Imagine a visionary building at the heart of a self-sustaining community—an architectural marvel that embodies the principles of sustainability, interdependence, and holistic living. This remarkable structure serves as a hub where all essential projects seamlessly come together, forming an interconnected and interdependent system.
At its core, this building incorporates an innovative vertical farming system. Towering gardens thrive within its walls, utilizing advanced hydroponics and vertical farming techniques to produce a wide array of organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Natural light floods the space, supplemented by energy-efficient LED lighting that mimics the sun’s spectrum. The building’s design optimizes air circulation, temperature control, and humidity, creating an ideal environment for abundant and sustainable food production.
Water flows throughout the building, facilitating various essential processes. A state-of-the-art rainwater harvesting system collects and channels rainwater, directing it to purification and filtration systems. These systems provide clean, potable water for the community’s consumption, as well as irrigation for the vertical gardens and other water-dependent projects within the building.
Renewable energy is harnessed through a combination of solar panels adorning the building’s exterior and wind turbines gracefully integrated into its structure. These energy sources power the building’s operations, including the vertical farming systems, lighting, water purification systems, and other electrical needs. Excess energy generated can be stored in efficient battery systems or distributed to other buildings within the community.
Waste management is ingeniously integrated into the building’s design. Organic waste from the vertical gardens and community kitchens is processed through innovative anaerobic digestion systems, producing biogas that is used to fuel on-site energy generation. The resulting nutrient-rich compost is then utilized to nourish the gardens, closing the loop of resource utilization and minimizing waste.
Within this multifunctional building, community members have access to educational spaces and workshops where they can learn about sustainable practices, permaculture, renewable energy technologies, and other essential skills. The building serves as a hub for knowledge exchange, fostering a culture of continuous learning and empowerment.
The community’s healthcare needs are met through a health and wellness center located within the building. Here, residents have access to comprehensive healthcare services, from preventive care and consultations to alternative therapies and wellness programs. The center incorporates sustainable design elements such as natural lighting, green spaces, and eco-friendly materials, promoting a holistic approach to well-being.
The building also houses a vibrant marketplace that showcases locally produced goods and services. Community members can exchange their products, fostering a resilient local economy and reducing reliance on external sources. The marketplace encourages sustainable practices, with a focus on eco-friendly and fair-trade products.
Through its interconnected systems, this remarkable building serves as a living embodiment of self-sufficiency, sustainability, and community resilience. It fosters a deep sense of interdependence among its occupants, who understand that their individual actions contribute to the overall well-being and sustainability of the community as a whole. This architectural masterpiece inspires and empowers its inhabitants to live in harmony with nature, forging a brighter and more sustainable future.
The structure of this visionary building draws inspiration from Earthship principles, emphasizing sustainable, natural, and recycled materials. It harmoniously combines the concept of an Earthship with innovative design elements, creating a unique and environmentally conscious structure.
The building’s walls are constructed using rammed earth or compressed earth blocks, utilizing the surrounding soil and natural resources abundantly available in the area. These materials provide excellent thermal mass properties, helping regulate indoor temperatures by absorbing and releasing heat slowly.
Recycled materials play a significant role in the construction process. Discarded tires, filled with compacted earth, form the foundation walls, providing stability and insulation. These repurposed tires not only reduce waste but also serve as an effective barrier against temperature fluctuations.
Large south-facing windows, a defining feature of Earthship design, allow ample natural light to flood the interior, reducing the need for artificial lighting. These windows are made from double or triple-pane glass, providing insulation while maximizing solar gain in colder climates.
To complete the building envelope, a greenhouse or sunspace is integrated into the structure. This space acts as a thermal buffer, capturing solar heat during the day and releasing it into the building at night. The greenhouse also serves as a nurturing environment for plants, further enhancing the building’s self-sustaining capabilities.
The roof of the building is designed to harness rainwater through a carefully planned catchment system. This water is then stored in large cisterns, providing a sustainable water source for the building’s various needs, including irrigation and household use. The building’s architecture incorporates efficient water filtration and purification systems to ensure a safe and potable water supply.
In line with Earthship principles, the building promotes off-grid living by utilizing renewable energy sources. Photovoltaic solar panels are integrated into the roof or mounted on nearby structures, capturing solar energy to power the building’s electrical needs. Wind turbines may also be installed to harness the power of the wind and supplement the energy supply.
Inside the building, natural and non-toxic materials are used for finishes and furnishings. Sustainable and reclaimed wood, bamboo, cork, or recycled materials are employed for flooring, cabinetry, and furniture, promoting a healthy and eco-friendly living environment.
