Hard Core Walls

Nuform© walls/forms during installation.
Note the internal webbing showing on each
side of the door.

On my most recent deployment to Afghanistan I had the opportunity to observe the construction of a concrete building using the Nuform© system. Nuform© uses a vinyl form that is set in place, filled with concrete, and then left to become both interior and exterior surfaces. The first time I ran into this system is when I read Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, and Construction.

Alexander tackled the idea of concrete pored into stay-in-place forms in pattern number "218 Wall Membrane." (Alexander divided his chapters into "patterns" each pattern contained an idea, proofs for the idea, and conected patterns on both a larger and smaller scale.) His version used site constructed forms that would resemble conventional concrete forming, but with a material that would be suitable to leaving in place. Alexander recommended materials such as plywood, brick, and gypsum board as form/wall material. All of which I see as seriously flawed in this usage.

A soldier sliding a Nuform© section to extend a wall.

Additionally, Alexander advocated using chicken wire instead of rebar and lightweight concrete with wider walls to make up for the lower strength of the lighter concrete. In the Nuform© system it uses normal concrete on the runny side, rebar, and the vinyl of the forms creates an internal webbing that improves the bulging issues that are a construction nightmare on any concrete project.

I'm not saying that any of these points makes Nuform© a system I like. The 6 inch walls are just too narrow to get the concrete to settle. Even with the runniest concrete specifications allowed and dedicated beaters hitting the walls to shake the concrete down, empty spots were left in the forms when the concrete was cured. The echo in this building was the worst I have encountered in any construction project I have observed, the vinyl provided no noticeable sound dampening.

In either method, making the walls straight and avoiding bulges is difficult. The use of so much embedded energy with the concrete is also a concern, as is the potential for chemical burns on the workers skin from wet concrete being poured overhead. Especially low grade concrete from a developing nation. 

I wonder if the concept of a stay-in-place form would be better applied to a rammed earth building or even cob (although I can't see how a form could improve cob.) With both of these earth construction systems I would use even thicker walls than Alexander recommended. A form material would have to be found to work with the earthen materials, vinyl has a high energy footprint, just like the concrete. 

Any vertical use of concrete requires heavy support and
bracing until the concrete is set. The weight of the concrete
is enough to throw the whole project into a jumbled mess
without the extra help.

I'm not sure I will ever find solutions to the problems I am seeing, but by looking at them I become a better designer and a better problem solver. And if we are ever going to make the world a better place those are two things that all of us need.

Old Houses in a Growing Town

I usually like photographing old homes in Provo. But this time around I went to Lehi, a nearby town where I did most of my growing up. While both have wonderful old homes, each city has developed with a different pattern.

For instance, an old neighborhood in Lehi is likely to have filled in more slowly. This makes it so that you are more likely to have a hundred year spread between one house and the next. This is great if the house you are looking at is an original farm house or a 20's bungalow. But not so great if it is a split entry or a McMansion.

This house is much newer than I usually take pictures of,
but the later addition of a porch created a much more
comfortable feel to the house.

Old areas of Provo are likely to have a seven foot or wider boulevard strip. This is a great spot that can handle large trees and gives a buffer between the road and the house. Lehi is more likely to have a dirt and gravel strip, suitable for parking only, between the side walk and the road. This does create a more open feel, but the potential for trees and flowers is greatly reduced.

Regardless, I enjoy the old structures in both places and hope that we will start building more houses that are up to being admired a hundred years from now.

Bright and Shiny

One of the new denizens of progress in Provo. While I don't object to a new conference center, I wish they had designed it with more charm and less glitter and flash. This is especially important since the site is in the historic center of the town. 

A clue could have been taken from the buildings they demolished to make room for it. Color of the brick could have been matched in some of the glass that is not needed for its translucence. 

Larger sections of traditional materials could have been incorporated throughout the exterior to tie the building into the surrounding cityscape. 

Adornments echoing late 19th and early 20th styles could have been added to show respect for the past of the area.

Instead, Provo now has a new building that says nothing about Provo except they are desperate to be something else. Something new, something fresh, something--bland.

So there you have it. But then again, I'm just a gardener, maybe I have it wrong. Please, tell me what you think...

Old Houses

I love old houses. The charm, wit and character is rarely matched with new construction, despite the efforts of some contemporary designers and architects.

Part of the problem is that current construction practices affect the final project. How can you get the same feeling on a house if you replace bead board with vinyl or three layered stucco with a single stucco layer over foam insulation? 

A bigger concern to me is the design. Modern designers are masters of efficiency regarding cost and materials usage, as well as in creating seamless floor plans.

This design stagnation leads to houses that look and feel much the same and have no room for experimentation. And no room for the residents to flex into later. Have you ever gone into an old house and seen a space that isn't used and realize that it perfectly matches a need that you have? I have. It is a wonderful discovery.

I know, old houses aren't perfect, and they aren't for everyone. There certainly aren't enough around for us to all live in. But maybe, if we respect them and learn from them, we will make houses that are more pleasant for ourselves and our great-grandchildren.