WEEK SIXTEEN: Final Week of Semester
Top left: Skyview proposal for revised interior to existing building. Top right: Skyview site plan improvements. Bottom: Skyview perspective sketch of existing and new additions.
Below left: Client reviewing model of project. Below center: Site plan of one of the five proposals given to the client. Below right: Students presenting their project to the client.
Preparation for final presentation was the main activity this week as students wrapped up their projects, putting together a portfolio showing all the data and proposals for meeting both the long-term and short-term needs of Skyview School. The Chino Valley affordable apartments project was also being finalized with each team working to present their ideas to the developer. The studio work increased in pace and length as the semester progressed. Our final event is the graduation party which this year happened to coincide with director Antony Brown’s birthday! After successful presentations to both clients the group put all their energy to get ready for the well-deserved celebration.
Above: Graduates preparing to receive their certificates listen to a reading by Director Tony Brown. Below, top left: Tony admiring his birthday cake in the shape of his ubiquitous black turtleneck sweater. Bottom left: Painting the group portrait during the party. Below right: Tracing a student onto the group portrait.
WEEK FIFTEEN
Students worked on their projects in preparation for their final presentations, and took a one-day trip to Phoenix to visit the Burton Barr Central Library designed by Will Bruder and the Federal Courthouse by Richard Meir. These two projects offer a contrast between two approaches to sustainable design. Students got to explore the systems and sustainable strategies used in each building.
Above left: On the misting system cat walk in the Federal Building. Top right: Checking out the equipment on the roof. Bottom right: In the Atrium of the Federal Building.
Above left: Checking the solar strategy for the library's north face. Above center: Phoenix library reading room. Above right: Inside the equipment “saddlebags” on the Phoenix Library.
WEEK FOURTEEN
This week was dedicated to the exploration of urban design and urban concepts. A presentation by Director Tony Brown on the history and possibilities of cities preceded an overnight visit to Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s project in central Arizona. Here the students toured the project, visited the Soleri archives, worked in the agricultural area preparing planting beds and participated in a silt casting workshop. Students also celebrated Earth Day in Prescott and helped with the Ecosa information booth.
Above: Everyone thinking about Arcosanti, and a view of the Arcosanti project. Below left: Exploring the heat tube in the Crafts 3 building. Below center and right: Working on a new planting bed in the agricultural area.
WEEK THIRTEEN
Work progressed on the two projects as we looked at the role of government agencies in the design process. Discussion with the Prescott City Manager, a planner, and a building department official gave perspectives on the role of agencies in the development of projects. Chuck Burke from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality also presented the available resources that assist school districts in “greening” their campuses.
A highlight of this week was a day-long visit with ecological design legend Sim Van der Ryn, a long-time supporter of Ecosa. The students spent time with him in the studio and had a lecture from Sim as well as a question/answer period. As part of the Ecosa difference we have lunch and dinner with our guests so students have some time to ask question and discuss ideas in a more relaxed setting.
Above left: A sketch rendering of the proposed landscaping for Skyview School. Above right: Preliminary sketch of apartments in Chino Valley. Below: Students and staff enjoy pizza with organic salad as they chat with Sim Van der Ryn.
WEEK TWELVE
A preliminary presentation to Skyview School by Ecosa students was well-received by the clients. A major part of this week was taken up with a three-day field trip to Tucson to explore concepts in permaculture with Brad Lancaster, a leading national expert in water harvesting, storage and use. The trip included a visit to the Sonoran Desert Museum to explore the ecology of the Sonoran Desert, and a full day with Brad visiting co-housing and permaculture sites in Tucson including a visit with Barbara Rose, whose development illustrates ways that land preservation and stewardship can be compatible with developing new housing. As part of this trip we also visited relevant organizations and sites that are working to bring social and environmental change. Students explored the Mission of San Xavier del Bac with restoration architect Bob Vint, the architect responsible for the preservation work being done on this historic mission.
Top: Walking a dry Tucson wash with Brad. Above left: The constructed wetlands at Milagro co-housing. Above center: Visiting Bicus, a non profit providing bicycle support and donations to the community. Above right: Brad explaining curb cuts and the lush planting strip at his home in downtown Tucson.
Below left: The mission of San Xavier del Bac. Below right: Students explore the mission’s choir loft.
An optional Saturday visit to Eliphante-- an extraordinary series of building/sculpture/galleries-- rounded off the week. Below left: In the Labyrinth. Below right Eliphante doorway. Bottom: Glass and rock.
WEEK ELEVEN
Much of this week was spent in the studio working on the two major design projects. A full day field trip to the Phoenix, the Valley of the Sun, visited two iconic locations in Scottsdale: first, a visit to Taliesin West to tour the summer home of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, then a visit to Cosanti, home of Paolo Soleri, an apprentice of Wright’s in the early days of Taliesin. The students met with Soleri for an hour to learn more about his ideas on urban planning and his arcology concepts.
Above: Meeting with Paolo Soleri under the shade of the Cosanti pool canopy.
Below left and center: Listening to the history of Taliesin West. Below right: Touring Taliesin and avoiding the sun, two students view the drafting room where Wright worked. TOP
