Logic of Systems

Rest Stop:

My project had a couple of main drivers, which were firstly using completely prefabricated members of only a couple of standard sizes throughout the entire project. So I used 3" x 6" x 8' reinforced & prestressed concrete beams in conjunction with 3" x 6" x 6" spacers of the same material that had pre-cast holes at certain intervals along their length in order to interlock and stack them. These were used for the wall element of the project, as well as seating and tables, which interlocked into the walls.

For the Shading element of the project, I used only standard dimensions of 2 x 6 lumber, which comes in lengths of 16', 12', and 8', and spaced them very close together in order to create both shade and interesting shadow. (There were also steel posts behind these suspending the overhangs with steel rods)

Also, another main driver was to create a system that was very easy to assemble, even by those with little experience. The whole process consists of stacking beams while aligning the holes, threading rods through those holes, and attaching and suspending the shading structures on top.

(The hardest part of the entire process would be connecting the 2 x 6s to the rods that suspend them from above, which is not a daunting task.)

Precedent:

Quite similarly to my project's main driving forces are the driving forces of Konrad Wachsmann and Walter Gropius' "Packaged House System".

The image on the left is what the load-bearing panels of this house ship like, and the right image is what they can be linked together to form. They are timber panels which are clad with timber from factory, and even include electrical wiring. They were meant to be easy to connect simply in a variety of ways, giving construction teams with little experience the ability to create a one story or two story house. This interests me because it seems similar to my project in what it was meant to accomplish.