July 3, 2012 · 8:25 am

The Gray Water Mouse Trap

Rube Goldberg was probably the most adept illustrator in creating a genre for the design of the supposedly perfect mousetrap which in fact was typically an over-designed contraption to perform a very simple task. His comic illustrations created a following as well as a common descriptive term found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary that bears his name. The “Rube Goldberg” machine contest is now an annual competition at institutions like Purdue and UC Berkeley.

Our approach to the design that traps gray water and recycles it for use in flushing other plumbing fixtures while intricate is hardly over complicated. The design is straight forward and efficient and gets right down to the business water efficiency through the reuse of waste water. The gray water system gains the project a number of key points for achieving LEED certification as a part of the sustainable goal set by the Chickasaw Nation (the Client). While the system is supported by architectural and electrical elements, it is predominantly a mechanical engineering system and the design is showcased in the plumbing section of the construction documents. Here’s how it works. Continue reading →

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June 25, 2012 · 10:16 pm

Off Color Water – seriously

Most off color references are to comic relief that is of the dark variety. But this is no joke and the off color water I’m referring to is technically known as “gray water.” So gray water is somewhere between “white water” and “black water.”  White being potable or drinkable water and black being considered sewage i.e. containing human waste which is sent to sewage treatment facilities for clean up before it is returned to the environment.

The thing is that appropriate gray water can be recycled and used for other purposes like landscape irrigation or in our case for use in flushing toilets and urinals after which the water is sent to the municipal sanitary sewer system for treatment. This is yet another way to conserve precious potable water and is also gaining the Visitor Center project LEED points. Once again, several points are in the balance for sustainable design. Continue reading →

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June 18, 2012 · 11:41 pm

Water for the Spirit

The homelands of the Chickasaw were rooted in the southeastern states of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee and these places are the spiritual heart of the Chickasaw Nation. With their strong connection to the land there has always been a commitment to good stewardship of the earth that provides for their prosperity.

The Chickasaw culture and heritage have always had roots in nature and the elements and water has always been an important and spiritual part of their life. They typically developed their settlements along rivers and historically dominated much of the waterways between the Gulf of Mexico and the Ohio valley region. The waterways also provided an opportunity for trade which greatly benefited the tribe.

With water having such a strong influence on the history and culture of the Chickasaw, it was decided during the design phase to incorporate a water feature as a part of the Visitor Center to make this element a part of the experience for visitors. Continue reading →

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June 12, 2012 · 12:25 am

Local Beta – the donut palace

I have been dabbling in the world of investigative reporting and visiting local establishments to discover local color and stories. There are any number of interesting things going on in towns like Sulphur and its fun to find out about the local folks and their hangouts. So I plan to share some of the local places for those of you that may be first time visitors to the area sometime in the future. I refer to these establishments and town intel as local “beta.”

One local phenomenon is Donut Palace located directly west and across the street from the Visitor Center site. Their concoctions of flour with goo on top are to die for. It’s a busy place, opens at 5 am and closes at noon. Local color abounds in Sulphur and there is no shortage at the donut shop. It attracts an interesting variety of clientele. There is a steady traffic of locals, construction workers from the Artesian construction site and a continuous flow of vehicles pulling through the drive-in window. I think construction workers can sniff out these shops miles away even though this one is just across the street. Seating is limited with just two tables which are typically occupied by the locals that are regulars. Continue reading →

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June 5, 2012 · 9:54 pm

Harvesting Rain – a precious commodity

Stormwater is a primary source of water in many parts of the world and a sustainable approach to the control and use of rain water is something that should be taken to heart. As part of our pursuit of LEED certification for the Visitor Center, a significant number credit points is being gained from the incorporation of a Rain Harvesting system. Up to 6 points are in the balance based on being able to achieve 3 specific credits well. The credits are as follows: Continue reading →

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May 28, 2012 · 11:20 pm

Sculpting the Land

The extent of changes to the site’s topography depends on a number of factors that include the current lay of the land (flat, rolling or steep) the size of the property, the need or the desire to minimize the disruption to the natural lay of the land, if the land is undisturbed soil or if it has been previously changed, whether the land can be made usable through changes and the nature of the development of the site. If the site is relatively flat, then not much is needed to introduce the development, but some shaping is typically required as few pieces of land come with ready-made building pads and pathways for roads and walks. Continue reading →

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May 21, 2012 · 10:26 pm

Getting to Know the Players / Take One

FSB Architect Project Manager Jason Holuby

Getting to Know the Players / Take One

Interview by Fred Schmidt

I thought it would be interesting from time to time to introduce you to some of the project players. That way you can get to know various members of the team, what they do and also get a different perspective of the project. Today I am talking to Jason Holuby, Project Manager for the Visitor Center, architect, LEED accredited professional and FSB Senior Associate. Continue reading →

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May 15, 2012 · 5:33 pm

Blueprints / what are they – what are they good for

FSB Blueprint Chickasaw Visitor Center

Blueprints-what are they

The term “Blueprint”  is a common name for printed building plans that actually grew out of the printing/developing process that rendered a large sheet of paper blue resulting with white lines on a blue background. This was replaced by the diazo print process that used ammonia gas as the developing agent and changed the look to blue lines on white background. Young graduates were delegated to running the prints when needed and there are many from that era that surely passed out on occasion from the obnoxious ammonia fumes. We gladly shoved the FSB ammonia printer out one of the upper floor windows years ago when the new technology introduced electrostatic plotters that produce a copier quality product on a large paper format which appears as black lines on white background. Continue reading →

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May 8, 2012 · 9:59 am

The S… That Came In From The Cold

FSB Design Illustration

The 1965 film adaptation of the novel by John le Carre with the same title stars the ever charismatic but mysterious Richard Burton. While the film is based on the cold war spy industry and is steeped with figuring out who are the real undercover agents and possible defectors, our story is much simpler but hopefully does not have a tragic ending like the movie.

The S… coming in from the cold in our case is the structure that is continuous from interior to exterior and entails figuring how to limit the baggage it is trying to carry from the outside to the inside. The baggage is the transmission of the exterior cold to the inside conditioned space of the building. In reality the physics of the situation is that heat is being lost at such a rapid rate through the structure to the cold exterior that it lowers the temperature of the inside structure near the perimeter to the point where moisture in the air will condense on the surface and drip down on interior finishes. Bad situation. Continue reading →

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May 1, 2012 · 12:59 am

Breaking News and Coming Attractions

Sulphur Panorama of Chickasaw Visitor Center Site

LEED Certification

The FSB Team has been working hard to achieve Platinum certification which is an ambitious goal and corresponding number of points. We were pursuing 81 possibly 82 total points with 80 as the minimum threshold. There are some points we cannot achieve because downtown Sulphur does not have the density of a larger metropolis or public transit. We are getting a healthy number of points for the energy efficiency of our heating/cooling system but not all we had hoped for. With these not panning out, we are falling a few points shy of the number needed for Platinum. But it’s full steam ahead to assure Gold certification which is a small step away from Platinum, still very challenging and impressive to achieve. Continue reading →

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