About 601 Tully

Check out our new website! 601Tully.syr.edu

601 Tully is a center for engaged practice in Syracuse, NY developed by artist and professor Marion Wilson with a rotating collaborative team of 54 students and neighbors and Anda French of French 2Design. It's a site for meaningful exchange between artists, community members, and scholars in the co-production of culture.

601 Tully includes a contemporary art space, a public events space, a bookstore, a teaching garden, and Recess Cafe West.

In 2009, Wilson purchased the condemned two-story home and local drug hub, and throughout five semesters, Wilson's design/build class re-zoned, designed, renovated and now sustains the physical and programmatic aspects of 601 Tully. The collaborative team has consisted of artists, architects, environmentalists, Fowler High School students, Green Train Workforce, neighbors, and the occasional passerby.

601 Tully is made possible by the generous support of the Syracuse University School of Education, The Kauffman Foundation, The Near West Side Initiative, Imagining America, Home HeadQuarters Inc., Say Yes to Education, and National Grid.

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Post-consumer HDPE sheet and lumber - an alternative to plywood

What happens to milk jugs when they die? The lucky ones get reincarnated into durable High Density Polyethelene (HDPE) sheet stock for use in bathroom partitions, playgrounds, fencing or other uses requiring a material that is durable, weather-resistant, and low-maintenance.


One thing this material would work well for is the chair prototype shown in class this past Wednesday (4/14). Although the material cost is slightly more than plywood, making them out of HDPE would make them suitable for indoor/outdoor use, they could be easily cleaned and sanitized, and they would wear better against the natural wear and tear created by repeated assembly/disassembly.

Additionally, most plastics distributors provide CNC services. Since the design of this chair only requires 6 distinctive cuts, the set up charge on the CNC machine would be minimal, thus offering the option to have panels cut and shipped rta.

There are not a lot of sources for recycled HDPE in the US, but Densetec is one of the manufacturers I tracked down, and its products can be purchased from Professional Plastics.

The National Park Service's website Sustaibable Practices and Opportunities Plan has additional information and resources for recycled plastic wood products and may also contain information that is relevant to planning the outdoor garden space.
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1 comment:

  1. MarionApril 15, 2010 at 4:34 PM

    do you know the cost of this material and in what quantity and form does one purchase it. Does it come in sheets like lumber>

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