We believe that implementing this project at LaFarm will be beneficial to the Farms infrastructure as well as its core values of education and sustainability. There are some clear infrastructural issues regarding on site storage that LaFarm continues to work around that ultimately causes them to sacrifice both efficiency and sustainable practices in the process. An on site root cellar would solve these key issues regarding storage and promote the sustainable ideals LaFarms continues to uphold in the process. The classroom will bring an additional educational element to LaFarm that far exceeds the kinesthetic learning currently ingrained in their sustainable farming techniques being taught. The dynamic nature of the multipurpose classroom will provide a venue in which Lafayette College and LaFarm can further develop their educational efforts regarding the green initiatives each is striving to improve upon.
As detailed in the report, Lafayette College and the greater Easton community will see strictly benefits from the implementation of these projects. With locally sourced farming and the Farm to Table movement on an upward trend, now is a better time than ever to follow this trend with the continuation of environmentally sustainable practices. Specifically in Easton, PA, operations like the Easton Farmers Market and the Easton Public Market that promote the sale of locally sourced products are continuously gaining popularity throughout the community. With this upward trend actively present in both the Lafayette and greater Easton communities, we believe the root cellar and classroom could add to this by providing an additional educational outlet for all those interested in this growing community.
Economically speaking, this project requires very few resources from the citizens of Easton and students of Lafayette College. With funding for the project likely coming from outside donors or the college itself, we predict little to no opposition in terms of the approval of these two facilities. The carbon neutrality of the root cellar limits funding to strictly excavation and construction costs with little to no upkeep required. This places its future development in a very feasible position due to its relatively inexpensive upfront costs. In terms of the classroom, Lafayette is currently in an expansion phase that will affect the college and subsequently the surrounding communities. The near completion of the Rockwell Integrated Science Center and its tentative LEED certification provides an ideal example of sustainable direction Lafayette is heading. While the classroom space is not fully developed at this point in time, we believe a future class can take the reigns and design a facility that mirrors the green initiatives present at the College.
Moving Forward:
Our report provides an extensive amount of preliminary data and research necessary to one day bring this project from its planning stages to its actual implementation. The basic cost estimates we’ve conducted provide an early budget estimate for a future group to utilize as a baseline. With this preliminary economic research, we recommend future capstone groups develop a more comprehensive cost estimate that will ultimately aide in an economic proposal to either the College or outside donors. Additional research in this field should include direct coordination with one, if not several, outside contracting firms to retrieve cost estimates beyond the scope of figures presented in RS Means. If a group in the near future wishes to develop or pursue the actual construction of these projects in the form of a Senior Design project, contact with several outside companies would be incredibly beneficial. We recommend specifically reaching out to Lafayette alumnus involved in the construction industry. It is our belief that these individuals would be more receptive to taking on this project as an educational opportunity and place monetary incentives second.
Due to the large quantity of geotechnical data collected over the course of the project, we believe there is a very minimal scope of work to be completed in this field to fully confirm the geotechnical feasibility of both structures. We do however recommend some additional GPR data collection on the site in a dryer portion of the Fall season. This will yield more accurate data and may reveal subsurface artifacts not detected in our data collection. In addition to this, seismic testing can be utilized if weather conditions prove to be a continuous issue during data collection. These resources are both available for use in the Geology department here at Lafayette with the accompanying assistance of one of the many Professors.
In regards to the design of both the root cellar and classroom, we believe each offer distinct opportunities for further development. The root cellar design we’ve offered in the report offers a solid starting point for future groups to create a more comprehensive structural analysis of the design. Using ANSYS, which is commonly utilized to analyze strength and deformation of load bearing materials and structures, future groups can expand upon the root cellar design. Discretional factors like materials, structural design and implementation of the ventilation systems can all be tested through this software. Design options for the classroom offer additional opportunities for students to continue the down Lafayette’s path toward carbon neutrality. We recommend capstone students pursue strictly environmentally friendly aspects that could even yield a LEED certified structure. These aspects could include, but are not limited to, environmentally friendly lighting options, grey water sewage systems, reclaimed or recycled building materials, and possibly an onsite renewable energy source for the building’s amenities. While our report is the first step in the hopeful construction of these two additions to LaFarm, Lafayette College, and the greater Easton community, we believe the preliminary work laid out here offers an essential baseline for groups to come.
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