It has been a very busy weekend at 1 Simons Street. Studio V and ITC students have been sharing the CAC.C fabrication headquarters to prepare for reviews Monday and Tuesday respectively. The Studio V mock-up made great strides over the weekend. Friday we tested our idea of twisting steel angle for the shading part of the structure. We went with 1/8″ thick 2″ x 2″ steel angle to ensure it would be strong enough to span 4′ without sagging, or breaking if hung on. Our worry was that the steel would either be too hard to twist, or would kink as opposed to evenly twisting down its length, but luckily neither were a problem and our louver idea will work.
The form work was removed from the concrete on Saturday afternoon. It took several hours to expose the concrete and many notes were taken on how to improve the process once we get on site.
The overall design has been going through the wringer while the construction documents are being made. Every aspect of the design is being questioned and refined. Construct-ability, efficiency of materials, and basic ergonomics are just a few of the concerns being ironed out through this process.
Construction began today on the wooden structure. We chose to go with a tropical hardwood called Meranti. It is more expensive than going with a treated pine, but it is much harder and more stable than pine, not to mention more weather resistant. All of the joints are going to be notched, glued, and fastened with bolts or screws
Tomorrow the mock-up will be available to check out at 1 Simons Street from 1:30 to 5:30. If you are interested in seeing our progress in person, please stop by.