uva school of architecture, material matters

MATERIAL MATTERSC h a r l e s M e n e fe e

University of Virginia | Department of Architecture

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Research Director

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Paper Matters Press | Department of Architecture, University of Virginia

Iñaki Alday, Ryan Carbone

Charlie Menefee

Copyright Texts | By authorCopyright Drawings | By authorCopyright Model Photos | Scott Smith / By authorCopyright Edition | Department of Architecture, University of Virginia

Graphic Design | Ryan CarboneLayout | Ryan Carbone, Luke EscobarProduction | Ryan Carbone

Printing | Department of Architecture, University of VirginiaISBN First Edition | March 2016

Architecture, as part of a research institution is a pedagogical program based in social responsibility, critical thinking and innovation. And as a design discipline, architectural innovation is achieved through design research in different ways. We “search” for information, and we “research” creating knowledge, most often on new scenarios through design speculation seriously informed. Rigorous collection of data, spatialized through mapping and diagraming, create the basis for design research. The critical step forward, assuming the risks of proposing future scenarios, is the unavoidable outcome of the creative work of the research teams.

The Research Studio system is the pedagogical innovation that merges instruction with faculty and students research. Two studios in the undergraduate program (3010 and 4010) and another two in the graduate program (7010 and 8010) are focused on profound architectural research aligned with research interests and expertise of the faculty members. The instructors commit for three to five years to sustain a research line, offering a series of Research Studios that take on a variety of relevant contemporary topics in a consistent multi-year research agenda. Students define their personal path through the program, selecting the research studios offered by Architecture faculty (and Landscape Architecture for the graduates), in their own preferred sequence for the fall of the last two years (3010 and 4010 or 7010 and 8010).

The diversity of topics reflects the intellectual diversity of the Department of Architecture of the University of Virginia. Research projects take on urgent international crises such as the changing condition of the Arctic, neglected cultural landscapes in depressed regions, or one of the most pressing urban ecologies challenge in the world (Delhi and its sacred and poisonous Yamuna River). Others work within local conditions, disciplinary inquiries or philosophical and spatial investigations.

Started in 2012-13, these first four years have been especially instrumental for the development of the youngest faculty, raising $529,000 in grants, five awards and two international symposiums. One of the research projects has become the first all-university grand challenge project. The Research Studio system of UVa has proven itself to be invaluable in defining what “design research” means, its potential to reach broader audiences and impact critical contemporary situations, and to redefine the research culture in the design schools.

Charlottesville, Virginia | March 2016

IñAkI ALdAyQuESAdA PRofESSoR And ChAIR, dEPARTMEnT of ARChITECTuRE

MATERIAL MATTERS

P R E FAC E

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A native of the coast of South Carolina. Studied at Carnegie-Mellon University, receiving a professional degree in architecture in 1977. In 1981, formed the Charleston Architectural Group. Joined W.G. Clark in practice as Clark & Menefee Architects in 1985. Clark & Menefee Architects received critical mention of its work in numerous national and international journals, won two first prizes in national design competitions, and has received three national honor awards from the American Institute of Architects: in 1992 for the Croffead House, 1989 for the Reid House, and 1987 for Middleton Inn. Served as the Distinguished Visiting Critic at Clemson University in the fall of 1989. The work is documented in a book titled Clark and Menefee by Richard Jensen. Charles Menefee currently practices as Charles Menefee Architect. With the moving of the practice from Charleston, SC, to Charlottesville, VA, in 1991 came the opportunity to teach on a regular basis at the University of Virginia, as a Lecturer in Architecture from 1991-1994, and currently as Associate Professor of Architecture teaching design studio and building courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Currently holding the position of Director of Programs in Architecture. Academic and professional interests revolve around common issues, specifically those concerning the construction and occupation of the juncture of building and landscape at the scale of the dwelling.

