DAAP Alumnus Wins Competition Sponsored by the E.P.A.
DAAP grad Dave Fleming was just named the winner of a national design competition sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fleming, of Minneapolis, Minn., submitted his graduate-thesis project - titled "(Un)Modular Design for Deconstruction" - to the national "Lifecycle Building Challenge" and won. As a result, he just presented his winning project at the West Coast Green conference held in early October 2009 in San Francisco.
According to Fleming, "The best part of the project was the studio culture at UC in which I worked. Even though we had long hours, it was a lot of fun being there all night with everyone! And winning the contest made me remember why I worked so hard on my thesis, and it made it worth it."
That thesis design centered on a 25,000 square-foot construction trade school. It was a project that redefined "building" as a temporary resting place for materials to be traded, upgraded and reused. It showed the potential for a building to evolve with time as materials, fashions, technologies, and uses change. The adaptable structural system can create almost any column, beam and wall configuration. Rather than attempting to find an infinitely reusable module, the project creates a framework for creative materials reuse.
In other words, it was about designing an architectural process just as much as it was about designing a building. And that was the most challenging aspect of the project, stated Fleming. "It was difficult to balance the two. I was always interested in the system, but I wanted to find time to use the system to design a building," he explained.
As a building and a system, the project's environmental impact - or non-impact - is due to separable joints at multiple scales to minimize unnecessary demolition. So, building renovation becomes more economical. This ease of renovation extends a building's useful life which causes less material to be used, thus saving resources, reducing the carbon footprint and occupying less landfill space.
On his competition entry, Fleming explained: As reuse gives used materials additional value, there becomes an economic incentive to create longer lasting materials to increase resale values. Reusing reduces the carbon emissions of recycling, reduces landfill space and reduces virgin material usage.
In terms of green jobs, Fleming argued in his submission that creating a system where materials are easily deconstructed and sellable provides value for resale. The creative reuse of those materials separates the new application from the old and helps create value because any preconceptions of the material have been removed. Further value could be added to materials if manufactures owned materials and only sold the service of the material. It encourages them to manufacture materials for increased reuse possibilities because higher reuse possibilities means greater resale value and thus, greater profits.
Quick and safe deconstruction becomes just as important as construction, creating a large and thriving industry. Material reuse stores become necessary for exchange of building materials creating a large retail sector. Designing a creative reuse for existing materials provides additional work and creative outlets for architects/designers who are currently out of work.
Of course, that's not the end of the story. Fleming returned to the project this past summer after graduation, working on any number of details in preparation for the national E.P.A. "Lifecycle Building Challenge" competition.
"Only after I added the details was the project given any recognition. And that recognition of winning was the best part of entering the contest. I had the feeling there was some reward for working so hard, both in earning an architecture degree, and in continuing on the project even after graduation," he added.
Fleming is currently living in Minneapolis, doing freelance architectural/graphic design.
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