During the summer of 2024 from early May until early August, I interned at Chase Design Services in Concord, MA. I was assigned three main projects: developing a rainwater collection and irrigation system on Project #32, a housing project in Bedford MA, creating and compiling a materials library for the firm, and building a 1/8" site model of Project #32.
Rainwater Collection and Distribution:
After analyzing the site and the macro and micro climate, it was deemed that the best solution would be to install the 3,000-gallon cisterns to allow for easy water collection and distribution via gravity-fed irrigation. If the client doesn't want to spend extra money for storage and irrigation on the site, installing at least one cistern would allow for independence in the case of any emergency that leads to water being cut off to the house (the client prioritizes being prepared for any emergency).
Materials Library:
With so many types of building materials, the firm wanted a library with all necessary information such as installation instructions, CAD details, spec sheets, and suppliers/distributors. From there, I proposed a website for this material library in an attempt to keep clients, architects, builders, and anyone else in the loop. A QR code system is in the process of being implemented to link physical samples to the website.