The Meeting Dome

At the beginning of the Summer La Loma Del Chivo community had been split into 4 corners…The Sunhouse, John’s Gypsy Camp, The Goatshed Hostel and Guil’s Nabolom, so we came up with the idea to build a central meeting space, an outdoor space on the path between the two places of congregation as a place for coffee, music conversations and art. When Guil got involved in the plan, he pulled out some inspiring drawings by Kiv from a few years back that suggested we needed a dome. It was about the same time when John Suficool drove Mike, Kikay Wes, Guil and I down into Terlingua to meet Don Bryant.

Don Bryant has been building domes for decades. Out here in the dessert, he has been evolving a smart way to build Geodesic domes. From the basic tetrahedron shapes, he takes the triangles and breaks them up into various frequencies of smaller triangles, much like the methods of Buckminster Fuller, however, Don rationalizes the complex construction this usually requires by generating jigs and forms for the original size panels, meaning one does not need to cut each and every triangle.

This means that with one jig, one can assemble the strong geodesic framework for the dome in record time. Furthering this idea, if enough panels are creates from the jig to create one dome, the panels themselves can become forms - assembled, copied on site and removed, leaving a dome framework and then being passed on to the next builders, or, another dome built connecting to the first.

This is the method that Don recommended to us. Trevor, who lives near to Don has tried this out and is currently building the first of his domes, so, while he is working on the window and door fittings, he has kindly lent us the forms before he starts on the second.

Before collecting the forms, Eric and I dug and filled a 1foot deep foundation at the same diameter to the forms - 18foot. Assembling and placing the forms took almost no time at all and the next day we started wiring together the rebar.  Once all the framework lines had been copied, and a rebar ring attached at the base to the foundation, the forms could be removed - by simply cutting the initial wiring.

We decided to go for a less expensive option by instead of using regular cement lath and trawling on the stucco, we would use chicken wire and cement-soaked sheets to create the initial egg-shell layer, this technique is borrowed from Mike Reynolds ‘The Hut’ video where they use this as an inexpensive way to make the first shell on a roof. This technique has worked well in the sense that it gives a backing for the cement and thus there is less loss of material - as there can often be when trowling through regular lathe. Paper - Mache building! Before adding the sheets we wired up electricity lines for where the lights and the outlets will go.

This is the stage we are currently on, see the photo album for more images during construction.

The Trailer Plot Project

This is one of my projects at La Loma. It explores a few ideas including a mobile life, minimum space living and permaculture. The trailer itself is an old corrugated metal shell from (we think) the 1950's. The main concept is a question about a balance between a partially nomadic life and maintaining a small 'home-base'. Below are listed the key elements of the ongoing experiment.

a)  The inside space will be the trailer itself, a house on wheels, it will be able to sleep 4 (or a small family,) in fold away beds so that in the day time, the space can be a living room with benches, sofa's and desk's.

b)  When the trailer is at the home-base it has a secondary covering, to aid in the weatherproofing of the vehicle and shade it from hot summer sun. This roof is made from recycled posts, Plywood sheets and corrugated metal sheets - all from the 'resource pile' at La Loma. The roof space allows for the installation of rain water collection year-round - even when the trailer is not present - this can be connected to an irrigation system so the plants can be watered when the occupants are not their. This extra roof space also gives a platform for future installments that could include solar-heated shower and PV power cells.

c)  The decking provides an outdoor living space for good weather, a spill-over area from the small interior living space. It also gives a space to act as a workshop, entertainment space or plant nursery. A flat-topped shade above the decking, allows for extended use of the outdoor area in the heat of the day and doubles floor space by creating a balcony with excellent views to the sunset over the mountains. This balcony could be used to sleep on as well as roof-top storage and would be a perfect position for a food-dehydrator.

d)  The 600 feet squared that is the 'Trailer Plot' gives plenty of room for design with food. The boundaries of the home-base are created by raised planting beds at various heights, snaking around from the rain water collection tank (highest point) to ground level beds, using gravities flow of water. The planting uses a permaculture method of organizing plants together in groups, to build soil, and to work with the insects for a self-sustaining organic garden. Within two years of development using a permaculture method, the land space should be able to generate all the food for the family and their neighbors (excepting starches.) 

e) Future developments of the experiment include an outdoor kitchen area, using a fire-pit stove, an adobe oven, a partly submerged, cool storage space for food and a shade from the sun. The creation of a 'food forest' on the border of the plot and the possibility of a solar composting toilet.

