Blog 2: Current Assignments, Duties and Tasks

 Student Name: Stephanie Peterson     Date: April 15, 2022

 

Blog 2: Current Assignments, Duties and Tasks

 

(Describe and discuss current assignments, duties, and tasks of your internship at the host organization, this may include field work and/or off site activities.)

My current assignments include the final stages of construction of the demonstration structure, which will highlight natural building techniques and energy efficiency. I work mostly by myself, outside, and in many different areas of construction.  As far as the process of the structure, so far I have created a frame and started to apply a cob/adobe mixture to create the walls.  I have surrounded the building with large rocks on the exterior and earth bags on the interior and under the cob walls.  I have installed two large windows on the East facing wall, one small window on the south wall, and a front door facing west. The living roof is 2X6 rafters crossed with 2X4, covered in a waterproof liner and I am in the process of adding aggregate and appropriate soil medium for growing some very hardy plants on the roof.  

The use of natural, local, low-cost materials is extremely important.  This is a small building, but it is a way of learning what can be done and what can be upscaled and applied to residential homes. Because of my commitment to natural, local, low-cost materials, the labor and planning have been very intense—much more so than with conventional construction.  All of the sand/clay/dirt/soil I have been able to get for free from query and excavation sites, but I have had to shovel it by hand. The windows, the door, and most of the lumber was used enough that it needed to have nails, screws, or hardware removed.  Also, working with used windows and doors means the opening in the wall needs to be framed around the windows and doors, not framed first such as when one has a blue print and can order windows and doors to fit the house. I knew working with used, recycled, and up-cycled materials would be more of a challenge than working with new materials, however, I underestimated the amount of time spent planning and the various ways the plan can go awry and how important it is to have a plan but be able to improvise once it doesn’t work. I have a deeper respect for anyone who builds their own home, especially when money, materials, and/or tools are limited. 

As far as the research area goes, I have been compiling data on conventional building and natural building.  I really like to find local data, but there is very little.  I am also researching data from similar climates with regard to natural building. I have been doing a lot of research on the social and environmental harm that results from the typical way homes are currently built in southwest Florida.There is a strong polarization between the building companies, who deny most harm, and the “other” side (environmentalists, public health professionals, companies that sell “green” building materials, etc.) who claims extensive harm.  My research has narrowed down to searching each material, finding out how and where it is made, what chemicals and additives are used, how far it is shipped, how sustainably is it sourced, then cross checking the chemicals with credible articles and information about the associated health risks. This is very interesting work and I really enjoy learning about both building styles.