Kyle log

Thursday, March 13

Last workday at OSE - finishing up at micro house and FabLab

File:2014-03-10 19.39.38.jpg=Wednesday, March 12=

Further plastering to be done at the Micro house. When making many batches of plaster (gypsum/perlite & water) I've concluded that a consistency close to peanut butter is the best option.

Another note: Don't be afraid to put a good layer of plaster on. My first assumption, being that this was my first time ever applying plaster, was to scrape the trowel against the wall - and apply a thin layer to fill all the crevices. Applying a thicker layer allows for flatter surfaces with less cracks.

When applying a second layer, lightly spray the first coat to ensure an appropriate bonding.

Tuesday, March 11

• Plaster work was done at the Micro house. I learned how to mix the gypsum/perlite with water to make plaster at a proper consistency. Prior to plaster, chicken wire was secured to the earth brick walls with staples and nails.

White wash was applied to the exterior of the FabLab. Prior to the application, mud was applied to smooth the exterior surface. We had issues with the mixture cracking on the second batch of mix and a test was done to determine what criteria of the mix were most crucial.

• It was discovered that a water spray was necessary to ensure the white wash would stick to the original wall. Making sure the mixture was thin enough and applied with a proper brush is critical for proper application.

Monday, March 10

HabLab design works The design team of our group considered the placement of both the front deck of the FabLab, as well as the gravel road to lead from the front entrance by the workshop to the FabLab. There is an existing road from the main road to the FabLab, however Marcin has requested an alternative solution.

• Cost and benefits were considered for the existing road:

The benefits of keeping the existing road to the FabLab would be easy access for deliveries and other accessibility situations. The negatives of keeping the existing road are unwanted visitors and safety concerns.

• Cost and benefits were considered for the extension of the main entrance to the FabLab:

The benefits of extending the main road would be the ability to remove the path from the main road to the FabLab completely. The negatives of extending the existing road to the FabLab would be extra costs in terms of material costs, and the cost of removing and replacing the water line that would interfere with the gravel path extension. There would be grading issues that would need to be resolved for truck access. The FabLab roof also would obstruct access.

• Solution/result

The path from the main road to the FabLab will be removed and the extra space will be used for agricultural production. The existing road well be extended towards the FabLab, but will not be extended to it. Any deliveries well be unloaded before the culvert and transported to the FabLab by dolly truck or other means.

Designs for the summer camp were considered for further use of the hexiyurt as a pavilion for campers.

Sunday, March 9

• Reference to MicroHouse

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/MicroHouse_Collaboration_2014

• Critically considering alternative framing process than enables both earth-brick stacking and continuous roof framing simultaneous - while ensuring

1) Safety of all workers 2) Quality of roof 3) Speed of construction