McMushrooms...on the Caravanserai street

The McMushrooms are the latest series of buildings at La Loma built and designed by Mike McCain. They are one-roomed sleeping spaces and living rooms. Construction is from OSB 8x4' sheets, tar paper on the roof and a perlite-paint mix for walls. Each are incredibly built for only $200 in only a few days - following McCain's thread of fast and quick emergency shelter.



We recently moved all the currently unused McMushrooms to the caravansary street, so far including the Beehive, a rocket stove, the beehive garden and solar panels.  The street leads roughly from the Goatshed (the hostel building and main community kitchen and bathroom) to the Sun house (the biggest house on the property where Mike Campbell makes food for the rest of the wwoofers some nights.) We are working on extending this street with a meeting dome space at the mid-point between the Goatshed and the Sun-house - discussed in another post. We have placed 3 generic McMushrooms as bedrooms and one larger McMushoom as a study and hang-out on the street following the Beehive. We have treated Mike McCain's 3 Mushrooms differently, to record the various effects.

 

The larger Mushroom, the study, has been given a recycled sheet metal roof, painted white, a lime wash, screen on the many windows and openings, a door with window insertion, gutters, awnings over the windows and the entrance. internet and extension cord electricity have been wired to the building and the interior has been partially wall-papered with pages of books bought from the local co-op 'Made-In-Marathon' for 50 cents or $1.00 each. Two bed platforms, pre-made by Mike McCain can be inserted into this building if extra bed space is needed.

The first regular Mushroom, we have invested $100.00 extra dollars in - on foam insulation board (1/2 inch). On the exterior Eric attached the insulation (comes in the same panel size as the OSB - 8x4',) followed by an extra weatherproofing layer of recycled OSB that was used as a scaffolding inside the Kiva at La Loma. Jarrett also made a shutter for the window and a screen door for use in the summer months has been added. Recycled metal gutter pieces have been added to the sides that will eventually run the collected water into planter patches with shade trees.





The second Mushroom has not had money invested into it. Instead of insulation, firstly we are working on a porch on the south-west side (the side that sends the most heat during the hot, hot summer's here.) The porch is made from cedar posts, donated free from the Gage hotel and constructed by lashings...no-nails or screws, from a sisal twine that cost $20.00 for 1200'. The porch and continuing over on the Mushroom roof will be a grass roof, and next spring may have useful produce planted. A screen door and window shutter have been added to this Mushroom also.

Beehive Life...Post-building my own shelter

Last November I arrived at La Loma Del Chivo in West Texas as a Wwoofer...to help experiment in alternative building. The people who welcomed me as family, said if I could draw my idea and explain it, I could build it. I worked with Kikay for a few days on the Sweat Lodge he was building. He introduced me to the ideas of Nader Khalili, an Iranian architect, who founded the Cal-Earth Institute. Khalili designs simple shelters built from the materials of War...refuge shelters, built from the materials that are readily available: sandbags, barbed wire and dirt. They can be built by families and children and take the form of domes and vaults. So I decided to begin a Khalili 'Bed-Womb' small, half-dome shaped shelter for one or two people.

There was already in existence a path - 'the glass street' made from crushed recycled glass bottles and flag stone, leading from the Goatshed - the hub of the community, towards the garden and the sunhouse, which, at the time was under construction. This gave a natural location for the first more private room for guests.

At the beginning of the path, I dug a foundation, using two books as guides during the design and build of 'The Beehive'. These were: Nader Khalili's book 'Emergency Sandbag Shelter', and a book by a family who had built a whole home using the same technique.

After a week of building two other wwoofers - Jarrett and Amber - got involved and as a team we made the Beehive over the next 6 weeks.6 months later I have returned to La Loma and currently live in the Beehive. It now has solar panels to power a light or music player, a front step, a rocket stove and plants growing in the planter that collects all the run-off from the half-dome.