ChARLES MEnEfEE IIIAssociAte ProfessorDePArtment of Architecture

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ST U D I O T E A M

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This series of design efforts present a research agenda that juxtaposes two elements: time and material. Time in this context is treated as an ordering system that is to be embraced as a means to organize a project’s design decisions across territories. Materials, on the other hand, exist in both the solid and liquid states of matter suggesting they are in a flow from source to last-use. They may be “solidified” or fixed in carefully controlled situations, or exchanged between projects of various scales in a highly fluid manner of harvesting and re-cycling. Building matter then can be contemplated and manipulated at a variety of scales from the fiber or granule to the urban complex while remaining purpose-full from one configuration to the next. Buildings, and the cities they compose, could, after re-use, be dis-assembled and re-configured according to the current properties of the materials available and the lifespan of the forthcoming design.

De-emphasizing what is normally thought of as “the site” while attending to daylight directs the focus of design on issues connected to material and time respectively. Questions regarding the building process challenge pre-conceptions and lead to sureness and sometimes innovation. Coupling managing light as a phenomenon as well as a resource with construction completes the introduction of the two elements. Drawing/designing at multiple scales simultaneously [rather than in a falsely assumed progression through scales for example] ensures the complexity of the primary considerations is always at the center of a projects development.

CLARITY IN ASSEMBLY

MINIMIZE WASTE

MAXIMIZE UTILITY

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R E S E A R C H D R I V E RS

CLARITY IN ASSEMBLYJust as the simple set of lines in an architect’s diagram set forth the critical relationships of a design, the critical junctures in a well-conceived building state the intentions, possibilities, and limits of an architecture. Drawing/designing/assembling these junctures is central and catalytic to clear re-solution. The clarity of a designer’s positioning is imperative to communicate.

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Bliska, T. | MATERIAL MATTERS 7

DRIVER 1 | CLARITY IN ASSEMBLY

Bliska, T. | MATERIAL MATTERS

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ASSEMBLY

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1. Copper Roof Panels2. Waterproofing Membrane3. Nailable Polyiso Insulation4. 3” Steel Decking5. Batt Insulation [between beams]6. Copper Flashing7. 1’ Hollow Steel Section Beam8. 1’ Steel Column9. Galvanized Steel Scupper10. Concrete Lintel w/ pocket for Steel Frame11. 16” x 8” x 8” CMU12. Wall Tie w/ insulation snap + drip profile13. 2 x 2” Rigid Insulation [R 20]14. Vertical Reinforcing [36” o.c.]15. Cavity Weep16. Grout17. Sloping Screed over Steel Decking 18. 8” I-Beam [pocket into cavity wall]19. 3/8” Bolt w/ Anchor Plate

20. Rebar tied into Concrete Foundation21. 4” Slab on Grade22. Damp-proofing Membrane23. Concrete Foundation w/ Strip Footing24. Gravel Fill25. “V” Profile Galvanized Steel Gutter26. Concrete Channel27. Sloped Concrete Parapet28. Concrete Anchor Block29. Vertical Anchor Plate [into outer conc. wall]30. 1.5” Travertine Veneer, tied to CMU [24” o.c.]31. 3/32” Galvanized Steel Sheet32. 8” x 4” x 8” Glass Block

D R I V E R 1 | C L A R I TY I N A SS E M B LY

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Sutton, P. + Kneller, L. | MATERIAL MATTERS


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Cross-Laminated Timber Panels [50 - 60 years]

Perforated Metal Rain Screen [35 - 50 years]

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Solar Chimney + Roof [60 - 70 years]

Perforated Metal Rain Screen [35 - 50 years]



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Barr, E. | MATERIAL MATTERS


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MINIMIZE WASTEIf from the beginning a building is perceived as a resource both as a whole and as a collection of parts, then the acts of dis-assembly and re-assembly are just as important to project as the initial assembly. No matter how or which terms we use to evaluate a design [efficient, carbon neutral, e.g.] it stands to reason that conserving new sources while re-utilizing existing resources is how we must proceed.

