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Political Ply- An Arid Zone Shade Structure.
“Political Ply” explores methods of re-purposing existing materials in the formation of a temporary arid-zone shade structure. The project is a modular shade structure that is designed for arid zone environments and incorporates an evaporative cooling mechanism. This approach extends the design life cycle of a material which would normally be discarded after its original purpose was fulfilled. The material chosen is corrugated polypropylene, a common material for political campaign signage.
In the first place this project is based on an adaptation of existing materials. Its main aspects are:
1. The structure is composed of hexagons, a shape which can be tessellated, while maintaining strength in all directions. This shape also allows for a modular approach to building the structure. Each cell is a self contained cooling structural component with a shading cloth, cooling cloth, and unique hand-pumped mister system. Each module is connected together using an aluminum “U” bracket hardware and bolted through. This material (3mm plastic twin wall sheet) was adapted though waterjet segments cut from the original 8x4 sheets that were then folded and laminated to form the individual units. Tessellation and folding patterns were resolved in advance by using simple developable surface unfolding and nesting techniques. 2. Repurposed “Voss” water bottles with bicycle valves and misting heads that are hand pumped to provide a distributed layer of moister to the evaporative cooling surface. This aspect of the project provided heat stress values that were measured and replayed to the user via embedded sensors and over the web. 3. Wikking fabrics developed from organic cotton and designed to form an evaporative cooling surface within each cell. 4. Re-purposing of dimensional lumber that was cut into flexible strips to form glu-lam supports. These strips were initially tested in terms of their bend tolerances against an desired profile of a three pronged support that transferred the forces of the roof structure to the ground.
In addition to these aspects of material adaptation the project is also designed for disassembly and transportation to new locations. Each hexagonal cell is tapered to allow cells to stack together for convenient transportation. All other components then fit within the void at the center of this stack to further minimize the travel efficiency.
The key environmental implication of this entry is a reduction of landfill waste. During electoral cycles the sign board material (usually 5/32” corrugated polypropylene 8x4 sheet) appears in abundance at street corners and at major intersections across the city. After a short life (2-3 months) it is chipped and sent to a landfill site. An example of its volume for Arizona is 156,000 8x4 sheets per annum. This equals volume of 65K cubic feet of landfill. In addition to reducing this figure these re-purposed shade canopies would offset the need for new ones and, by implication the embodied energy required in the additional raw material used. The material embodied energy would not incorporate the energy used in cutting forming and assembling which would be assumed to be equal in both cases. An additional environmental implication of this proposition would be to increase the use of outdoor spaces replacing the load on a/c controlled spaces with evaporative cooled zones. (see below)
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The project also provides and aspect of research by incorporating a heat stress sensor within the structure in a way that would relay the changing contours of heat stress index on the fly. Here the information relay is intended to work via a wireless connection to a webpage from which heat stress information can be accessed. We also envision making this information available to Haque Research Pachube i.e. “A web service that enables people to tag and share real time sensor data from objects, devices and spaces around the world, facilitating interaction between remote environments, both physical and virtual”. The users receives information digitally and can respond by seeking out thermal comfort zones.
