Project Statement

A project aiming to create a guide to make self-sufficient community living spaces in rural areas. We will use a plot of land we've found in Vermont as a case study, but the final deliverable will be an extensible set of instructions and floor-plans to inspire people to make a space to start a community. This is not an exact plan, but a guide to inspire people and give them a floor to start from, not a ceiling to end at.

؜sustainable housing community for self-sufficiency

mention specific property

build customized to needs

Why

؜The cost of living is very high which makes finding and sustaining a place to live alone difficult. This project aims to offer a long-term solution for groups of 15-20 people. The offered solution is living off the grid in a separate community, becoming self-sufficient by growing food, farming, making clothing, and generating electricity. This is intended for anyone who is struggling under the current system and wants to live outside of it, as much as that can be done.

Physical Precedents

Conceptual, technical, and visual

Conceptual Precedent

Name: N Street Cohousing

Creator: Kevin Wolf and Linda Cloud

Technical Precedent

Name: Forrest farm

Creator: Scott and Hellen Nearing

Visual Precedent

Name: Big lodges

Philisophical Precedents

Conceptual, technical, and visual

Conceptual Precedent

Name: Living the Good Life

Creator: Scott and Hellen Nearing

Technical Precedent

Name: Forrest farm

Creator: Scott and Hellen Nearing

Visual Precedent

Name: Frank Lloyd Wright

Creator: William Russell Cary Wright and Anna Lloyd Jones

Site Analysis

؜(as you can tell my cat decided it looked very tasty, definitely not foreshadowing for why I didn't finish the project)

This is after one day of working on the 3d model of what a room would look like in the sustainable housing. I was going for a dorm-like look, with a loft bed to conserve space and room for extra furniture.

DAY 1

؜What Vexx did during the project

؜For this day I added a bed, some furniture, and some wall decorations to make it more realistic. I plan to add a separate bathroom as well as a window for sunlight.

DAY 2

Unfortunately this was my last documented version, since on the day of the project I woke up to my cats eating it.

(I didn't end up doing more for this project due to some issues going on at home. It's mostly sorted now, but it did decrease my productivity during this project.

1. Needs to comfortably house 15-20 people

1. Needs to generate its own power

1. Needs to be able to purify water from either a well or a stream/brook

1. Needs to be able to grow food

1. Needs to have an area to repair/create objects

1. Needs to have private spaces and public spaces/common spaces

Needs to comfortably house 15-20 people

Having a large common space for socializing is important but having private spaces to decompress is equally important

The spaces needed for this:

1. A large kitchen to prep large amounts of food
2. A social space with a lot of comfortable seating in a conversational arrangement

Needs to generate its own power & Needs to be able to purify water from either a well or a stream/brook

A large part of self sustainability is supplying power. Solar panels are an easy solution for this as they can provide shade and generate power. Water is a human necessity

The spaces needed for this:

1. A utility room with a battery wall and a charge controller
2. A water purifier attached to a well

Needs to be able to grow food

Food is another human necessity and to grow food you need a farm

The spaces needed for this:

1. A vegetable garden
2. A chicken coup
3. Space for other livestock if wanted
4. A vegetable washing station & shed
5. A greenhouse attached to the building

Needs to have an area to repair/create objects

This is useful so we don't have to spend money getting stuff repaired

The spaces needed for this:

1. A room connected to the house with necessary tools, with audio isolation from the rest of the space so as not to disrupt others
2. An area for sewing/making clothes

Needs to have private spaces and public spaces/common spaces

؜Having privacy and time to be alone is very important and having time to be social is also important

The spaces needed for this:

1. Common areas such as a dining room, living room, and outdoor gardens
2. Median areas such as a kitchen, a library, and shop space
3. Private areas such as bedrooms, bathrooms, and desk/work rooms

Public space

1. Mudroom/entrance
2. Living room & social space
3. Dining room

Food spaces

1. Kitchen
2. Pantry

Outdoor spaces

1. Chicken coup
2. Greenhouse
3. Food Prep Station

Private spaces

1. Library
2. Work areas/offices
3. Shop & makerspace
4. Bedrooms
5. Bathrooms

؜Living room sketches

1)Continue plan design

2) Find appliances

3)Plan power and utility

Next Steps