to be as tall as three stories, so using a crane to drop large wall panels in to place could be the most efficient.

This sector compass of the landscape will be continually used throughout the project to demonstrate the winter and summer solar aspect, the views, the noise, the prevailing winds, the flows, etc.

Each student developed their own theoretical sketch of a site layout that will be able to fit 10 two-bedroom units, with consideration for parking- at 2 parking spaces per home. The goal of these individual exercises was to get each student to really explore a “out there” idea and then pull out similarities between plans to move forward with.

While Habitat was really impressed that 10 units were feasible on every plan, it seems that the biggest issue will be parking. Habitat proposed that the students figure out the parking plan first and then they can reduce the number of housing units on site if necessary.

Community and children are large components of this project, so in many ways the more housing units there are, the more eyes there will be looking towards the community spaces. So, “dense as possible” is still the direction the students are moving towards to increase the potential for a rich and diverse community environment.

The students had gathered inspiration from the examples that Mark Lakeman brought from City Repair in Portland, and they are exploring the idea of building community between the units on this site with the three Habitat houses across the street.

Stay tuned as this exciting project continues to develop!

Community Spaces with Mark Lakeman

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:01:00 -0700

Last Friday, Ecosa was honored to host Mark Lakeman, co-founder of City Repair Project, for an inspiring lecture and workshop in our studio.

Mark Lakeman is a national leader in the development of sustainable public places. In the last decade he has directed or facilitated designs for more than three hundred new community-generated public places in Portland, Oregon alone. He is a co-founder of the City Repair Project in Portland, Oregon and served as the Co-Director of Creative Vision from 1995 to 2008. He is presently active as a project coordinator in the annual Village Building Convergence. Mark is also the founder and principal of Communitecture, Inc, a cutting edge design firm with sustainable building and planning projects at many scales.

At Ecosa, Mark began the day with a lecture on placemaking. Mark believes firmly that “streets are for birthday parties,” meaning that in our current grid-planned neighborhoods our streets actually isolate and restrict us from valuable connection making. He believes that we must work together to take back our streets as public places which will in turn increase community, safety, education, nutrition, connectivity, and many other of our societal goals. The best part of his message is that all of this can be done with hardly any money, and it is fun at the same time!

That afternoon Mark pulled out some toys and the students got to try their hand at Placemaking. He had a prototype neighborhood for Eugene, OR, with buildings set up in a very traditional grid format.

The students took the model out in the sunlight to gather solar information about the site at certain times of the year. They then used the solar analysis to determine locations for the buildings that will maximize passive solar features. Mark was able to tell the students details about the neighborhood’s residents to make sure each home is connected to the rest of the community and what unique contribution they can bring.

This was a great exercise for the students, and all of these concepts will be an integral part of their ongoing Habitat for Humanity multi-family housing project.

For more information on Placemaking, check out the City Repair’s Placemaking Guidebook for a donation of $15. (Also available in the Ecosa library for our local readers).

The Summer 2011 class just presented final drawings yesterday,...

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:29:00 -0700

The Summer 2011 class just presented final drawings yesterday, completing their first big project! This was a solo project that allowed the students to explore the concepts of form and livable spaces while working with a real site. For most students, this was their first time creating flow diagrams and practicing skills of drafting and landscape drawing. Check out their work, it is truly impressive to see how far everyone has come in just six short weeks!

HABITAT PROJECT: PHASE 1 Yesterday the folks from Prescott area...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:05:00 -0700

HABITAT PROJECT: PHASE 1

Yesterday the folks from Prescott area Habitat for Humanity came to the Ecosa studio for our first project brief. The project for the Ecosa students is to design 10-15 multi-family housing units for a plot of land in the Prescott Barrio neighborhood, between Meany & Madison on Short Street. The goal with all of Habitat homes is to create simple, decent housing that will provide for family stability.

