KAOLIN MUSEUM CHARRETTE Archway Partnership Center for Community Design and Preservation College of Environment and Design October 18-21, 2018 | Sandersville, GA STUDENTS CAROLINA ANGULO Master of Landscape Architecture student KELLY CRONIN PhD student - Geology DAVID EVANS Master of Landscape Architecture student SARAH HUTCHINSON Master of Landscape Architecture student BEAR JORDAN Master of Science student - Geology EMMA KEETHLER Master of Historic Preservation student JACOB SCHINDLER Master of Landscape Architecture student SYDNEY SHATZ Bachelor of Science student - Geology XIAO TAN Bachelor of Landscape Architecture student contents 4 INTRODUCTION 6 OBJECTIVES 8 DESIGN PROCESS 14 POTENTIAL SITES 16 SITE 1: SANDERSVILLE SCHOOL 26 SITE 2: DOWNTOWN COORDINATORS 36 SITE 3: FALL LINE FREEWAY JENNIFER LEWIS Director 44 CONCLUSION Center for Community Design and Preservation College of Environment + Design 46 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONNI FENNELL-BURLEY Washington County Archway Professional DORINDA DALLMEYER Environmental Ethics Program Coordinator, Geologist College of Environment + Design *Note: all photos taken by charrette team members unless otherwise noted. WHAT IS KAOLIN? WHAT A bright white chalky rock to 45 million years ago) time (Schroeder 2018). It is valuable comprised predominately of the periods, from weathering of the for human health as well. When clay mineral kaolinite (Al2(Si2O5) young Appalachian Mountains. applied topically, it acts as an (OH)4), its first documented use During these ancient times, emollient and drying agent, was porcelain ceramics clay in sediments were transported by making it useful for treating th China in the 7-8 centuries. rivers to the coast, which was rashes like poison ivy. Cosmetics Since then, it has been in located at the present-day companies use it in mineral demand for a wide variety Fall Line. makeup formulations and of uses, making it a valuable Typically, industrial mining also market it as a gentle clay natural resource. companies extract the rocks facial mask. When ingested, it While kaolin deposits can be from the earth then crush binds gastrointestinal toxins, found around the world, the Fall them into powder for further making it a key ingredient of Line deposit in Central Georgia processing. Kaolin is used as Pepto-Bismol. Pregnant women is renowned for both quality and a paper coating to improve sometimes become addicted to quantity. Georgia’s kaolin was brightness; as a ceramics eating it for the texture, though deposited in the Late Cretaceous clay; insecticide; and a filler/ it is harmless if ingested in (about 100 to 65 million years extender in plastics, paint, small amounts ago) to Early Paleogene (65 ink, rubber, cement, and glue (“Eat White Dirt” 2017). 4 Introduction Washington County, Georgia, has been characterized elementary school tours at kaolin mines, but while they are The charrette was timed to take advantage of research historically as the Kaolin Capital of the World. Kaolin is a comfortable having guests on site and their program is good, it being done by a group of undergraduate students from the bright white clay mineral found along Georgia’s Fall Line, with is not regularly scheduled. Also, industry leaders are starting to UGA Terry College of Business’s Institute for Leadership a variety of industrial uses, including paper coating, ceramics retire and their stories need to be captured. Advancement. These students produced a business clay, and cosmetics. sustainability strategy for a potential kaolin museum, which Local stakeholders from Washington County had expressed included financial, strategic, and customer analysis plans. They Community leaders recently proposed building a natural interest in pursuing the idea of a museum, but needed ideas recommended a mission statement, target market, staffing history museum with a focus on kaolin and the geology, about what the museum could look like, where it could be structure, board structure, pricing structure, location, general industry, and culture surrounding it. In August 2017, University located, and what kind of educational programming should be budget, and advertising strategy. The students’ strategy of Georgia (UGA) Professors David and Dorinda Dallmeyer included. The UGA Archway Partnership enlisted the help of encouraged industry leaders to think with a long-term visited Sandersville and spoke to a group of civic and kaolin the College of Environment and Design (CED) with planning perspective when considering if and how they will support industry leaders about the geology of the area and the the museum through a community visioning process called the museum. potential to tell the story of kaolin. The local audience was a “charrette.” “Charrette” describes a rapid, intensive, and