Windhorse Village

Focus on master plan, zoning and development brief, key areas of research

• needs of the area, re four corners, indigenous

• zoning and development studies'

• extent of natural and sustainable measures plausible in this county,

• understanding climate, soils and expansive soil regions etc.

Observation and research outputting strategies

Images

• overview aerial shot of 640 acres (more views from on-top mesa Not from EVI/road side)

• highlight different zones - forest, vs creek vs mesa

• show picture of burnt area and reforestation+building intention

• Creek and water management strategies, ponds etc

• show yurt and interiors (as strategy to use temporary/portable structures that ‘touch the ground lightly’ to host and ground initial team)

Client: Bhumipala Trust

Location: Colorado, USA

Program:

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Scope:

• Visioning

• Research, feasibility, development strategy

• Master planning

• Cultural container-building

• Storytelling

Sustainability features:

• Minimal-intervention commitment, preserving the majority of the 640-acre site in its wild state, protecting wildlife corridors and delicate microbiomes

• Natural regenerative landscaping blending traditional practices with innovative techniques and permaculture design principles, including:

  • Selective reforestation of more than 200 acres that had been burned to the ground by wildfire

  • Reversal of desertification caused by climate change and 60+ years of cattle grazing

  • Rebuilding depleted topsoil using specialized techniques such as fungal-intensive compost, aerated compost teas, and site-optimized permaculture solutions

  • Establishing natural ponds to recharge precious groundwater, lower temperatures, and sustain wildlife and trees

  • Other sustainable water management strategies, e.g. harvesting rainwater and snowmelt, filtering greywater for reuse, protection of the creek that flows for a mile through the property and its riverine microbiome, etc.

  • Geodesic dome greenhouse and organic gardens

  • Closed-loop systems such as greywater reclamation and composting toilets producing natural fertilizer for the gardens and orchard

• Low-impact built environment, including:

  • Lightweight accommodations made from natural materials, e.g. traditional Mongolian gers (yurts) and canvas wall tents

  • Communal structures built from natural materials, e.g. straw bale, site-made adobe bricks, cob, lime-stabilized compressed earth blocks, natural plasters, limecrete floors, etc.

  • Passive design making best use of sunlight and of natural materials for insulation

Collaborators:

• Earthville Network

• Suvarnabhumi Sanctuary

Builders:

• Studio Lungta build team

• Training workshop participants, students, and volunteers