Covington Farmers Market

Covington Farmers Market

26. settembre 2011

Covington Farmers Market
2011

Covington, VA

Client
Olde Town Covington

Architect
design/buildLAB

Professors
Keith Zawistowski, Assoc AIA, GC
Marie Zawistowski, Architecte DPLG

Student Team
Anne Agan
Emily Angell
Zachary Britton
Chris Cromer
German Delgadillo
Chris Drudick
Cody Ellis
Jacob Geffert
Rachel Gresham
Shannon Hughes
Elizabeth Madden
Ryan McCloskey
Andrew McLaughlin
Brett Miller
Elizabeth Roop
Erin Sanchez
Sara Woolf

Structural Engineer
Draper Aden and Associates – Dave Spriggs, PE

Truss Engineer
Timber Truss

Contractor
design/buildLAB

Site Work
Hammond and Mitchell, Blake Construction

Recycled Paving
Lanford Brothers, Alleghany Asphalt

Equipment
RSC

Galvalume Roofing
NB Handy, B&M Sheet Metal

LED Lighting
Traxon

Locust Decking
Blue Ridge Lumber

Trusses
Timber Truss

Structural Steel
JenFab

Plumbing Fixtures
Toto

Rainwater Collection
Plastic-mart.com, Efkay Sales, Davey Pumps

Doors
VT Industries

Hardware
Assa Abloy

Windows
Marvin

Wiring & Controls
State Electric

Ceiling Fan
Modern Fan Company

Pine Rain Screen
Union Church Millworks

Furniture
Heller, Herman Miller

Site Area
15,500 sf

Building Area
4,500 sf

Photos
Jeff Goldberg, Esto

View of entrance from Main Street (Photo: Jeff Goldberg, Esto)

What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project?

The design/buildLAB is a third year architecture studio at the Virginia Tech, School of Architecture + Design focused on the research, development and implementation of innovative construction methods and architectural designs. Students collaborate with local communities and experts to develop concepts and propose solutions to real world problems. The goal of this course is to teach students the skills necessary to confront the design and realization of architecture projects, with a consciousness for social and environmental issues. By removing the abstraction from the making of architecture, the course engages students’ initiative and encourages them to ask fundamental questions about the nature of practice and the role of the architect.

The City of Covington is emblematic of many rural American factory towns struggling with little economic development. The Farmers Market was formed with no resources by a group enterprising Farmers. They had been operating on an open parking lot for some time but lacked a shelter and the means to realize one. The organization approached design/buildLAB for help. In addition to the design, administration and construction work, the design/buildLAB worked to secure funding for the project, including $119,000 grant from the Alleghany Foundation to cover material costs.

Twilight view of market in context (Photo: Jeff Goldberg, Esto)

How does the completed building compare to the project as designed? Were there any dramatic changes between the two and/or lessons learned during construction?

One of the many challenges in design/build as a pedagogical model is that the students rarely have experience in building construction and thus don’t know what they don’t know. That is, they often think that a schematic level of design is ready for construction. This leads to many surprises on the jobsite as the student designer/builders scramble to resolve unconsidered conditions. In the case of the Covington Farmers Market Project the students were encouraged and guided to complete a set of highly detailed construction documents and specification prior to any building work. In this way, the project was realized largely as conceived, helping to ensure that the building would remain a durable, low maintenance asset of the community to which it was gifted.

Market in operation (Photo: Jeff Goldberg, Esto)

How does the building compare to other projects in your office, be it the same or other building types?

The design/buildLAB is currently working toward the realization of an outdoor amphitheatre, stage and band shell in the town of Clifton Forge Virginia. This project, in an impoverished rail town, seeks to build on the successes of the Covington Farmers Market and to realize a building which is genuinely public and belongs to a broad cross section of the community. It will be similar is scale and scope to the Farmers Market. This building type will require the students to study other performance space: their programs, their infrastructure and equipment, and their acoustical performance. The students will collaborate with theater consultants and acousticians to ensure that this highly specialized building type is executed in a way that functions for the community.

Plan

How does the building relate to contemporary architectural trends, be it sustainability, technology, etc.?

Because all goods sold at this market are required to be produced within a 100-mile radius, this distance became a goal for the procurement of construction materials. Essential to this approach was the use of recycled building materials in the construction, in particular the re-use of wood salvaged from an old barn in a neighboring town. Additional, new lumber, including locust decking and yellow pine cladding for the project were sourced from locally sawn timbers.

Digital fabrication played a substantial role in the sustainability of the project by maximizing structural efficiency and minimizing waste.

In terms of limiting water and energy use, the project incorporates a rain water collection system, LED lighting and natural ventilation. A 1,200-gallon cistern collects water from the roof and is used for watering the park and flushing toilets. LED lighting ensures long bulb life and extremely low energy consumption. Further, the pavilion roof was designed with an inverted ceiling to facilitate stack effect ventilation and eliminate the need for mechanical cooling.

Finally, the asphalt surface from the site’s previous parking lot was milled and stored through construction to be repurposed as a new permeable, compacted, parking area.

E-Mail Interview conducted by John Hill

Project Model
Modular assembly (Photo: Jeff Goldberg, Esto)

Covington Farmers Market
2011

Covington, VA

Client
Olde Town Covington

Architect
design/buildLAB

Professors
Keith Zawistowski, Assoc AIA, GC
Marie Zawistowski, Architecte DPLG

Student Team
Anne Agan
Emily Angell
Zachary Britton
Chris Cromer
German Delgadillo
Chris Drudick
Cody Ellis
Jacob Geffert
Rachel Gresham
Shannon Hughes
Elizabeth Madden
Ryan McCloskey
Andrew McLaughlin
Brett Miller
Elizabeth Roop
Erin Sanchez
Sara Woolf

Structural Engineer
Draper Aden and Associates – Dave Spriggs, PE

Truss Engineer
Timber Truss

Contractor
design/buildLAB

Site Work
Hammond and Mitchell, Blake Construction

Recycled Paving
Lanford Brothers, Alleghany Asphalt

Equipment
RSC

Galvalume Roofing
NB Handy, B&M Sheet Metal

LED Lighting
Traxon

Locust Decking
Blue Ridge Lumber

Trusses
Timber Truss

Structural Steel
JenFab

Plumbing Fixtures
Toto

Rainwater Collection
Plastic-mart.com, Efkay Sales, Davey Pumps

Doors
VT Industries

Hardware
Assa Abloy

Windows
Marvin

Wiring & Controls
State Electric

Ceiling Fan
Modern Fan Company

Pine Rain Screen
Union Church Millworks

Furniture
Heller, Herman Miller

Site Area
15,500 sf

Building Area
4,500 sf

Photos
Jeff Goldberg, Esto

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