Studio 804 was asked to participate in “A Clean Break,” one of many stops in the citywide Design Philadelphia Festival. It is described as “an exhibition of modern prefab architecture and high design [featuring] low waste innovations for the urban environment.” The display is located alongside the Wee-House by Alchemy Architects and other international prefabricated projects.Searching for lightweight and easily erectable structures, design iteration originated from Kansas typologies, namely, farm irrigation systems. Struck by their slender skeletal frame and how lightweight form can be delicately self-supportive over long spans, this juxtapose use of timber and steel came forward as the best scheme. All steel fabrication was produced in-house and the glulaminated beams utilized reclaimed douglas-fir 2x6’s resurfaced before fastened together.

Full design and fabrication took less than three weeks. Beyond steel and glulambeam responsibilities, this included LED lighting, power supply, display boardgraphics, platform decking, protective finishes, and logistics concerning delivery—all under a scrutinizing budget. This exercise exhibits the unforeseen difficultyin the ability to produce projects with both limited budgets and rapid timelines.

Studio 804 Team: Alison Lampier, Andrew Thomas, Becca Maness, BenjaminChapman, Caleb Reed, Collin Jacobs, Danielle Blodgett, Erik Biggs, Frank Lindemann, Garret Wilson, Jared Eder, Jason Sadler, Jesse Brubacher, Joshua Bender, KateFrick, Kyle Davis, Megon Rux, Molly Fogarty, Patrick Noble, Sam Edelstein, Stephanie Winn, Dan Rockhill, Blake Perkins