mesmerized. The idea of a kaolin museum focused on industry, creative work session, usually lasting several days, in which a On October 18-21, 2018, a team of nine UGA students— local transportation initiatives, Fall Line fossils, geology, design team focuses on a particular design problem and arrives representing Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation historic sea level, local history, and kaolin uses around the at a collaborative solution. Charrettes are product-oriented. and Geology—participated in the design charrette in world began to take hold. It could serve as a cultural history The public charrette is fast becoming a preferred way to face Sandersville, GA, led by CED Outreach Director Jennifer Lewis center in addition to a museum. the planning challenges confronting American cities. CED’s and Environmental Ethics Coordinator and Geologist Dorinda Center for Community Design & Preservation has conducted Dallmeyer. There was a mix of undergraduate, master’s, and Kaolin industry leaders see great value in having an established over 100 design charrettes since 1997. PhD students with a variety of expertise, but everyone shared program in a space designed for teaching local children and a love of museums, childhood interest in science, and curiosity attracting education-based tourism. The industry leads about participating in a creative process. 5 OVERALL GOAL: Advance local interest in a kaolin museum by conceptualizing multiple ideas for Objectives buildings and programming. 1 2 3 Sandersville School Downtown Fall Line Freeway OBJECTIVES: Explore design concepts for three potential locations focused on architectural design, land planning, connectivity, and exhibit programming. 6 Three sites in Sandersville were chosen and defined the type of exhibits and small and develop classroom-sized as hypothetical design scenarios to programming that would work best. exhibits as well as stimulate reuse explore the possibilities of locating The citizen group advocating for of the school as a community center, a museum in a variety of contexts. reuse of the historic school wants the which is the ultimate goal of the school The sites included the vacant historic museum investment to happen at the advocates. The 99-acre site on the Sandersville School, a partially school as a catalyst for rehabilitating Freeway has limitless possibilities and undeveloped block in downtown the building for future generations. easy access, but would be more difficult Sandersville, and a 99-acre tract on the However, many other stakeholders to start small and is more disconnected Fall Line Freeway just outside of town. envision a more contemporary science from town. Developing a vacant parcel museum unlimited by the constraints downtown focuses the investment in While the Sandersville School had of a historic building. the city center Sandersville is working previously been discussed as a potential to revitalize and could allow for a museum location, the downtown parcel While the decision ultimately rests compatible contemporary building, but and the Freeway parcel were not in in the stakeholders’ hands, the would not necessarily include room to contention as actual sites. However, charrette team was able to illustrate grow its footprint in the future. they are indicative of the type of sites the opportunities and challenges that that should be considered when making each type of site presents, and the The charrette team was able to present an investment of this nature in a kind of museum exhibits that would stakeholders with opportunities beyond community. succeed in each. For example, the what was being considered, by virtue historic school may not be able to of bringing potential investors and It was important to consider multiple have the “Wow!” factor of a dinosaur advocates together to get excited about options for potential locations and hanging from the lobby ceiling that a the possibilities of a kaolin museum, the site teams posited well-developed new building could have, but it does and providing unbiased arguments for a pros and cons for each site. Challenges have the benefit of being able to start variety of location options. and opportunities were site-specific, Washington County Archway Professional Conni Fennell-Burley guides stakeholders and students toward achieving the workshop’s objectives. 7 8 Image credit: Shannah Montgomery UGA Public Service and Outreach Charrette Process PHASE I PHASE II PHASE III Research, Design Refine the Assessment, & Workshop Concepts Preparation Working with a local steering A three-day event held in the The charrette team generates a committee to identify stakeholders community, beginning with direct variety of final products to best suit and user groups, set goals, develop public discussion