The primary parameters for this challenge is that the designs must allow for affordable construction and affordable ownership. Following with Ecosa’s principles, the students are also required to maintain (and ideally emphasize) the natural features of the site, such as the steep grade, trees, and the many natural boulder formations. Scroll through the images above to get a visual of the site.

The multi-family component of the project will be new to Prescott area Habitat, the only other time they have built a non-traditional single-family home was a duplex several years ago. That being said, other Habitat affiliates have created condo-style homes successfully.

Typical Habitat family:

strong female presence in couple, if not a single mother home
Often a parent goes to (or back to) school after occupying Habitat house
80% have between 1 to 5 children
Some families will have a member with a disability

Habitat made sure to remind the students that the units will be constructed by the hands of Habitat volunteers. In the Prescott area, the average volunteer age is late middle-age to elderly. It is crucial that the designs will minimize physical challenges for these volunteers.

All Habitat homes are built with Energy Star construction guidelines. Prescott area Habitat has explored the use of alternative building materials and systems in the past, but have stayed with traditional building techniques due to cost and volunteer labor experience. Any alternative systems or materials the Ecosa students propose will need financial cost/benefit data and technical support during construction. Once again, the emphasis is on ease and affordability of maintenance.

We are so excited to see what our talented Summer students will propose with these tough parameters and tricky site. Stay tuned as we closely follow their progress!

Today our students are with local ecologist, Rob Hunt. They are...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:16:35 -0700

Today our students are with local ecologist, Rob Hunt. They are hiking up Prescott’s landmark, Thumb Butte, while learning about what makes our particular region of the Southwest so unique!

The end of the trip brought a mix of emotions all around…...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:21:27 -0700

The end of the trip brought a mix of emotions all around… but the consensus was “happy to be headed home!”

The Summer 2011 crew has returned from their three day...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:12:00 -0700

The Summer 2011 crew has returned from their three day aboriginal living skills course. This is a challenging course that forces the students to closely observe and connect with nature. Images above are from student Alex Mabery and give a glimpse into the experiences and skills gained while in the wilderness of Arizona.

Week three of the semester and the students have already had...

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:11:28 -0700

Week three of the semester and the students have already had their second project review! It went great! This presentation is phase two in a three phase project - one that we can’t “publicly disclose” as the project builds upon itself and we like future students to not know the whole project before hand.
The beginning of our semester places a heavy emphasis on practicing drawing skills, so the students have also been in art classes with Gary Melvin and architectural drawing with Carrie Larsen. They have been experimenting with a variety of drawing media such as pencil, charcoal and pastel. The level of skill is incredible from this group of students.
The next two days will be an immersion in the study of permaculture. Our instructor Jessi Hernreich is on her way to Prescott from her permaculture site in Colorado as we speak. We are looking forward to seeing her!

Believe it or not, we are already in our second week of the...

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:51:01 -0700

Believe it or not, we are already in our second week of the summer semester. We have a great group of eight students this summer, in a range of ages and from a variety of backgrounds.

This semester we are trying things a little differently, starting the semester off with a short product design project. The assignment was to design a “vessel.” The term vessel was relatively vague so that the students could stretch their creativity as they attempted to solve a problem through design. The students used a traditional method of casting from a regenerative material, silt, to create a physical mold of their concept.

This was an experimental process for both Ecosa and the students, and the hard work and variety of concepts was quite inspiring to see at the end. Final concepts presented were: an insulator for a glass jar, an audio amplifier, a packable water storage device, a container for a hot ember, an aeroponics planter, a reusable to-go food container, and a dish for preparing a traditional African meal.

Thank you Melissa, Kyle, Christobal, Lauren, Noah, Zander,...

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Thank you Melissa, Kyle, Christobal, Lauren, Noah, Zander, Jessa, and Matt for all your hard work! We will miss you, Ecosa tribe Spring 2011!

Prescott Rodeo Grounds

Thu, 12 May 2011 12:39:27 -0700

The Prescott Rodeo Grounds is a 39 acre site owned by the City of Prescott. This historic site is vital in defining city identity, though it is considered by many to be “under-utilized” or not highly visible.

