Stand alone designs

Co-Created by Josh Gomez & Rosie Stonehill

Stand alone DesignsThis is a set of designs which came about from such questions as “How would I manage my gray water and toilet waste?” and “how would I build a low impact house?”They are in not intended for a specific site, they are simply a demonstration of the best possible design conclusions I could come up with if everything were perfect, like I had a south facing hill side and no money restrictions etc I know that it is likely that these designs would not fit exactly into our land when we have it but I felt it was a good design exercise to see how, ideally, I would resolve these questions.

Stand alone DesignsWater conserving waste management design

This design is for a south facing hill side and incorporates a dry compost toilet with a bath / shower room with the option of solar (for summer) or rocket stove (for winter) hot water and a washing house. All liquid waste (urine and grey water) drains to a reed bed which then filters through to an open ring of trees encircling a mandalakeyhole raised bed and then the remaining ground water drains though the ground into an aquaculture pond which acts as a reflective solar catchment, creating a super warm micro climate for the trees and veggies on the raised beds.

Slope


•Compost loo with a view: taking all dry solids into a twin chamber system that can each accommodate roughly 6 months to a years worth of humanureeliminating the need to, in any way, deal with partially composted faeces. There is a urine separator in each loo which take this precious nitrogen rich fertiliser to be mixed with the grey water coming from the central hand washing basin (and all other grey water) on it’s way out to the reed

bed system.


•Bathroom with year round hot water: Sunk in deep bath / shower space with room for two, seats at either end which also function as steps to get in and out, and a plug hole in the centre. Summer (solar) and winter (rocket stove) water heating both storing hot water in the same insulated water tank inside the bathroom situated above the bath, doubling up as room heating and towel / clothes drying rack. All grey water from bath / shower and sink is piped to the reed bed system.


•Scrub tank wash room: This, as of yet, has no fancy design as we have still not yet found the ideal ecologically sound, quick and easy clothes washing technology. We have heard a lot about pedal powered washing machines though not personally seen one in practise but, to us, the obvious one, if there is a river on site, is to somehow harness the energy of water along with it’s cleaning power to wash our clothes. We are still working on this! Whichever method used, the hot water comes from the same source as the bathroom and the water which drains from here, likewise, mixes with all other waste water and is cleansed through the reed bed system.

All liquidsDecomposed

solids


•Reed bed wet land water filtration with all gray water coming into the reed bed though a spreader pipe with many holes into the gravel pit which ranges from large stones at the bottom, gravel, coarse sand, fine sand and a thin layer of earth at the top. All the way through the reed bed there are many baffles taking the water above, below, above, below to slow up the flow and allow time for the cleaning process by the microbial life on the plants roots. At the end of the reed bed there is a small water level keeping tank with a man hole cover.


•Ring of fruit producing trees encircling a keyhole mandala raised bed: After the water has come out of the tree bed, it is channelled in gravel filled trenches firstly to the fruit and nut trees. Any excess to what they require funnels into the centre of the raised bed through the gravel paths and is absorbed into the beds.


•Waney edged aquaculture pond with varying depths, increasing solar gain and habitat diversity: All overflow from the raised beds and surrounding land collects in the pond. This has a small fish stock consuming the last remaining nutrient content from the system and fertilising the water which can then overflow to irrigate other surrounding crops. The pond, mandala raised beds and tree circle are orientated in such a way that it creates a very beneficial microclimate to support life turning waste water into an abundant variety of valuable produce.

•Earth Care

•The main principle of this design is Produce No Waste as all such potential pollutants are turned, through biological means, into a cornucopia of yields (Obtain a Yield)

•Optimized use of Edge and Natural Pattern: In the undulating shape of the pond, edge is maximized to create more pond side growing space and in keyhole mandala edge is minimized to cut down on path needed.

•Pond serves Multiple Functions of ground water storage, sun reflector, aquaculture, wild habitat.

•Important function of heating water served by Multiple Elements in year round solar or rocket stove water heating.

•Problem is the Solution: Resolving the problem of what to do with human excretion by using all outputs in such a way that they become beneficial, nutrient giving resources, urine adds nutrients to the water flow and Composted humanurebecomes a powerful soil enhancer around the fruit trees.

Stand alone DesignsWater conserving waste management designSummary

In this system, before implementation, careful attention must be given as to the amount of people likely to be using it regularly and each element be scaled according to quantity of grey water flow and humanure entering the system.

Stand alone DesignsLow impact house

This house mainly demonstrates the principles of passive solar heating and cooling using as natural materials as possible, wherever possible. There is a lot more to the low impact house that, as of yet, I have not gone into. It seemed more important to me to get, first of all, the right arrangement of harmoniously compatible and cooperating elements to form the initial structure. Once this arrangement is found, it is easy enough to have a warm house in winter and a cool house in the summer. This is the basis of comfortable living. Other low impact attachments can easily be added on, for example, solar panels, an efficient, multi functional wood burning stove etc.


•In this design there are 3 main elements: greenhouse/kitchen, central octagonal living space/bedroom and shadehouse/veranda which are joined in such a way that there is no real border between them. They gradually blend into one another forming one single structure which is both very functional and comfortable whatever the weather outside.

• Shade side Shadehouse/veranda: this space becomes most comfortable in the summer when it is just the right place to spend the midday hours relaxing . With door and windows open, helps to cool down the central octagon.

On each of the up right support poles would be deciduous fruiting climbers growing up and on to the roof, further helping to keep the house cool.

This space also provides a covered outside space, invaluable in the winter for children to play, for drying clothes and for enjoying the rain without getting wet.

•Sun side Greenhouse / kitchen:

This 6.5 / 3.5 meter structure creating nice warm space on those cold winter days and by freely opening out into the central octagonal living space, it shares some of that heat with the rest of the house.

• It also has two roof rain water storage tanks that act, once full, as a large thermal mass collecting the winter suns heat of the day and slowly releasing it through the night. They also double up as work surfaces for both kitchen and greenhouse jobs or bum warming benches.

•In the summer the tanks are emptied, the large doors at the end of the greenhouse opened as well as windows and door to the shade house and a convection of cool air will be drafted through the house.

•Along the outsides of the greenhouse there would be more deciduous fruiting climbers covering the entire greenhouse in summer.

•The whole house would ideally be situated within deciduous woodland which would also shade the greenhouse in summer.


Stand alone DesignsLow impact houseSummary•People Care: This house ensures that an essential need of people, warm comfortable housing, is fulfilled in as little use of non renewable resources as possible in it’s construction and running... Consequently Earth Care is achievable.

•Catch and store energy: In the passive solar heating of this house and the roof catchment and storage of rain water in tanks that are serving multiple functions.

•Minimum Effort for Maximum Effect: Major principle behind this design.

•Relative Location / System Thinking: By placing the greenhouse on the sun side and the shade house on the shade side we can manage and control the heat levels of the house by simply opening and closing windows and doors. Also in the use of deciduous climbers which know the shifting of the seasons instinctively .

Examples of Materials and Building TechniquesThis design could be built out of a large variety of natural or recycled materials. There are few places in the design where this is not applicable (plastic of the green house, water storage tanks). If we were to build this house, in our local area, we would likely use... •Wood pole frame structure•Wattle and dawb earth and stick walls•Wood shingle or slate roofing•Recycled glass for windows•Second hand green house structure•Earthen floors

© Copyright 2011 Rosie Stonehill and Josh Gomez

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Stand alone designs