Week 8
 |
| This is a typical layout of a drip irrigation system and the layout we will be using for Sanctuary Farm. |
 |
| A rough sketch of the rain catchment and storage system |
This week we began to map out the layout of the irrigation system and began to sketch the rain catchment and storage system. We also meet with Andrea Vettori at our weekly EWB domestic meeting. We discussed possible solutions to the lack of water from rainfall. We have decided to remove the last bed on the right in the first row. Doing so will allow us to put in a pavilion with picnic tables. The roof can then be used to collect more rainfall. The structure will also provide Project HOME with a space to hold classes for members of the community. Because it is near the end of the term, the design and construction of this new structure will not be included in our ENGR 103 project but will instead be taken care of by EWB domestics.
Week 7
 |
| Above is a visual representation of our calculated water budget for the month of March based off of 2016's precipitation values. The light blue is the amount of water from rainfall, the intermediate blue is water from tap, and the dark blue is water from storage. |
This is week we constructed our draft final report and submitted it to our adviser, Mira Olson. The pictured graph is included in our draft to show how the water budget works. As you can see, the water collected from rainfall alone is not nearly enough to sustain the farm. We have made Andrea Vettori, director of Project HOME, aware of this fact. We are currently in the process of brainstorming ways to collect more water so that less water has to be drawn from tap.
The installation of the fence began this week. Unfortunately, the augur being used to dig the holes for the posts broke. It was also discovered that the location of the gas lines was unknown. Because of this, the fence is still not it. Andrea Vettori is working on determining the location of the gas lines. It is unclear when the fence will be installed.
Week 6
 |
| The outline of the beds are laid out before construction begins. |
 |
| The beds are in! |
This week was build day! The lease of the land has finally gone through, thus allowing us to begin construction at the site. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 13, but due to rain, was pushed back to Sunday, May 14. Due to Mother's Day, attendance was less than expected, but we were still able to get the beds in. There's still a lot of work to do before the garden is up and running, but progress is being made!
Week 5
 |
| The plot of land where Sanctuary Farm will be built (N 24th St & W Berks St) |
 |
| Project HOME Director, Andrea Vettori (left) meets with EWB president John Henderson (middle) and the rest of the EWB domestic team during our weekly meeting. |
This week we had the opportunity to visit the plot of land where Sanctuary Farm will be located. It is on the corner of N 24th St and W Berks St in North Philadelphia. After visiting the site, we realized the current fence does need to be removed. It is not tall enough, nor is it the right distance from the sidewalk on either side. Cleanup and removal of the fence will occur at the Service Day on Saturday, May 13.
During our weekly Thursday night meeting, we sat down with Project HOME Director, Andrea Vettori, to discuss budget and clarify a few design details in regards to the rain catchment and drip irrigation system. In regards to last weeks delay on the building of the shed, we are still working to advance that construction so that the farm can be up and running before next Fall.
Week 4
Tasks
|
Week
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
Background Research
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Site Evaluation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obtain Daily Precipitation Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Calculate Water Budget
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Begin Fence Construction at Site
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Construct Irrigation System
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Approval by Community Engineering Corps
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preparation for Presentation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Above is the updated timeline for our project. The new timeline reflects the time spent on calculations for the Water Budget. The installation of the system is excluded as it is very likely that the system will not be installed before the end of the term. We learned this week that the organization building the shed, that is to be used as the rain catchment system, is not able to finish the shed until August. We are in the process of exploring all of our options to advance the construction of the shed.
Week 3
This week, we received the proposed dimensions for the raised beds and shed roof from Project Home's director, Andrea Vettori. We have also obtained data on Philadelphia's daily rainfall in 2016 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With this information, we began developing Sanctuary Farm's water budget using Microsoft Excel. We plan to make this water budget user-friendly by organizing information in a coherent and aesthetically appealing manner and by making conditions easy to change in case it were to be integrated into another project. We also plan to create graphs to show the information visually.
 |
| Water budget's overview sheet displays information used in calculations and monthly all summaries. |
 |
| Water budget's typical month sheet shows our progress being made to accurately calculate water supply and demand. |
We have also began developing a layered floor plan for Sanctuary Farm's plot using AutoCAD 2015. We plan to include: dimensions and locations of raised beds, water lines, fences, shed, furniture, etc.
 |
| Sanctuary Farm's floor plans (work in progress) |
Week 2
 |
| Rayna Newkirk works on the water budget during our Engineering 103 lab section |
 |
| Weekly meeting with the rest of the EWB domestic design team |
This week we started calculating the water budget by determining the amount of rainfall Philadelphia receives per month during the growing season. Unfortunately, we still do not know the square footage of the shed being used as the rain catchment system. Because of this, the water budget is only partially finished.
We also had our first meeting of the spring term last Thursday with the rest of the EWB domestic design team. We learned that due to a disagreement between parties over the leasing of the Sanctuary Farm's site, the start of the on site project is being pushed back two weeks at least. Because of this, while we will remain hopeful, we are concerned about completing the project within the 10 week term. EWB domestic design meetings are every Thursday at 7pm in the ExCITE Center, feel free to stop by and learn even more!
Week 1
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment