WSU architecture grad redesigns state fair to be more sustainable

For Valerie Bartels, a 2010 graduate of Washington State University’s Master of Architecture program, the change she saw in her hometown’s fair over the years wasn’t something she was comfortable with. So she decided to do something about it, infusing her passion for agriculture and the fair experience she’d grown up with into the required two-semester graduate studio project for her master’s degree. Growing up on a farm in Puyallup, Bartels was involved in 4-H from a young age and would exhibit at Washington State Fair in Puyallup every year. “Attending the Fair was always this annual ritual…I got to see things from both sides—the behind-the-scenes and what fairgoers see; it really opens your eyes as to what [the fairgoers] are missing out on, and that discrepancy has only increased,” Bartels said. The Fair (officially known as the Western Washington Fair), which dates back to 1900, draws people from all over the state and is the largest single annual attraction in Washington, continually ranking in the top 10 largest fairs in the world. Located in the center of Puyallup, the Fair sits on 169 acres of land. Around 2000, Bartels started noticing how the Fair was becoming less hands-on and more commercial. “There started to be this recurring theme of a widening disconnect between the people and agriculture; it’s happening everywhere – ag zones turning into urbanized zones,” Bartels said. “I also noticed how this amazingly fertile soil was just getting paved over, taking away from the natural water flow.” Bartels understood how the financial aspect of bringing in more commercial exhibits sometimes was attractive and often necessary to keep the doors open. She also knew that part of the transformation had to do with the growing legal aspects regarding public interaction with livestock that made a very “hands-on” experience at the fair less desirable for the owners. However, it worried Bartels that the experience she had enjoyed growing up was slowly disappearing. So improving things became her focus. “I didn’t want to take it completely 180 degrees…this isn’t 1920 or 1960…I wanted to truly blend the process,” Bartels said. “While I did decrease the rides and games portion by 25 percent, it was only in square footage; I increased agriculture by 1,000 percent…according to my plan, you couldn’t go to the fair and not experience some sort of agriculture.” Bartels’ concept was to make the fairgrounds multi-level, nearly doubling the useable square footage, using some of the existing structures and adding sustainable buildings — coined as “mounds” by Bartels — that would essentially allow the landscape to be lifted, leaving room beneath for agriculture and commercial facilities, such as “interactive animal and plant experiences, community functions, additional parking space, and even storage.” Bartels’ “mounds” were designed to be created from porous materials, such as Geofoam—a lightweight cellular concrete that doesn’t leach chemicals or create leaking or flooding—and Gabion cubes—“a sort of wire mesh toy box in which you can throw in rocks, wood, recyclables” which allows for natural water flow for natural irrigation. In addition to making the “mounds” sustainable, she also designed the buildings to be easily accessible and animal-friendly, adding ventilation, natural light, natural flooring, and views throughout.” “Valerie’s project was both striking and bold, but also very plausible,” said Matt Cohen, WSU associate professor of Architecture and chair of Bartels’ advising committee. “Her incredible observation in the change of the displays, her study of the land use…she figured out every detail.” Cohen said he and other committee members were were the devil’s advocate, but said Bartel did great. “She continually articulated her answers, proving how well she’d thought everything through…she went above and beyond the normal criteria through in-depth analysis and research, taking the design to a whole new level,” he said. A big reward for all her hard work was a very sincere interest on the part of the Puyallup Fairgrounds owners. “Part of her job [with her final project] is to present the value of a master of architecture degree,” Cohen said. “The purpose is to be provocative—not necessarily to expect implementation of what is presented, but for her audience to be able to possibly extract some kernels of useable information.” “(The fair staff) were most interested in the concept—this being a celebration of agriculture—that it could be something that goes beyond the fair that could invigorate the city and bring the community together as a whole.” More kudos came when Bartels won the American Institute of Architects Henry Adams Certificate of Merit—an award given by the faculty of graduate architecture programs, to the second-ranking graduating student each year; the first ranking student receives a medal. In addition, Bartels project was chosen for the Seattle Architecture Foundation’s 14th Annual Architecture Model Exhibit, which will be on display at the Pacific Place Mall in Seattle, July 21-24. Entries are received statewide for the competition from professionals and students and according to Cohen is a “pretty tough statewide competition.” Bartels is currently working for an architecture firm in Tacoma and is excited to work more with sustainable building. “I’d like to take some of the big ideas I’ve studied and find ways to connect people, not just with agriculture, but with nature,” Bartels said.