Building my own shelter has been a very significant and important turning point for me, after this and many subsequent projects - I now know that it is possible to create by hand the 4 key elements to settled survival;              

             1-Shelter,
             2-Water Collection,
             3-Soil cultivation for food growth and
             4-Use and collection of Available Energy.

La Loma Del Chivo : Caravanserai

The Community La Loma Del Chivo is a Caravanserai, a place of rest and safety to all travelers, the concept of caravanserai originated along the Silk Road in Asia.

'Think, in this batter'd Caravanserai

Whose Portals are alternate Night and Day,
How Sultan after Sultan with his Pomp
Abode his destined Hour, and went his way.'
                                         -Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Last night we had a whole host of cyclists and tourers staying, each traveling a different way, for different causes...

'People a'gathering,
Fire's a'crackling,
Stories unfolding,
Wine boxes flowing,
Paper's are rolling,
Rhythms keep moving,


Hills a Caravanserai tonight.'
                                            -R.P.

McCommunity...?

This post is following a thread of ideas sparked by Mike McCain's designs at La Loma Del Chivo. He explores ideas of essential shelter that is affordable, quick to assemble and has a possibility of mobility, he also works with the housing crisis in Mexico. Due to this "fast-food" method of housing design and his last name, the buildings here are named: McMansion - his largest and first build here, from OSB modules, pre-insulated and waterproofed before construction. McNugget - A two-storey 'box' house with connection to water and electricity. McMushrooms - small, one-roomed 'cube' shelters that as a whole, or in parts, can be transported to wherever is needed. They could also be shelters while one builds a larger house, or they can be grouped to create what we are experimenting with here - McVillage.

My question here is about the potential of this in continuing development...we can very quickly and cheaply make a McVillage, but will it do anything towards a McCommunity? Surely this would take longer, with connections growing between places, people and resources...

Sustainability and Organic as Art - The Questions

Gillian and I had a table in the Marfa Bookstore at the Chinati Open house last weekend, as a part of the Marathon Sustainability event we asked a number of questions about organic produce growing, shelter and art. The following we used as a thought-provoker for people to take away:

'Growing as intsallation art

Organic gardening as spatial art

Growing as kinetic art

Nature time scale, kinetic art

Alternative building types as installation art

One way to portray

One perspective on life and living

Living a sustainable life is performance art

Performance art is kinetic

Performance art is spatially reflective

Lifestyle choice is performance art

Permaculture is a lifestyle choice

Understand the workings of nature

Work within nature

Witness natural cycles

As they grow around you

Watch the kinetic spaces form

These spaces could be shelter

Shelter is sculpture

Sculpt out your home

Your home is your portrayal

Of your perception of your world

Your portrail of your perception of your world is art

Non-permanance, Kinetic art

Kinetic is performance art

Watch the light change

Where do you sleep?

Where do you eat?

Cycles of energy

Grow the energy that will in turn grow you

Cyclic dances to tend to the food

Sculpture of food

Art is alive

Exhibit your perception of the world

Exhibit your lifestyle through your shelter

Exhibit your lifestyle through your food

The food you grow

Haptic experience

Spatial art of kinetic, Growing food

Surround your shelter, Create the haptic

Tend to the haptic

Smell your art

See it grow

Expression of the dwellers perception

A mirror of cultural choice

A mirror of individual choice.'

Sustainable Marathon...?

As the event ends and our group departs, instead of goodbye’s, dates are arranged for further meetings and contact details swapped. One of the key aims now is to nurture new connections to develop and start new or continue existing initiatives.

Here’s a brief outline of what we were able to achieve during the weekend together.

9.00am in the small organic garden in the corner of the Motel Gardens a group of about 20 people are standing in a circle by the chicken coop, discussing the principles of organic gardening, permaculture and the things we will be talking about throughout the weekend. Gillian and I introduced ourselves and the various parts of the garden whilst doing the daily missions of watering plants, feeding chickens and checking for any insect attacks.

We all set off to meet in the communal kitchen which was to become our base for the duration of the stay. Filling up on caffeine, mesquite pancakes and warm oatmeal, we each did a small introduction; what everyone want to gain from the weekend? What are each of our backgrounds? In a collaborative group what could each of us offer? As it turned out, there was a great mix, a brilliant range of resources that we all could pull from in order to achieve something greater.

A convoy moved to Allen Hayley’s garden, a larger, produce based garden, also with chickens where Jarrett gave a tour. Discussions opened up about the best ways to water and irrigate in this area, the potential for growing in rows against other methods and benefits different mulches and where to source them at a reasonable price if the garden is not yet self-sustaining.

A visit to the Co-op developed discussions into the larger scale: sustainable collaborative communities of Marathon town. The co-op itself  and it’s not-for-profit organization, ‘Made-in-Marathon’ can be used as a space to meet, organize and share as well as being a support base to aid development of projects, small, home-scale businesses and resource networks to grow.

After a fresh, yummy lunch of cooked vegetables and salad from the garden at ‘La Loma Del Chivo’, Gillian lead us in a session on ‘The Human Element and Sustainability’. This involved a smaller group,  exploring ideas about how to deal with people-issues that challenge collaborative projects. We used methods created by C.O.R.E Counseling such as; the creation of a ‘safe, support space’, dealing with pre-judgments,  and identifying attitudes that can become obstacles. The outcome for me was a bonding to the group and to become more positive about initial steps to be taken within successful and sustainable collaborative groups.


Standing outside the Beehive at La Loma Del Chivo.

Sunday morning brought another early start. We congregated by the campfire at La Loma Del Chivo Community with coffee, this was in the outdoor kitchen of the youth hostel, a Papercrete building called ‘The Goatshed’ in which - very appropriately -  Matt’s two Goats were staying. As the sun rolled up Eric lead a tour around the various areas, La Loma is primarily a place of rest for travelers but is also an open ground for experimental buildings and shelter as well as a community with organic garden and well water. This tour opened the discussion of the various types of alternative building suited to the climate of west Texas, there benefits and drawbacks, the idea that it shouldn’t be called ‘alternative building’ anymore and how we can use the materials readily available in the area and permaculture principles for site-responsive shelter design.

Next, we met Zach Zniewski and his 4 donkey’s at the end of 5th Street to talk about the benefits to these beautiful animals in this part of the world. Conversations lead to societies dependence on oil and how much managed land would be needed to keep these animals and how they can be used  as part of a sustainable community.

Eve’s garden was the next stop where Kate Thayer gave a tour around this Papercrete, permaculture palace, how the existing buildings work and contain the various businesses set up to run along-side each other as well as future developments to the complex including a large greenhouse. The rest of the group continued on here while Gillian, Kwamena, Efua and I went on  a trip west on I-90 to Marfa where the Chinati Weekend was in full swing. We had a table set up in the bookstore (Marfa Book Co.) where we raised the question of Sustainability and Growing as Installation and Kinetic Art. We did this through a series of photo’s taken a the Motel Gardens of newly planted beds as things grow and die, and also through a set of questions including; alternative building = installation art, organic produce growing =  kinetic sculpture and lifestyle choice as performance art. This was great as we were able to meet up with other, like-minded people - possible future collaborators who had been unable to join us at the open house in Marathon.

That evening we arrived back at the Motel to a wonderful meal created by Dancing Tree and more conversations about community experiments in organic gardening and how we can keep the energy level up for projects and events in the three main towns of Brewster County through inter-community sharing between Marathon, Alpine, Marfa and the wider Big Bend area.

Monday - Columbus Day, bought a quieter morning, we met Danielle behind the Co-op building to learn about Papercrete, it’s uses in this environment and the different techniques to from it…plain blocks, insulated blocks, panels to be cut into shape, poured into a form, slip formed…many possibilities. Brainstorming opened up about the ways different materials and processes can be used together within a hybrid house design to gain the best of the site, a responsive that creates closed-loop living systems throughout.

The remaining group congregated in the kitchen for a closing lunch and summary of what each of us had gained from the weekend. An important discussion was possible future options for collaborative projects and how best to stay in touch to organize ‘open-weekend 2’ and similar resource-pulling, networking events.

A great thanks to all involved.

Further resources:
www.marathonmotel.com - Courtyard & Garden - Our Farm
www.evesgarden.org
www.lalomadelchivo.net
www.greenbuilding.com
www.earthship.com