How Bensonwood Builds a Wall That Works

The University of Utah DesignBuildBLUFF Architecture Program is currently constructing a project named Fire Mesa, featuring beautiful rammed earth walls. This initiative involves a graduate studio of up to sixteen students from the University of Utah School of Architecture, who relocate over 300 miles to the remote DesignBuildBLUFF campus in Bluff, Utah, near the Navajo Nation’s northernmost chapters. For a significant portion of the spring semester, these students transform their architectural designs into a habitable structure. The program mandates that students design a pre-identified architectural project during the preceding fall semester, intended to benefit the Navajo Nation within the tribal area of southern Utah. This year's project, Fire Mesa, is situated next to the Bluff Community Center off Mulberry Avenue. Its name is derived from a 20-foot-long fire trough designed to be located beneath a generous canopy structure. The primary goal of Fire Mesa is to create a welcoming space that encourages the Navajo and Bluff communities to gather and engage in social activities throughout the year. A community kitchen will also be integrated under the same canopy, further facilitating community interaction. The rammed earth walls, constructed on the southwest and southeast sides of the structure, serve multiple purposes. They provide a striking backdrop for the fire trough and are designed to harmonize with the surrounding natural landscape. The construction of these walls is being supported by experienced professionals, Brad and Roger from Earth Wall Builders, whose expertise in rammed earth construction is evident across Utah. Their assistance is crucial for the students in realizing their design. Construction of Fire Mesa commenced on January 11 with the groundbreaking ceremony. The progress of the project is regularly documented on the students' blog, providing weekly updates and insights into the building process. An earlier blog entry from January 22, titled “Now we Build,” features a captivating drone flyover of the construction site, offering a unique perspective on the ongoing work. The blog serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in following the development of this innovative architectural project and observing the application of rammed earth construction techniques by university students in a community-focused initiative. #EarthWall #RammedEarthConstruction #CommunityProject #NavajoNation #UniversityOfUtah #ArchitectureProgram #DesignBuildBLUFF #SustainableBuilding #BluffUtah

The article discusses a shifting trend in home design, moving away from the popular open-concept floor plan towards more defined, separate gathering spaces. This change is largely influenced by recent lifestyle shifts, particularly the increased time spent at home due to the global pandemic, which led many individuals to re-evaluate their living environments. The open-concept layout, previously favored for its ability to create a sense of spaciousness and an unobstructed view across living, dining, and kitchen areas, is now being reconsidered by homeowners and designers alike. Design experts, such as Lindsay Speace of Lindsay Speace Interior Design and Taylor Hill of Taylor Hill Interior Design, observe that people are recognizing the functional necessity of walls. With more family members working or attending school from home, there is a growing need for sound attenuation and clearer separation between different activities. Walls are no longer just structural elements but are valued for their ability to provide distinct atmospheres for various rooms, allowing for more flexible and unique design opportunities. Kathryn Lott of Kathryn Lott Designs emphasizes the return to appreciating a designated purpose for each room, like a living room being solely a living room. One of the primary benefits of defined gathering spaces is their ability to contain noise and clutter, making it easier to manage daily household items such as children's toys and craft supplies. From a design perspective, defined rooms offer greater latitude for customization compared to open-concept layouts, where a single large space must be broken into zones. This allows designers to incorporate a wider variety of textiles and art, enhancing the character and mood of each individual area. Despite this emerging trend, the article acknowledges that open-concept designs still hold appeal for many homeowners, especially families. The absence of barriers and clear sightlines can be advantageous for keeping an eye on children or facilitating social interaction during gatherings. Open concepts have also become synonymous with more casual living, with features like informal dining spaces and large kitchen islands becoming staples. The choice between open and defined layouts ultimately depends on individual lifestyle