Austin Tunnell
@AustinTunnell • 24,968 subscribers
Founder @build_culture. CPA ➡️ Mason ➡️ Designer ➡️ Urbanist ➡️ Builder ➡️ Developer. Crafting a thriving human habitat. Podcast 👇
Videos
I’m not out on the jobsite a whole lot anymore—but whenever it comes to the brickwork, that’s where I’m still heavily involved. On Townsend, we are doing a chamfered corner (45 degree angle), and most masons today will either cut the angle into the face of the brick, exposing a cut edge which looks really different than a finished edge, OR will just butt the brick together, not lapping it, and leave a continuous joint that will start to pull apart—which also looks bad (and lets water in). We always want to lap our brick for proper “bonding”. It’s way better functionally, and also looks much better. That’s what we are doing here, laying out all of our brickwork, particularly how we are handling these chamfers, and making sure we aren’t going to end up with any tiny brick “slivers”. A little attention to detail goes a long way here. People often ask why our buildings look so different, or comment that our buildings look “old” (in a good way). This is one of the reasons: we are practicing good masonry techniques, and while most people don’t actually know what details to look for when looking at a brick building, they sense it. There are a number of other reasons modern brick buildings typically look crappy compared to older brick buildings, and this is one of them!
Austin Tunnell34,407 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce
Building a Backyard Arch. Follow up post to yesterday. This was a few years ago. No leads or strings. Just laying with a level. If I wanted it to be perfect, I could have set it up that way. But frankly, fun to freehand it. Feels more...artistic, and less scientific, this way. Note how easy the arch is! Put up formwork. Lay the brick over. Take formwork out. The arch is the shape masonry wants to be in; it keeps everything in compression. No steel or anything else necessary. This has literally been done for millennia. It's crazy how often the modern world (in the US) wants to complicate this. Make the interior concrete block, add steel and lintels, use metal ties to attach face brick....crazy!! Just build the dang thing out of solid brick. It's so simple. No need to complicate it. Lots of people asking about foundation. SUPER simple. Just a concrete footing. In Oklahoma that's just 24" deep. Did about 28" wide (with a 16" deep arch). Key is to do a continuous footing across, including below the opening, with rebar. Otherwise you can get differential settlement and it will crack. With this, even with movement, the footing moves as one piece, and the entire structure with it, so no cracking. Also, to answer another question, this is extremely heavy. Like 5,000+ pounds. Not going to blow over. Kids can climb all over it. A tornado could knock it down, but otherwise you are totally fine. Can you do this yourself? Yes. I'd start with laying a small wall to get used to the feel. But have had college students come down and build things like this over a week with zero prior experience. Main thing is it just takes them a very long time, and may look a little crude, but still beautiful.
Austin Tunnell81,625 görüntüleme • 2 yıl önce
Las Catalinas might be the most beautiful town built in the 21st century. And my guest today, Sara Bega, has stewarded its evolution as Town Architect for a decade. Las Catalinas is a car-free, kid-friendly, multi-generational community in Costa Rica. Their goal is to create a pedestrian-first environment that maximizes kid freedom and allows for independent exploration and discovery. The town is built on 20% of the 1200-acre site, with a mix of houses, flats, hotels, and shops. We discuss Sara’s professional journey, and the principles and practices behind developing such a stunningly beautiful and human neighborhood that serves as an inspiration and example for what is possible today. Catch the full episode on The Building Culture Podcast available on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting platform. Spotify: Apple:
Austin Tunnell31,143 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
I hit record when I was designing the commercial area in Townsend last weekend. This is it at 10x speed. Can jump around, but actually pretty cool to see. I love sketchup. This is how I design: in 3D, with rapid iteration, and just feeling my way through until it looks right.
Austin Tunnell22,348 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
Walking through downtown Edmond, the fastest-growing large city in Oklahoma, to show you where we’re building Townsend, our next mixed-use neighborhood. If you want to see more beautiful, walkable neighborhoods built across the country, I’m inviting you to help make it happen -- and co-own income-producing real estate in the heart of a thriving downtown. 📍 10,845 SF of boutique commercial held long-term 🏘️ 20 for-sale townhomes 🌳 Thoughtful shared spaces to make it all come alive We’re in the final stretch of our raise. If you’re curious, DM me and I’ll send you the deck.
Austin Tunnell14,792 görüntüleme • 11 ay önce
Daha fazla içerik yok.