ecoMOD

After weeks of design, discussion and modification, the nearly-probably-final designs for ecoREMOD2 were presented to the field school. These included 3-D renderings of the kitchen, toilet and shower addition, a proposed ventilation system, and shed. The response was enthusiastic and it was great to see what everyone has been working on. However, there was some discussion about the Preservation aspect of the designs. Because the ADAPT house is created around and with a historic structure, the exploration of how the two buildings communicate and work together is crucial. A goal of ecoREMOD2 is to create something in balance between the historic house and the new addition that not only highlights the structure as one cohesive piece, but also leaves no doubt about what is new and what is old. If all that weren’t enough to juggle, the client’s wishes also must be taken into consideration.
Suggested links between the old and new included some pretty cool ideas including use of color, materials and texture, as well as variation of lumber dimensions.
It’s exciting to be moving from the design process to the creation of construction drawings and actual construction. Hopefully the sky stays clear for a few days so that the site can be graded and foundations layed.

While the ecoREMOD2 project progressed, field school students simultaneously executed detailed drawings in an ongoing attempt to document important buildings within the Falmouth Historic District. One of the more interesting of these documentation strategies took place at the Tharp House, the townhouse built by one of the wealthiest plantation owners to have resided in the parish. Here, what was initiated as a systematic attempt at structural stabilization and façade restoration quickly became focused on a new, extensive phase of building archaeology in the late 18th century townhouse. Many years of post-construction renovations and modifications had incorporated materials and construction technologies contemporary to the time periods in which these various interventions were undertaken. This resulted in many layers of multigenerational building fabric, which had – until recently – managed to conceal many original design compositions that were integral to the expression of the house’s initial stately presence and contextual responsiveness.

Overall, the continued direct observations of the Tharp House serve to assist in a more accurate reconstruction of this structure’s history and the way in which people occupied its spaces. It therefore gives greater insight to the way in which a certain demography lived centuries ago. As such, it plays an integral role in the reconstruction of the way of life of a society and any subsequent assessments of its evolution to the cultural practices that exist today.

-Ke Vaughn and Erika

After a week and a half of design sessions, deep dives and deconstructions, today was a welcome and equally engaging intermission. Following up on our visit to the Vernacular Architecture Forum’s keynote address last evening, we again joined this lively group on their plantation tour today. This morning we disembarked on a chronological tour of several historic locations along Jamaica’s northern coast. Accompanying us on this journey were three excellent scholars and tour guides, Elizabeth, Ivor Conolly, and Dr. Edward Chappell, that made the trip that much more informative and entertaining.

Our first stop was New Seville, a historically preserved (and currently being renovated) plantation site atop a picturesque hill. A fascinating first stop, its hillside included many accompanying attractions such as an old water wheel and sugar mill works, several old ruins, recreated slave gardens and dwellings, and even a recreated Taino (pre-Colonial indigenous peoples, likely of Central or South American descent) compound. Upon our exit we were reminded of the historical importance of this site as it was one of just a handful of sites in Jamaica with evidence of British, Spanish, and Taino settlement.

After this (in historical relevance and in our tour) we visited the ruins of the stunning fortress plantation of Stewart’s Castle, complete with two watch towers, countless gun holes and a fortified agricultural area. We speculated that such a defensive plantation was likely the result of paranoia of attack from both the enslaved population of Stewart’s plantation as well as the inland Maroons.

For lunch we appropriately visited Lantie’s Food Fa Life eatery, where we enjoyed the national meal of Saltfish and Ackee along with a delicious Rastafarian fruit smoothie. It was a fitting stop as Lantie’s eatery represents an early inspiration for ecoMOD’s Falmouth-based design, as it appropriates a modular design by reusing a shipping container.

After lunch, we made two more stops, first at the massive sugar works and slave hospital at Orange Valley, followed by the water wheel responsible for giving Falmouth the first system of running water in the Western hemisphere. Our final and most spectacular stop was at the Good Hope plantation. Situated a bit more inland, we were able to visit the preserved sugar works and various plantation buildings while enjoying picturesque views of the rolling Jamaican tropical forests.

It looks like tomorrow we’ll be finishing up installing the concrete footers for the house. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures tomorrow.