needs and preferences. For homeowners with open-concept homes who desire more defined spaces without undertaking major renovations, the article offers practical solutions. Designers suggest utilizing furniture and decor to create visual boundaries. For instance, placing a console with tall lamps behind a sofa can delineate a living area from a dining space. Additionally, area rugs are recommended for zoning different functional areas within an open floor plan, and creating multiple seating arrangements can foster a cozier, more intimate ambiance. These strategies allow individuals to achieve a sense of separation and coziness, adapting their existing layouts to better suit their evolving needs. #HomeDesignTrends #OpenConcept #DefinedSpaces #InteriorDesign #HomeRenovation #PandemicImpact #FunctionalLiving #ResidentialArchitecture #DecoratingTips

Retaining walls are an essential landscaping element that can transform sloped terrains into functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces for outdoor living, play, and planting. Beyond their primary role in preventing soil erosion and managing grade changes, these structures introduce design elements that enhance the visual appeal of a landscape. The strategic placement and material selection of retaining walls contribute significantly to the overall ambiance and utility of an outdoor environment. Selecting the appropriate material for a retaining wall is crucial to ensure it complements the existing home and landscape. When this integration is successful, homeowners experience a sense of satisfaction and excitement about their outdoor spaces. This article presents three distinct project profiles that showcase various applications and benefits of retaining walls, offering insights and inspiration for landscape professionals. The first project details the creation of multi-functional areas on a corner lot where a 1950s house was replaced with a larger home. The unique positioning of the new house necessitated the redefinition of yard spaces. The client, with young children, required a level play area. Landscape designer Jody Shilan addressed this by altering the driveway's grade and incorporating a 2-foot-high, 35-foot-long L-shaped dry-laid granite wall. This wall not only retained the slope but also served as seating for children during play, exemplifying the multi-use philosophy. Additionally, two 20-foot-long, 2-foot-high walls with integrated steps were designed for the front walkway, defining the front yard and adding visual interest and formality to the property. A key challenge was the difficulty in shaping the granite, but the choice of material ensured a cohesive look with the house's foundation. The second project, located on a 5-acre hillside in Colorado, focused on carving out usable space and managing drainage for a new home. The property had a significant 15-percent slope towards the house. Paul Fredell, president of Fredell Enterprises, designed retaining walls to divert runoff and create flat areas for a children's play space, a patio, and planting beds. The homeowners selected a neutral brown/gray ledge stone, dry-laid by hand, ensuring a premium finish. A 175-foot-long retaining wall secured the back of the house, while a series of terraced walls in the front facilitated planting and level outdoor areas. A unique feature was a stream-like water element integrated into these walls, falling 8 feet over a 16-foot run. The project faced challenges with local code enforcement regarding slope ratios and wall height, requiring extensive sub-base preparation with crushed-gravel footers. Water seepage during excavation behind the house was managed by backfilling the wall with pea gravel and installing a drainage system. In the third project, the objective was to connect outdoor and indoor living spaces seamlessly. The homeowners desired an expanded backyard living area with dining, sitting, and a small outdoor kitchen, directly accessible from their indoor kitchen and family room. The existing backyard grade was lower than the house's walk-out level, and an old deck with a sunken spa limited entertainment space. Terry McMahon and Amie Armstrong of Borst Landscape and Design proposed replacing the deck with a raised patio using a retaining wall. A 70-foot-long, 4-foot-high dry-laid colonial bluestone wall created a 450-square-foot level patio. Two sets of Karney stone steps provided backyard access. To comply with local codes and soften the patio's appearance, 2-foot-wide planting beds were incorporated between the wall and the patio, eliminating the need for a handrail. A significant challenge was matching the hardscaping material with the red brick clad house, with bluestone being chosen for its aesthetic contrast. The design also had to accommodate existing shade trees, leading to an asymmetrical patio shape and complex construction of linear steps within curved sections, requiring meticulous craftsmanship. The result successfully transformed the backyard into a cohesive and elegant extension of the indoor living areas. #RetainingWalls #LandscapeDesign #Hardscaping #OutdoorLiving #GradeManagement #PatioDesign #DrainageSolutions #StoneMasonry #ConstructionChallenges

