Progress 08/01/17 to 03/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The project has continued with its original focus which was to establish a teaching program to assist in rebuilding efforts in the communities of Lake and Calaveras counties that were devastated by the 2016 wildfires. Sadly, in 2017 horrible wildfires again struck Northern California, this time destroying more than 5000 homes in Napa and Sonoma counties. "This is truly one of the greatest if not the greatest tragedy that California has ever faced," said California Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month (https://www.facebook.com/ABC10tv/videos/10155263485255000/)."The devastation is just unbelievable, it's a horror that no one could have imagined." Building departments in all of the affected counties have responded by initiating expedited plan checking procedures. Volunteer organizations such as Rebuild Our Community, Inc which was organized by builder David Lawson, (insert photo of Picard Residence) have begun to assemble the teams required to get displaced homeowners back into permanent housing. These teams comprised of architects, engineers, geologists, builders, bankers, and volunteers work together to find the most efficient and resilient building systems. In order to prepare for the "boots on the ground" component of Phase II, Watershed Materials recently opened an internship program to finalize the design and fabrication of the transportable plant. Our first intern, Brian Poirtier, a recent mechanical engineering graduate from Princeton, began work on June 1, 2018. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Numerous contacts and local advocates have been established in Lake County, CA including Congressman Mike Thompson. On October 24th and 25th of 2017, Watershed Materials hosted three community focus group meetings attended by a total of 21 Lake County residents, government officials, business owners, fire victims and other local stakeholders to discuss and answer questions about the proposed project, collect community feedback and conduct a socio-economic study following a "Livelihood Strategies" approach under the guidance of UC Davis collaborator Anne Visser, a PhD in the Sociology department whose work is focused on economic revitalization of economically depressed rural areas. The meetings also included a survey of conditions in the county and general responses to the proposed project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Success of the project depends on the ability to develop a block manufacturing facility that is capable of producing high performance masonry building units from available feedstocks while at the same time being economical and rapidly deployable. Major strides have been made in Phase I toward this goal, as described in Section 1 below. HIghlights of the findings in this area are (1) a mixing machine which combines the tasks of proportion, blending, watering, and high-shear mixing, and (2) a block press capable of generating ultra high compressive force in order to produce masonry units of maximum dry density. Engineering drawings, test results, and financial models included in the Appendices confirm that the work undertaken in Phase I has met the original milestones laid out in the Phase I application and are track to support a successful Phase II application. A new analytical protocol based on Rietveld refinements was successfully applied to characterize raw materials. The mineralogy and gradation of the soil were optimized to produce blocks exceeding ASTM C90 requirements and freeze-thaw durability recommendations of the National Concrete and Masonry Association for blocks to be placed in service in the northern regions of USA. Community meetings were held, initial contacts made with local officials and stakeholders and a thorough socioeconomic impact assessment was prepared by Sociology professor Anne Visser analyzing relevant characteristics of the pilot project county and potential effects of and barriers to the project. The report summary states, "the project is positioned to address social challenges facing Lake County by providing jobs and promoting economic opportunity in the region. By revitalizing and improving the housing stock of the county over the long-term, the project can also help attract and retain young people and families to Lake County which can increase demand for new businesses and industries in the local economy (thereby creating more jobs)." Work has been done on the life-cycle assessment, architectural and engineering drawings have been prepared and initial contacts have been made with relevant officials.
Publications
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