The Ecosa students tackled this large project in an attempt to bring regenerative ecological designs to the heart of Prescott. Their proposal addresses:

Watershed Management

Passive Water Management
Rainwater Harvesting
Vegetation water filtration

Power Needs

Photo voltaic cells
Conservation
Day Lighting
Efficiency

Waste

Animal Waste Composting
Upcycling on-site waste

Connectivity

Allow for various modes of travel
Trail connects Rodeo with Greenway at the top of scenic rock outcropping

Experiential Quality

Vital spaces foster human interaction
emotional connection
cultural significance

The first Prescott rodeo formed in 1888. In 1913 the “Prescott Frontier Days” came into being and moved to its present location, The Prescott Rodeo Grounds….

The students assessed the site to maximize the solar potential. Its current solar alignment causes blinding during the Rodeo and creates dark northern sides of the buildings that are icy and dangerous during the winter months.

The students made sure to preserve the integrity of the Cowboy culture - traits that include stewardship of land, rugged self-reliance, patriotism, and family. They also found opportunities by assessing the current economic impact of the Rodeo Grounds.

During the Frontier Days, the Rodeo draws 27,000+ people who spend on average $278/day.
Outside of the Rodeo week the facility draws 25,000 people within the year
$9.3-19.7 million in economic activity annually
Only 12% of attendees stay in local hotels

The new masterplan organizes the grounds around a central thoroughfare that allows traffic and pedestrian flow to comingle safely with interesting attractions and commercial anchors to make the new Rodeo Drive a vital destination in Prescott.

The students attribute the inspiration behind their designs to the many readings they have done during the semester about what makes a city come to life. Their plan includes multi-story structures framing a lively street that is bustling with activity and interest. Broad sidewalks gently slope into recessed basins, which are vegetated with native plants.

Multi-use spaces bring a wider variety of patrons and open the way for sustained economic activity. During the Rodeo and other large events, the street will become a vendor space and create the atmosphere of a street festival.

The students created a plan for a convention center that would be an adaptive space for year-round events. In addition to the convention center is a grandstand that would add nearly 1,000 extra seats and 10 VIP boxes. The benches will fold in and out, and the concrete slabs on the floor allow for other events like small concerts, conference events, exhibitions and shows to occur. Their design also includes a midrange Eco Hotel that will serve the needs of travelers during all times of the year. The architecture of the building will reflect the environmental conditions where the facility is set.

The students calculated the amount of rainwater they could collect in gallons, and the kilowatt hours they can harness from their PV cells.

Student Christobal Valencia writes, “The Spring 2011 cohort of the Ecosa Institute has attempted to emulate the already present natural and human forces on-site and seek out innovative strategies for ecologically responsible design.
The grounds themselves represent a unique opportunity for Prescott and its partners to embark on a journey toward increased self-reliance, economic resilience, and cultural leadership. We believe that exciting semi-urban spaces connected to other parts of the city with direct access to nature are part of design for better human well-being.
Taking a lesson from the ranching professionals that helped found this state, the development of the Rodeo should listen carefully to nature, never cease to find creative solutions to tough problems and bring families together for celebration of those values we can all appreciate.”

Great work Ecosa Spring 2011, and everyone please check out today’s front page article on the Prescott Daily Courier!

Ruth's Sunshine School

Wed, 04 May 2011 12:23:00 -0700

Last night the students presented their final plan for a school for children with severe disabilities in Ghana.

Their site is a 4-acre plot of land about 40 miles from the capital of Ghana.

Their design proposes to power all facilities with renewable energy (primarily solar), to recycle waste using biogas sanitation digesters, to collect and use all rainwater for consumption and irrigation, and to implement an integrated permaculture plan.

Since their site is relatively near the equator, the students made sure to account for the constant heat and humidity for most of the year. All buildings incorporate passive ventilation to channel wind and cool air.