The construction process itself is designed to minimize waste and environmental impact. The building’s design allows for efficient use of materials, reducing construction waste. Local and salvaged materials are prioritized, reducing transportation-related carbon emissions. Techniques such as rainwater harvesting during construction can also be implemented to further enhance sustainability.
By combining Earthship principles with innovative design elements, this building exemplifies a sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to construction. It showcases the beauty and versatility of natural and recycled materials while providing a harmonious living space that embodies the principles of self-sufficiency, sustainability, and interdependence with the natural world.
One of those guys in the top pic, dreams of being everyone’s ruler.
Every time.
We need to squash ambitious people before they start rolling Charisma checks, cuz humanity is weak AF vs fancy talking assholes.
I’m working on a project that I hope will help, a non-hierarchical, volunteer society that would simply move away from people who start trying to run the show.
https://slrpnk.net/c/murmuration
That sounds absolutely useless in the real world.
People can’t just up and move their entire life every time some shit heel tries to exert some authority.
Also it requires those people to want to leave. The whole problem with populist fascists is that they’re good at winning purple over
Everybody wants out, they just disagree about the way to the exit because the current system has them confounded.
I don’t agree, the MAGA crowd certainly doesn’t want out - if anything, they want everyone else to leave. And so by leaving you’d be giving the fascists a clear field
They think the way out of their suffering is to kill the outliers. They still want out. They just suffer for different reasons, born from their narcissistic beliefs.
even if that were true, you still don’t present a way to actually solve the problem. Say a charismatic person arose from within your society, and without trying to excersize any actual authority, goes about winning the hearts and minds (and most importantly loyalty) of the others in the society. Not in the way of an actual “leader” persay, but just in a “They’re everyone’s best friend and confident” kind of way.
Now once they have a following within your society, they start to excersize pressures and influences slowly to change things they way they want. After-all, your society would have to allow changes, or else it would risk stagnating over time, or being unequipped to deal with changing circumstances, then when people get used to they’re influence, and are convinced by this charismatic leader that they really have all their best interests at heart, and that they know the best way forward - they makes a power grab.
Literally all of human history says that this is not only possible - but guaranteed - and yes, people are free to leave after that, but he’s already won over a huge chunk of the society, and they now want to stay - the rest will basically be forced to start a new group from scratch. Many won’t want to leave all their friends and family behind over what are basically just political differences (again - see all of human history for examples), so a large chunk of the people who aren’t actually won over by the charismatic leader will also choose to stay. So a relatively tiny minority is now free to choose to either peel off and begin recruiting and striving to find enough members to create a viable collective once again - or (far more likely IMO) they just break up and go their own seperate ways, wondering what went wrong with their dreams of utopia.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a noble ambition, but it runs straight into all the same problems that most plans of this sort do - which is that humans are humans. Some of us just can’t stand to not try to own everything, and most of us are deeply susceptible to charismatic leaders. Again, that’s not my opinion, that’s all of human history.
And before you say “Well, we’d have left well before he got so much influence” - are you planning to leave every time someone is good at making friends? Everytime someone convinces their friends over to their own viewpoint? Who gets to decide what constitutes a threat? If the answer is “every individual” than how could the society help but be constantly splitting apart into smaller and smaller pieces as they cut off more and more of the group. And what if the charismatic leader just goes with you? Do your members have the authority to detain them? And what about their friends? Are they expected to just abandon their friend because they’re too friendly, and that’s suspicious?
Sorry, but I just don’t buy it as a viable strategy. Seems like the kind of thing that sounds great on paper, but would collapse within a few years at best
I know you haven’t read any of the material on the page because your concerns have been addressed already.
Bugging out is the last resort. The first tactic is opening up a line of communication using constructive language. You heard one sentence about a very complex movement and you screamed out in resistance. I thought you were an advocate of change, why do you fight for the familiar status quo without considering alternatives?
Mate it’s fucking lunacy.
It’s fucking asinine gibberish saying half of much of nothing. You’ve espoused no new ground breaking ideas, if anything you’ve weakened the SolarPunk movement through what sounds like some highly sus ecofash sounding shit.
Stop acting like some enlightened philosopher here to save us all with your shower thought of the week and get out there and go plant some native flora already.
I do plant native flora. I feel bad for you. Your accusations of eco-fascism are obviously projections. You will never be happy unless YOU lead the change. The sad part is that you can lead change in a non-hierarchical structure like the Murmuration, but you will never make a meaningful difference under the system you’re defending with your hatred.