Some final reflections about the practicum project.
- Creating complexly curved roofs is really hard. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed and very little information, technology or practice available for guidance. As a result I've had to come up with solutions to many challenges on my own. I hope, as I move forward, to work more with others also interested in exploring this area.
- Hempcrete is a building material with much potential, especially in the natural building community. This article in nauhaus lays out the arguments for hempcrete quite persuasively. I hope someone in the Yestermorrow teaching staff will do a project with hempcrete in the near future.
- Yestermorrow has been a supportive community for my explorations. Not as helpful as I had hoped, but I suspect that's because my ideas are pretty far "out there." Sadly for me, I didn't find my architectural tribe at Yestermorrow; perhaps because at this point I'm a tribe of one. I did learn a lot from all the classes I took, and really appreciate the knowledge and caring of the instructors and staff.
- Maybe a way forward is to combine traditional rectilinear architecture with curvaceous triangular architecture. Some interesting possibilities there.
- Thanks to Bill Hulstrunk for his quiet support as my practicum advisor. Thanks also to Kate Stephenson for all her support with presenting virtually. Finally, special thanks to Ed Lowans for helping me understand the importance of context... and how architects think.
- A special thanks to Tom Simon and Emily Payton at Hempfully Green for their ongong support and advocacy of hemp as a sustainable building material. They also very kindly supplied me with materials for my hemp wall experiment.
- If you would like a copy of the SketchUp model of the studio just drop me a line and I'll be happy to send along the file.