Pin-up

We met with Greg Slowik and Liska Chan to get feedback on where we were headed. At this point, we had developed an initial budget. The wood composite deck would be the most costly material for the design. One primary critique was to utilize sloped landscape in order to reduce costs. One precedent that we were able to search out was the Moss St. Child Care Center, which does this. By berming the land gradually, poured concrete acted as the ramp and the design did not require handrails.

Design Charette

Here are some schemes generated from our first design charettes.

Ramp divides yard, small gathering spaces along edges

Separation of gathering spaces

Permeable edge with intermediate buffer space

Extension from the house

Ramp embracing the gathering space

Overlapping zones of activity

Small gathering spaces along edges

Positioning deck to relate to entry

Organic "question mark" scheme

Client Meeting

Our first client meeting gave us an opportunity to learn more about SASS and who the project is intended for. We learned that many of the people who seek SASS's services do not actually visit the premises. Most of the work occurs over the telephone. Nonetheless, our client has asked us to respect the fact that survivors, along with friends and family, do visit the offices from time to time. 

We also discovered some of their priorities for the yard. Since SASS relies completely on volunteer labor for their yard maintenance, the plant and materiality that will be selected should require no maintenance. For design development, we will need to focus on materials that weather well and plants that do not require to much upkeep.  

 Our client also mentioned that the space should be inclusive and allow anyone, despite physical disability, to access the yard. This would require a ramp to be built to reach the ground and surfaces to be smooth enough for handicap or blind people to utilize. 

 One other request was to make the space as safe and secure as possible, but to make sure that a false sense of security is instilled. Visual and acoustical privacy should be taken into account in case people may want to have a private conversation in the yard.

Site Diagramming

Here are some quick diagrams we have created to better understand the site as it is.

After our site visit, there a couple major areas we would like to focus on. The main area of course would be the deck space and how people reach the ground from the kitchen. Another area would be the small retreat circle because there seems to be a need to preserve a small space for one or two people. Lastly, bringing our attention to the entry and how we can keep the yard safe but accessible at the same time.

Site Visit

Here are some pictures from our very first site visit. Here we were able to get a sense of what we will be working with. The yard is quite large and has some very important elements that we chose to focus on. 

Specifically, there is a 40 inch drop from the kitchen floor to the ground, so to ensure ADA access, we will not quite a bit of sloped surface. We see the kitchen as a focal point for gathering inside the house. Here, people come to chat, grab a snack or coffee, and even bring some work to do. It also serves as the main connection to the outdoors.

The entry serves as a possible threat to SASS's security since there is no locked gate. Employees sometimes lock their bikes here and bike theft has become an issue. Also, there have been problems with people sleeping in the backyard. 

In the south-east corner of the yard is a small round retreat space. Some users have expressed that they like this place and go there when alone. There is a small bench and some staked stones, but the space could use much improvement.

Our Team

Here is a picture of us at our first official meeting, a potluck of course. (Left to right: Amber, Reina, Guillaume, Bryan, Alex, Whitney, and Chris)

WELCOME!

We are Team Strata. We are a part of designBridge, University of Oregon's student-run design-build group dedicated to projects within the community. At the moment, we are working on a project for the Sexual Assault Support Services in Eugene, OR. This blog will be a place for us to record our progress and for you to see what is happening.