Rich Kubica, owner of K-Wall Poured Walls, LLC, has dedicated his career to the concrete foundation and wall industry, following in his father's footsteps who founded Jerry Kubica Foundations in the 1950s. After his father's retirement and the business closure, Rich revived K-Wall in Traverse City, Michigan, in 1992, later inventing the E-Max insulated wall system, now sold by Western Forms. In 2006, Kubica relocated his family and business to Asheville, North Carolina, and began operations in 2007. The economic downturn of 2008 posed significant challenges, leading to the collapse of many concrete wall contractors in the region. However, K-Wall Poured Walls survived by diversifying its services. Kubica's strategy included expanding into footing and wall projects, flatwork, gypsum concrete underlayment applications for multi-family units, decorative concrete, and epoxy floor coating jobs. This diversification allowed the company to maintain operations when housing construction, and consequently poured wall demand, declined. As the economy gradually recovered and competitors re-emerged, Kubica identified a growing market for precast walls, particularly in the mountainous Asheville area. Several factors influenced his decision to incorporate precast walls into his offerings. The limited availability of ready-mix concrete in the region presented a logistical challenge. Additionally, the heavily engineered walls required in Western North Carolina, due to the terrain, led to thick walls, substantial footings, and extensive rebar, significantly increasing the cost of traditional poured wall foundations to the point where they were deemed too expensive for typical homeowners. A crucial development was the 2012 IRC Code Book, which, for the first time, recognized precast walls, moving them from a proprietary product status to a widely accepted construction method. Another significant driver for adopting precast walls was the increasing difficulty in finding skilled and dedicated labor for the demanding work of pouring concrete walls. Kubica noted a shift in work ethic among younger generations compared to his own experiences. Precast walls offer a less labor-intensive solution, as they are manufactured in a factory setting under controlled conditions. Installation primarily involves a crane and minimal manual labor, making the process more attractive to both experienced and new workers. This approach reduces physical strain and streamlines the construction timeline. Kubica partnered with Ron Ward, CEO of Structura Technologies, to develop the MonoKast Precast Wall system. While precast walls had been observed for two decades, their timing was not previously optimal due to lack of code recognition, proprietary status, and higher costs compared to traditional methods. However, advancements now allow for the use of 70 percent less concrete in precast walls, making them a more efficient and cost-effective option. The MonoKast system is manufactured at K-Wall’s facility in Fletcher, North Carolina, and delivered to job sites. These walls are set using a crane on a crushed stone footing, adhering to 2012 IRC building codes. Once installed, they are insulated, studded, and ready for finishing without requiring additional framing. The stud cavities can accommodate insulation to enhance R-values, and MonoKast walls can be integrated with traditional cast-in-place walls to create hybrid foundations. The MonoKast wall profile features a 10-inch wide header beam at the top and a 10-inch wide footing beam at the bottom, both 3.5 inches thick with solid concrete and reinforced steel. The concrete shell is 2 inches thick, fiber-reinforced, and meets 5,000 psi code compliance. Precast concrete offers benefits such as faster construction times, reduced costs, and versatility. Kubica highlighted an instance where 180 lineal feet of MonoKast wall was set in 3.5 hours. He emphasizes that precast walls are not a threat to poured wall contractors but rather an opportunity for diversification and offering a comprehensive service to builders. He views the addition of precast walls as an evolution, allowing contractors to provide a "one-stop shop" solution for foundation and wall construction, ultimately meeting modern building and energy codes, reducing material volume, and opening new revenue streams while maintaining the core business of poured concrete walls. #ConcreteConstruction #PrecastWalls #PouredWalls #FoundationContractor #ConstructionDiversification #MonoKastSystem #BuildingCodes #LaborEfficiency #ConstructionTechnology