-Ethan Heil

While some of the historic preservationists continued to perfect their mylar renderings at the manse, others visited the Abby Villa, a mixed use Georgian style building built in the 1830’s and began a measured survey of the upper floor. Though the rain threatened and eventually heavily descended, that was not enough to stop our progress as the work continued inside the nog-framed construction. Everyone was fully engaged and eager to understand the design methods and uncover its design secrets which seemed to be a mystery. “It was pretty tedious at first but now I’m getting the hang of it”, said Laura, pleased with her first attempt at a measured drawing “It’s really soothing to sit here and draw.”
Meanwhile, progress on the construction site was drastically curtailed by the rain which hindered the progress of the back hoe. Eager to start grading as soon as possible, the team combined their strengths and filled the area with rocks so that the vehicle could have a better chance of getting through the mud with the hope that tomorrow would be a better day, especially with designs for the kitchen and bathroom quickly nearing completion. It looks promising that final (well, final is relative) drawings for the additions will be printed soon.
An unconventional dinner culminated the work day as the rain; which chose to hold nothing back, continued to descend and we were forced to be creative with our dining. Let’s hope that the sun will be out all day tomorrow and that we can make up for lost time.

Latoya & Stephanie

Who could imagine that when we finished the semester on May 13th that two weeks later we would have a new site, a new client and a new project name? Complications related to building ownership meant we had to shift quickly, and thanks to our fantastic partner organization, Falmouth Heritage Renewal, they found a new location, and a really nice client – Marja and his 3 year old daughter. We initially thought we could save the original house, replace termite damaged wood, and add a new bathroom and kitchen to the back. Unfortunately, after closer inspection, the termites had already had their way with the building, fully infesting over 90% of the building. Our preservation job became a rehab job. We disassembled the home in half a day, and sorted the materials by type. Windows, doors and some framing will be reused in the reconstructed version of the house. The new additions had to be completely redesigned from our previous location, and the interdisciplinary team has done a great job of going from 0 to 85% of design in the last week.

Along the way we have made many new friends, learned even more about Jamaica culture and building practices, and enjoyed a patty and a Red Stripe occasionally. The original team of UVA ecoMOD students has been significantly expanded to include other Falmouth Field School students from University of Technology in Kingston, University of Mary Washington and Lake Forest College.

Keep an eye out for further updates.

John Quale, ecoMOD Project Director — working on ecoREMOD2, the ADAPT house in Falmouth – (we now feel we have fully explored all definitions of the word ADAPT)

I arrived in Jamaica just over one week ago not knowing what to expect. I couldn’t possibly have imagined what this week would include – intense design sessions, cross-disciplinary meetings, site visits, and land-speed-record demolition. To say that we jumped into the project would be an understatement, and it was exciting to see this week’s rapid progression from conceptual diagram to preliminary plan. However, the most meaningful experience for me has been getting to know Jamaica, the town of Falmouth, and most importantly, our client. This week’s process has really been a synthesis between the preservation, engineering, and design skills we’ve all developed in school and the vital input provided both by the larger Jamaican cultural context and our client’s enthusiastic and thoughtful feedback. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of, and I can’t wait to see how the project comes together.

Greetings from Falmouth, Jamaica! Yesterday and today were ship days, transforming the town into a bustling, tourist-filled environment. Music can be heard from the streets inside the Manse; familiar songs put to a reggae beat. Vendors litter the streets with brilliant green, yellow, and red everything. Wednesday is also bend down market day, during which vendors from the surrounding areas come into falmouth and sell anything ranging from soaps, to toddlers shoes, to bags of cinnamon spice.

Yesterday marked the beginning of ecoREMOD2’s build portion of the project. After myriad conversations and analyses about the condition of the house on Albert Street, our historic preservation project turned into a rehabilitation. Luckily we were able to preserve two doors, several window sashes and frames, and several planks of wood. Although sad to see the house literally crumble beneath our hammers and crowbars, we look forward to further designing this project and being able to incorporate its historic value. We celebrated the night attending the opening speech of the Vernacular Architecture Forum conference, where we heard a thought provoking speech by the president of ICOMOS.

Today the historic preservationists continued transcribing their drawings of the house into mylar renderings, while the design team explored more intently the details of the addition. The schedule for the remainder of the week has been established and we hope to see the foundation poured by Friday.

We’ll keep you posted.

Over and out-

Marina and Effie