Our Own Garbage Warrior and His Bottle Wall

July 20 – July 24

View at Picasa 14-May-2009 16:49, NIKON COOLPIX L11, 5.6, 6.2mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 64

Ever since the idea was posed by Ben, who is involved with both our interior partitions and our waste management system, to have a wall made of cans and bottles, the students have been anticipating working on it and seeing it take shape.  This week was the week when all those late night collecting missions and Garbage Warrior screenings began to pay off.  We are using both aluminum cans and bottle bricks, which are two bottoms of the same type of bottle taped together, along with clay mortar to construct a wall that will hopefully serve as more than just a normal wall.  By selecting different coloured glass and laying the bricks in a specific design, we are hoping that a beautiful work of art will be the result. 

View at Picasa 28-Jul-2009 14:26, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 2.8, 4.7mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 238

Speaking of walls, drywall has also started to go up in the window and door panels that were insulated last week with the recycled denim insulation.  This will be a long process since we are far from professional mudders and tapers but I don’t think this aspect of the project will really be a focal point of the building anyways with all the other amazing things to see.

View at Picasa 09-Jun-2009 10:15, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 5.0, 9.8mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 64

In other wall news, the big job of prepping the south slipstraw and hempcrete walls for their lime plaster finish has also begun.  The plaster does not stick to wood so all exposed lumber must be covered with diamond lathe or plastic mesh to ensure adhesion occurs.  The lathe and mesh have to be secured to the wood and into the insulation extremely well to make sure that they stay behind the plaster and no portions are exposed.  It takes a lot of staples and a lot of patience but should be well worth it.  As you see above, the lime, which is the main ingredient in the plaster, is still enjoying its maturation process on site. 

View at Picasa 09-Jul-2009 12:35, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 5.0, 50.7mm, 0.007 sec, ISO 64

Here you can see members of our entry shelter team hard at work creating the timber frame structure that will be the first thing people see as they arrive at the completed building.  The mortise and tenon joints on the timbers are being painstakingly formed, and working with these more raw materials is certainly not easy.  This structure will also be home to the thatched roof that has been quite the challenging process thus far.  I am convinced that the effort will be well worth it in the end.  Not only will we be showcasing a very rare roof type, it will act as a truly impressive welcoming committee to all that will visit the centre in the future. 

View at Picasa 16-Jul-2009 15:26, NIKON COOLPIX P80 , 5.6, 4.7mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 64

On the mechanical side of things, this week saw some more progress on the geothermal system that will be the heat source for our radiant floors.  The last pipes connecting the vertical tubes to the inner workings were connected and back-filled so the system is pretty much ready to be fired when ready.  The HVAC system, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning if you’re unfamiliar with the term, was also installed in the mechanical room of the building.  This piece of equipment is essential to ensure that the air in the building will always be safe and properly conditioned which is a growing concern among those who realize the effect that poor indoor air quality can have on both a building and its inhabitants.