Overhangs on the buildings are used for shading and increase rainwater catchment. The site also includes a full permaculture plan that will provide fresh produce to the dining hall, and will be irrigated entirely from rainwater.

The presentation was great and all of the designs have come a long way since the beginning. No rest yet though! True to typical Ecosa style, the students only have one more day to prepare for their next final presentation, a redevelopment proposal for the Prescott Rodeo grounds. Please come by the Ecosa studio at 6pm tomorrow to watch the next presentation!

Prescott Rodeo Grounds progress

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:12:00 -0700

Today marks one week until the final presentations for Ecosa Spring 2011. These eight students have worked so hard for these past four months, and their design skills have come a long, long way. Next week the students will present their final concepts for the vocational school and “learning village” in Ghana, and their final plan for a mixed-use development at the Prescott Rodeo Grounds. Today, Christobal Valencia presented the groups’ progress on the Rodeo Grounds.

To the Prescott Rodeo Grounds, a space active typically only once a year, the students are trying to bring more excitement, commercial buzz, and a space for the cowboy culture of Prescott to thrive. Their plan is to incorporate a conference center and hotels, shops, biking trails, a playground, and an outdoor theater.

Tony Brown and Tom Hahn helped the students brainstorm which concepts need to be elaborated upon to carry the excitement throughout the site.

If any of our readers are in Prescott, please attend any of our events next week!

Ghana final presentation: Tuesday, May 3rd | 6pm-8pm
Prescott Rodeo final presentation: Thursday, May 5th | 6pm-8pm
Spring 2011 graduation: Friday, May 6th | 6pm-8pm

Megan Dixon holding down the Ecosa Booth on Earth Day at...

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:41:00 -0700

Megan Dixon holding down the Ecosa Booth on Earth Day at Prescott College!

Energy Efficiency Expert Charlie Gohman

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:01:46 -0700

Today in the Ecosa studio we are happy to have Charlie Gohman discussing with our students on how to conserve energy in traditional homes.

Mr. Gohman has over twenty years of experience with residential energy conservation. He has been with the Arizona Energy Office for sixteen years and is presently Manager of the Building Science and Efficiency section. He provides technical assistance and training on residential energy auditing, diagnostics, codes and energy financing to Weatherization Assistance Program participants, municipalities, utilities and the building industry. He has an extensive background in residential building analysis utilizing pressure diagnostics, infrared cameras and computer auditing.

Hands-on building at Cody Lundin's home

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:38:49 -0700

The students spent this weekend at Cody Lundin’s homestead in Northern Arizona.

To the right is Cody’s chicken coop that Ecosa class Fall 2009 built. The fence on the left is an enclosed area that lets the chickens roam around and was tackled by the Spring 2010 Ecosa class. The cement lining the underside of the fence helps to keep the chickens safe from predators who could dig their way under the fence.
The project for Spring 2011 was to construct a raised bed garden planter in front of this existing structure.

The crew started out by digging a rectangular trench. They then cut rebar pieces that they hammered it into the four corners to mark their rectangle.

The next step was covering their rebar frame with chicken wire fencing.

They re-purposed old parachutes to cover the fencing, and used wire ties to adhere the material to the fence.

The ground of their planter was covered with 4 or 5 layers of fencing that would allow worms to still permeate the ground but keep unwanted animals like gophers away.

They then poured cement into the bottom crevices and spread it evenly around the walls.

The final step was embellishing the outside of the planter with stones to make sure Ecosa Spring 2011 left their mark!

Art in Nature

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:44:00 -0700

This afternoon the students were in Granite Creek Park with environmental sculpture artist Roger Asay . Without using additional materials than what was naturally available, the students stretched their imaginations to create temporary works of art in the park.

It was a beautiful day to be working outside and a good opportunity to let ideas flow without any restrictions. Friday the students will be doing more hands-on work as they head out to Cody Lundin’s homestead to design an earthwork on his property.