Invisible Structures

July 9-12, I took a course called Invisible Structures. It wasn't quite what I expected. The idea behind the course what that we would focus on a what a community needed to be sustainable other than highly efficient buildings. These need can be broken into spiritual, social, environmental and economic categories. I was a little frustrated during this course because of how much we designed to expand the social capacity. We focused more on intentional living facilities, or even non-intentional apartment buildings, than on towns or regions. I suppose this makes sense for a three day course, but I have to say, for my interests, this class was pretty unsatisfying. While there was definitely some great conversation and there were some interesting ideas and techniques that would improve an immediate community, it was just too small for my liking. Small scale and not focused on cutting carbon emissions enough. I am a student of Richard Olson, obviously. I have to remember (and I gave this note to my class) that my instructor and several of my classmates were from Canada in provinces that run primarily on hydroelectric power. They don't have to worry quite as much about cutting emissions.

Here are my notes from the class. Remember, you can click to make them bigger.




One thing that I starred to blog about was "the mythology of place." It's the attitude, or the declared vision. It's what the place is known for. For example, Berea's mythology (which doesn't imply that it isn't true) is of equality and progressiveness. Because of the history of the school and how they market themselves, this is what they are known for. It is possible that Berea is recognized as a sustainable school based greatly on this mythology of progressiveness. While Berea certainly is making some big efforts towards a more sustainable campus, they are nowhere near as perfect as a lot of people seem to think they are. The mythology, however, influences opinions and views of the school. A place will eventually gain a mythology - a mood or reputation - so it's a good thing to think of as a place is being developed. However, once a mythology is developed, it's hard to change, which is why coal mining communities are often so reluctant to try using a renewable source of energy - they have a mythology of pride in their work.

Refreshed After Vacation

I took a week-long vacation to visit Boston for a cousin's wedding, family and friend visiting and general relaxing and escaping from the day-to-day. The time off was appreciated and wonderful, but I was very excited to get back to Yestermorrow.

And now I'm back. I've been back for a couple of very busy days.

There are two new interns - Anna and Ashley (male.) Tim (1) and Kendall are no longer interns. Kendall is gone and Tim is playing the role of resident builder. The new interns are nice - haven't gotten to know either extremely well, but am comfortable. The chickens grew quite a bit while I was gone. I almost couldn't tell which one was Betty Davis.

There is a push to get a building site (on campus) ready for a fabric-cement cabin. I don't know much detail about the actual structure - it will be built by several classes, I believe - but I have been helping a bit with getting the site prepared. Yestermorrow now has a giant brush pile that will be the source of an epic bonfire. We're also moving a building that a class constructed to it's site, which involves some tree-cutting. Perhaps I will write more about that this weekend.

I have been working closely with Dave, overseer of interns and grounds committee. This morning, we walked around campus identifying tasks that needed to be done. I am now in charge of making sure they get done, directing work-traders when available. The list is long and random. Today, I worked on getting some of those smaller tasks done.

I look like an unhappy tree hugger in this picture. I am marking potential camp-sites. I have identified several tent-sites and one excellent platform site. I am hoping to head up the building of the platform.

The tree house needed massive cleaning. The pine needles were getting clogged in the cracks of the walkway, which can lead to rotting. While clearing them out with a pocketknife was a slow process, it was fairly easy and relaxing. I worked clearing the pine needles for a while, but then turned the assignment over to a work-trader so I could work on projects that required a little more skill or knowledge of the campus.

I thought I had gotten a before picture, but apparently, I did not. This ladder had a broken rung that needed replaced. Upon further inspection, I saw that the rung above the broken one had some rot issues happening. (These rungs are old - the tree is obviously growing around the rungs.) I spent the later part of my day repairing the two rungs using hardwood that had been cleared out of the concrete structure's site. The poplar rung (white) and the rung below it were my new additions. I'm actually extremely proud of myself for being able to do this without any guidance (other than what kind of wood to use.)

Anna, Ashley and I all went to visit the NBI project today. Last time I saw it, timbers had just been raised:

Today, it looks like this:

They started strawbaling today. It was a very exciting time.

