Session: Advanced Design/Build, After-School 2019-2020 and Summer 2020

Builders: 14 participants, 9th-12th grade

Materials +  tools: Dimensional redwood lumber decking, pressure-treated lumber, cedar siding, custom-welded steel brackets, chicken wire, OSB, plywood, chop saw, tablesaw, circular saw, drills and drivers, MIG welder, etc.

Description: Begun in September 2019 and completed in July 2020, girls constructed a 500-square-foot chicken “pavilion” at Urban Tilth’s North Richmond community farm. The hen house includes a 15×15-foot deck, on which a 8×12-foot coop sits, connected to a 24-foot-long outdoor run. The coop structure features 10 nesting boxes with french door exterior access, roosting areas, windows, and a sliding barn door. An automatic door opens at sunrise to allow entry into a large chicken run with roosting tree, swing, and room to roam.  The design of this structure was a collaborate effort between girls and instructors/mentors (Hallie Chen, Allison Oropallo, and Emily Pilloton) and considers the site positioning on the urban farm, sunlight, weather, and circulation of resources on the farm site. The “superstructure” deck and roof is tied together with custom-welded powder-coated steel brackets made by girls and our welding instructor, Augusta Sitney. The chicken pavilion will allow Urban Tilth to house and raise 50 hens.