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DRIVER 2 | MINIMIZE WASTE

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D R I V E R 2 | M I N I M I Z E W A ST E

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Barker, C. + Chang, J. | MATERIAL MATTERS

The site of Dan River Cotton Mill’s Schoolfield Village is now the remnant of the once thriving manufacturer of textile goods in the south. Founded in 1903, the village was a self-sustaining community that housed recreational centers, housing, post offices, clinics and welfare buildings for its factory workers. Since its annexation in 1951, the 60-acre economic engine has largely been forgotten. As a collaborative work, we propose a two-part reconstruction strategy: first, to re-establish this post-production site into a public park through the construction of wastewater treatment infrastructure. Secondly, to establish vertical, utility prototypes to existing and new developments on site to reactivate economical and social dialogues between the site and residents of Danville, and beyond.

D R I V E R 2 | M I N I M I Z E W A ST E

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10/15 Birds Eye

Friday 10/17 Birds Eye Revised

Monday 9/29 Review

10/10 Perspectiive Revised

10/1 Axon Revised

10/29 Details Revised

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Aribreen, H. | MATERIAL MATTERS

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MAXIMIZE UTILITYIt should not be surprising that the construction of today is hyper-specific, thin, complicated, difficult to build and repair, and fragile almost to the point of ephemerality. It is only expected to be durable by the naïve and the hopeful. This is wasteful. Change some of these parameters and you might get buildings that can serve [before dis and re-assembly] multiple uses, prove to be robust and resilient, tough, and clearly assembled using a very limited material set that can be readily accessed, repaired, and re-used.

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Metcalf, R. | MATERIAL MATTERS

DRIVER 3 | MAXIMIZE UTILITY

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SITE PROGRAM: DECONSTRUCTION HUB

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Existing Industrial RailyardConcrete + Wood Recycling Processes

Aggregate Loading StationPallet Storage

Informal Teaching Space / CirculationTimber + Truss Grading + Storage

Misting GardenParkside Threshold

Modular Electric Rail ContainersResident Fabricator + Innovation Lab

Lecture HallStreet Threshold + Information

Business Administration + CommercialDeconstruction Demonstration House

Southeastern Vernacular Heritage CenterFF&E Retail Store

Metal SalvagingMetal + Glass ProcessingDanville Science Center

Danville Farmer’s Market

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D R I V E R 3 | M A X I M I Z E U T I L I TY

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Designing for deconstruction has been practiced in the past, but it has never become a common building practice. It is difficult, if not impossible, to deconstruct every component of a modern building envelope due to the functional and material integration of building systems. We ask: How can designers leverage the embodied energy of existing buildings while designing a structure that can be disassembled and reused?

From this inquiry emerges a strategy to de-couple assemblies and sub-assemblies that have unique functional and life-cycle expectancies into distinct and kinetic elements with complementary performative properties. In pointed contrast to a conventional sealed envelope, the assemblies of this design are not entirely codependent: pieces of the assembly can be taken apart and replaced without compromising the structure. Building elements with the longest life-spans and most dependencies in an assembly are constructed first and dismantled last. This makes the entire structure not only more resilient, but easier to take apart and reuse.

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Sutton, P. + Kneller L. | MATERIAL MATTERS


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This design proposal explores the ways in which deconstruction and material salvaging can spur regenerative economies and empower urban communities in post-industrial, post-housing boom

- and bust - landscapes. Danville, VA provides the social, economic, and spatial context in which to test the initiation of the Civilian Architectural Contingency Corps - a mobile deconstruction enterprise

committed to managing the harvested resources of the built environment, educating its enlisted corps members, supporting community outreach, and providing future resources for the cities it visits.

Modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps, the CACC would begin as a pilot program in Danville - de-constructing blighted buildings, mobilizing the harvested materials to processing facilities in the

city center, and managing the reintroduction of the vacated lots back into the public realm. The Corps members would be housed in mobile work camps deployed throughout the city.

Brown, A. + Suau, M. | MATERIAL MATTERS


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University of Virginia | Department of Architecture

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uva school of architecture, material matters

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