In the picture above, Mike and Bryce re-tie bales. I apparently don't know the name of this mechanism, but it's very tight and precise. When I straw-baled for the studio that I worked on last summer, we used twine, tightening it by twisting it around a stick, then shoving the peg into the bale. Different approaches to the same problem.

The class notched out a corner of that bale and set it upright against a window frame. The notched corner fit the post.

Normally, bales are not placed vertically, but for lining the windows, it is appropriate.

The last two evenings for me have been lecture evenings. Yesterday was one of the Summer Lecture Series, which are free every Wednesday. Deva, the NBI instructor, spoke to us about natural building compared to green building. The room was packed.

Tonight, I sat in on the NBI's lecture on moisture content and heat flow in an earthen (primarily strawbale) structure. Took lots of notes (click to expand):



I am completely exhausted, but feel great. I've been running all day (I had breakfast duty this morning) but am very proud of what I'm doing. I've said it before, but I love being independent with projects - I love having the know-how to take on a project by myself. I feel confident with this list of things to do.

I start my Invisible Structures course tomorrow.

Constructed Wetlands Notes

My constructed wetlands course was one of the best classes that I have ever taken. It was a pretty busy week, but we accomplished quite a bit. The instructors were very thorough - they, in specific detail, gave us directions on how to decide if a wetland is appropriate, how to size it, what levers and pipes to use, what water tests should be run, etc. They gave everyone a CD at the end of the course that had all their powerpoint presentations and charts and references that they used during the class.

I think I will let notes do the speaking for me, as far as specific information goes. If anyone has any questions, feel free to leave a comment. Please don't interpret my lack of writing specific details as not knowing them. This class was amazing and thorough and I feel like I understand all the topics we covered pretty thoroughly. (My weak spot would probably be in water testing, but I understand it, especially with the use of notes.)




(The bottom of this page was filled on a bus ride for a field trip. I wasn't doodling during class.)

(Notes from 10 Stones.)

(Notes from The University of Vermont Research Center.)

(Notes from Teal Farm.)


(Finding dimensions for our wetland.)
(Transit readings.)

(Watch for another entry about our field trip day.)

Green Development Best Practices Summary

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, I was busy all day taking Green Development Best Practices. The instructor, Ed Lowans, consults with green developers, focusing on practicality and feasibility. He was incredibly knowledgeable and could talk miles about any subject. At times, this was great. At others, it was a little too much for me. I haven't had experience with some of the more technical systems of a building, so spending hours talking about HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems was completely unentertaining. However, we had some great discussions, I took a ton of notes and copied some of his presentation materials (word documents with specific system information and powerpoints) for my own future use.

Since there was SO much information on a variety of different topics concerning "green" systems within a building, I think it would be best to pull out some major points of interest and rely on my notes for more details.


Things I found particularly interesting/useful:

• There are two major energy performance rating guides in the US and Canada. EnergyStar ratings mark the top 25% most efficient appliances. Energuild, a Canada-based rating system, labels each appliance with a kWh/year (with typical use.) Both systems have their advantages, but I had never heard of Energuide and I like being able to compare very specifically.
• LEED is a pretty crappy way to rate a building's efficiency. LEED works on a point system. Small improvements receive the same number of points as larger, vital design issues. Also, LEED is entirely impersonal. Not all "green improvements" work with every building - sometimes, they might make the building less efficient. For example, while LEED specifies that folks should use efficient light bulbs, they don't mention spacing or maintenance of lights, so lights are often placed inefficiently. So while LEED is generally a step in the right direction, it's not perfect by any means. A similar program, ASHRAE, provides a list of specific technologies (specifically what HVAC systems) to install so that if a builder includes the items on the checklist, they should have at least a 30% reduction in energy usage.
  
