Summary:
This was a quick 6 hour project to build a cart and bike ramp for the courtyard. A courtyard ramp has been on our collective “to do” list for several years now, so I’m pretty excited that we put aside the time to make it happen. Although we don’t meet ADA standards, we do also hope it will be helpful for a member of blacker house who was recently injured and is currently navigating by wheel chair.
The structure itself has three parts. The upper section is a standard dance platform. The central section is one 16ft structure built in the style of a dance platform with one 2x4 every foot. The structure is supported on one side by the stairs, and has one 4x4 support thereafter until it reaches the ground. The vertical supports are bolted in place for strength, and then secured against rotation with a pair of screws.
This was a particularly good intro project for the frosh, because the construction style largely mimicked Blacker “interhouse standard” platforms. We taught workshops on proper use of the chop-saw, drills, drivers, and measuring methods at the start of each build session. Overall about half the frosh class stopped by to help out!
People:
I co-lead this project with the following two fantastic engineers.
Brittany Wylie
Jack Caldwell (https://www.productive-procrastination.com/)
Construction Photos:
The ramp about 2 months after installation. We were given new (better) plywood to swap in as these pieces get wet, but so far they are holding up well.
