I should begin by saying that I am one of the new additions to the New Norris House team. With only a handful of on-site experiences under my (shiny new tool) belt, these first few weeks have mostly involved familiarizing myself with the project and learning the processes through which business is conducted. However, once the initial excitement, and at times confusion, of this new endeavor wore off, the broader implications of the project were brought to light. I was beginning to see the New Norris House as a great opportunity whose benefits stretch far beyond the academic.
What immediately impacted me was the number of hands coming together for this common purpose. Not only have students assembled from various architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design studios; but graduate students, faculty, contractors and subcontractors, and a number of people from the Norris community have all contributed to the cause. While interdisciplinary collaboration is imperative to the execution of this design, it also creates a few complications in terms of scheduling and project management. Each individual must do his part for the whole operation to run smoothly.
The focus of my efforts have centered on the greywater system. As rainwater hits the roof and falls into the Galvalume gutters, it runs along a very "custom" path that penetrates the building envelope and feeds into the cistern [pictured below] for filtration and storage. The main issues with detailing this indoor downspout involved keeping a continuous, water-tight seal at the point of penetration and along the length of the channel. With so many measures taken to keep a tight building envelope, the smallest break could negate our entire effort. Therefore, every opening we make must be carefully enclosed to ensure optimum comfort and energy efficiency.
What immediately impacted me was the number of hands coming together for this common purpose. Not only have students assembled from various architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design studios; but graduate students, faculty, contractors and subcontractors, and a number of people from the Norris community have all contributed to the cause. While interdisciplinary collaboration is imperative to the execution of this design, it also creates a few complications in terms of scheduling and project management. Each individual must do his part for the whole operation to run smoothly.
The focus of my efforts have centered on the greywater system. As rainwater hits the roof and falls into the Galvalume gutters, it runs along a very "custom" path that penetrates the building envelope and feeds into the cistern [pictured below] for filtration and storage. The main issues with detailing this indoor downspout involved keeping a continuous, water-tight seal at the point of penetration and along the length of the channel. With so many measures taken to keep a tight building envelope, the smallest break could negate our entire effort. Therefore, every opening we make must be carefully enclosed to ensure optimum comfort and energy efficiency.
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