• The efficiency of a house depends greatly on the occupants. As soon as a house is handed over from designer to occupant, "leakage" begins - efficiency drops. That's because occupants are not always included in the planning process and don't use the buildings specifically how they are designed. I think that the solution to this would be to plan buildings together - an integrated design process. (The architect, engineer and building owners should all be involved in this process.) The occupants should know all the inner workings of the building, understanding exactly why each system was chosen. Education is the key here. Education and patience.
• Ed spoke a bit about "smart systems." I tend to gravitate towards lower-technology buildings, but, if one is producing their own electricity, a smart system is a completely valid way to go. Heating and cooling systems can be "trained" to self-regulate.
  
• It is entirely possible and sensical to heat water underneath PV panels. It's not quite as effective as a straight-up solar water heater, but it gives a nice boost to the water-heating system.
  
• The average building has a 50 year lifespan. This is not because it fails, but because it becomes obsolete.
• Pyrolysis is an awesome concept. If you burn organic matter in a 45 gallon drum, catch the released gasses, cycle them back through the system, burning them, you end up with very little/no emissions and a pile of coal, which is caught carbon that can be put back into the earth. It's a carbon-negative cycle. An interesting, quickly found article/video can be found here. One of the fellows in my class (who was also in the core class, so I've gotten to know him pretty well) is working in Belize on a pyrolysis (aka "Biochar") system. His site is here. He can't get any funding to further develop the system, even though it's a carbon-negative system.
• We spoke about windows quite a bit. The best windows have multiple panes of glass, different glazings on the glass to treat the light, and are filled with krypton, argon or air (in order of insulation value.) They can be tilted to reduce or increase the amount of heat allowed in.
  
• A well insulated house should have at least R40 walls and R60 cielings. (I already knew this. Was just throwing it out there because it is pretty important.)
• "The first question to building a sustainable building is to ask, 'is there any way I don't have to build this building?'" - Ed. I've really adopted this mindset over the last year or so. I think a building needs a purpose, and retrofitting can be far better than building.
• The term "Factor 9" came up quite a bit over the three days. Factor 9 refers to a 90% reduction in energy usage. Right now, it's entirely possible to build a Factor 9 building using existing, affordable technologies.
• Radient energy and thermal energy are interestingly different. Radient is like the sun's rays on a cold day. The air isn't warm, but you can feel toasty from sitting in the sunlight. Thermal energy would refer to warm air.
• We spoke about materials to be used in buildings based on their life-cycles. The first life cycle of a material is focused on embodied energy - how much went into extracting or producing the material. The second life cycle asks how much of the material can be recycled or reused. Wood can be reused to an extent, but not too much. Virtually 100% of steel can be reused. Concrete can only really be used for road construction stuff. The third life cycle is just a step farther. Steel continues to be reused. Concrete, gypsum, and wood can't really be used any more at that point. It only takes 20% of the energy needed to make steel to recycle it. (Steel companies should use this statistic to promote themselves.) In conclusion, steel is the most energy efficient material, but only after a very long time full of recycling. Wood is the most energy efficient for immediate use, but has limited reuse.
• Infrastructure is everything. You cannot place a sustainable building in an unsustainable area and get the desired results. However, if the area is sustainable, the buildings on it become more sustainable by default. The key here is to revitalize the core of town. Discourage sprawl.
  
• Nighttime energy is wasted. Electric companies have to produce enough energy to cover everyone, always producing more than needed so electricity is readily available. The leftover, unused energy (which is there is always more of at night) could be stored as hydrogen (which is a battery, not a creator of energy, a common misconception.)
• Masonry stoves are amazing. I want one.
  

Ed also suggested many small, simple ideas that could be included in building design - creating passive vacuums that keep air circulating, light up high ceilings using a strong beam on the floor to avoid changing high-up bulbs, put a heat exchanger around the shower drain pipe to preheat incoming water, etc. Small, interesting things. I'm definitely keeping these notes for future projects.

Green Development Best Practices Notes

A large update will happen tomorrow, but for now I will say that I have been in class for the last three days, it was fascinating at times and TOO in depth at times, but I got several pages of notes that you can click on the pictures of if you are interested in reading. I'll write a better summary of the class tomorrow.