After both studio groups presented our ideas, we have consolidated the two proposals and are now working on one design. Kathy Calvin, the President and CEO of United Nations Foundation once said, “ There is power in individuals, and now we’re learning there is power in individuals coming together.”After agreeing on a simplified floor plan, the studio divided work into three groups to design roof structure, foundation, and building envelope.
However, there are new variables that have come to light. The solar decathlon team in Clemson is designing the construction method by which our CropStop building envelope will be built; thus, one would assume there has been a dialog between the two teams. We found out, at 10:30pm the night before our review, that the 3:12 roof slope of our kitchen volume will not work and that it MUST be a 1:12 roof slope. Also we are to use a metal panel cladding system that they have been working on. These are very important bits of information that we need a lot sooner than the night before a review. These decisions change everything; we have no knowledge of what the metal cladding system is or how it works. It also changes the wall depth and window placement. The new 1:12 roof slope modifies the interior volume of our kitchen, the design of our fly roof, and the overall aesthetic of the entire design.
The struggle was now real. After the brief retaliation of these new changes, we went back into our task groups and worked on ways to incorporate these new ideas into our design. Because our design review was the next day, we were all focused on our tasks but came together when we needed information or an opinion about what each group thought would be better for the design. No one had to make or tell anyone to do anything; people just simply did what needed to be done and helped others with their tasks. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced working on a group project the night before a review with a twelve people who worked so diligently together.
