FRAMING GROUP

Saturday
Team Members:

Staci McCrindle
Stephanie Gibbins

Giancarlo La Penna

Week 1

Today is our first day on site at the Net Zero ThreeHouse project. The drive wasn’t too bad, only one hour and thirty-eight minutes. The day started with a meeting to discuss the project. After Craig finished and overview of the project, each group presented their research and a dialogue ensued that was very different than in studio. This discussion really helped to put in context how large the project really is. After the meeting the group toured the factory where all the mock-ups and prefabrication would be done. I was surprised how large the building was. The group then headed to the site for a tour and to transport some salvaged millwork and other things to the factory; however, this took four or five loads. After offloading and organizing the last load day one was done. Phew, I’m tired!

Week 2

Week two the framing group was put to work! The rebar had arrived that morning and was removed from the truck by nice strong men, which they left on the ground outside the warehouse for the girls (with much help from the sustainable boys) to take inside and organize. The boys moved quickly in teams of two taking four sometimes five rebars at once, and were sure to cheer on the girls also in teams of two carrying three. After a few minutes of stumbling over people and small snow banks we all figured out a system and got all the rebar moved within two hours. Seeing as the planners were still planning, we then began to lay the bottom grid of rebar in a 12"x12" grid, after spending some time figuring out which size and length of rebar was going where we got the majority of the grid laid out.
After a welcomed break and some food the framing group then moved onto the scaled model of the building, which we didn't get a chance to start building seeing as cutting such little pieces of wood for columns, beams and joists... is a lot harder with a table saw then it sounds like.

Week 3

Week three started with an overall group updates on all revisions made to this point including planning, material selection and delivery, sustainability concerns and fireplace choices. This was a good time to collaborate and express ideas we had on other aspects of the build separate from framing. After this update we proceeded to push forth aggressively on the completion of the scale model. We added all columns, perlins and rim joists. This took longer than expected but the end result looks pretty good, it also helped all the students to visualize what we were really working with at a reasonable scale.

Week 4

Week four began with some design work and group coordination. Our framing group had to work very closely with the SIP group to make crucial decisions about window placement on the cantilever side of the building. These decisions were integral to the visual cohesiveness as well as the cross ventilation possibilities in the space. Essential understanding of the Monarch Wall System was important, as we had to choose if bi-fold or sliding doors were the way to go. Ultimately we decided that bi-fold doors were a better choice visually and would ultimately create a better connection between the outside and inside. The group then proceeded to fix and finish up the model to reflect all revisions in planning and window placement. 

Sunday
Team Members:

Daria Iaroslavtseva
Katalina Alexa
Zuzana Kovacova

Scope of Work: The main scope of the framing people is to research the materials and price of the frame as well as the various connectors that will hold up the frame. Also, one of the biggest challenges this group faced is the scaled model of the structure.

Challenges: The biggest challenge was to build a presentable, very neat scaled model of the structure, where two different groups had to work on it. Unfortunately, the partnership between the two groups did not work out well, as the model had to be rebuild at multiple occasions, delaying the finished product.

Timeline: So far, (April 7), four weekends have been put into the model building. The goal is to finish the model by the next session on Sun. 

Frame Details - Daria I.

Simpson Strong Ties - Zuzana K.

Building the Scale Model

After finishing the frame of the building, we put on the SIP panels. Firstly, Craig told us to do only 2 sides up to the bump-outs. After looking at the building when we completed the task, Craig concluded that it does not represent the building entirely, and we should complete the North Elevation as well as the roof. After completing these tasks, finally thinking that we are done with the model, Craig suggested to continue the SIP panels over the bump-outs, therefore completing the roof to the end, making the building look almost just like the finished product.
Overall, our group really enjoyed working on the model and are satisfied with the final result.