[Ccpg] Ecological Design of Waste Treatment Workshop at Arcosanti, Arizona July 21 - 26, 2002

Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson lakinroe at silcom.com
Sun Jun 23 23:49:27 PDT 2002


Ecological Design of Waste Treatment 
Workshop  http://www.arcosanti.org/workshop/eco_design.html
                                           at Arcosanti


                                         July 21 - 26, 2002


                             How an Arcology would deal with its sewage and 
other
                       waste-water is an important issue. To explore 
answers to this question
                       the Cosanti Foundation and the Ocean Arks Institute 
will be hosting a
                       collaborative Ecological Design Workshop.

                                   In nature there is no "waste" from 
organisms, only nutrients to
                       be used for another organism. Led by research and 
experimentation by
                       John Todd, author of "Eco-Cities", the Ocean Arks 
institute teaches
                       how to construct "Living Machines".
                                   "Living Machines" are not as much a 
technology as a technique
                       on how to use natural, biological, process to treat 
sewage and
                       waste-water. In using this technique one balances 
various flora and
                       fauna in a container, the plants and animals then do 
what nature has
                       done for millennia, use biological process to turn 
"waste" from one
                       organism into nutrients for another.

                                   Living Machines share the tenets of 
Arcology in several ways:
                                   1) respect for the environment; the 
effluent from a Living
                       Machine is organically cleaned and full of nutrients 
so that the ejected
                       water can be used by the local flora and fauna to 
bolster the local
                       eco-system.
                                   2) aesthetics; by using plants Living 
Machines inherently create
                       garden like spaces that are both aesthetically 
pleasing as well as
                       functional.
                                   3) education; by using Living Machines 
as part of ones
                       infrastructure one becomes aware of and learns how 
humans can work
                       with nature together for each others benefit.
                                   4) multi-use of resources; by taking 
waste water and cleaning it
                       that water can then be used for domestics, 
aesthetics, recreation and
                       finally agriculture.

                             In this experiential learning workshop 
participants will learn the
                       concepts and techniques of bio-remediation, using 
living systems of
                       plants and organisms, to treat the sewage waste of 
Arcosanti. The
                       workshop will culminate in the hands-on construction 
of a working
                       system integrated into Arcosanti's current waste 
treatment, the oxidation
                       pond.


                       Tuition for the workshop is $370.00
                       Room and board at Arcosanti for the week is $175.00 
for meals and
                       an available guest room or dormitory housing.

                       To apply click here. In the registration form please 
check "One Week
                       Seminar" and in the "Interest" section please write 
"Eco-Design
                       Workshop" plus a statement as to your interest in 
this workshop. After
                       we confirm your application is received please send 
$50.00 deposit for
                       a non-refundable registration fee. The application 
deadline is July 8th,
                       2002.




                       Workshop Itinerary


                       Sunday [July 21]
                             3:00pm Arrival, registration and housing

                       Monday [July 22]
                                   7:30-9:30am  Arcology Concept Introduction
                                   9:45am  Morning Meeting with residents
                                   10:00am-12:00noon  Planning introduction
                                   12:00   Lunch served in the cafe
                                   1:00-5:00pm  Seminar on Living Machines
                                         (including integration into 
Arcology idea)
                       Tuesday [July 23]
                                   7:30-9:30am Meet by Oxy Pond
                                   9:45am  Morning Meeting with residents
                                   10:00am -12:00noon  Sketching and talk
                                   12:00   Lunch served in the cafe
                             1:00-5:00pm  Surveying the "boneyard" for 
recyclable materials
                                     and assembling equipment list

                       Wednesday [July 24]
                                   7:30am leave for Prescott Field trip
                                               visit Living Machine in 
Prescott and purchasing run for
                       materials
                                   2:00pm  further design work looking at 
the materials,
                       assignment of jobs
                                   4:00-5:30pm  School of Thought with Dr. 
Paolo Soleri

                       Thursday [July 25]
                                   8:00am Nature Walk, around site to 
gather Living Materials
                                   12:00   Lunch served in the cafe
                                   1:00-5:00pm Start assembling

                       Friday [July 26]
                                   7:30am bright and sharp start assembly 
of the system
                                   12:00   Lunch served in the cafe
                                   4:00     Presentation of system to the 
Arcosanti residents


                       For more information, please contact:
                       Wes Ozier, Workshop Coordinator
                       Arcosanti, HC74, Box 4136
                       Mayer, AZ 86333
                       tel: 928.632.7135
                       fax: 928.632.6229



                                 arcosanti hc 74 box 4136 mayer az 86333
                                         tminus at arcosanti.org

The Arcosanti Project

                              Suburban sprawl, spreading across the 
landscape, causes
                              enormous waste, frustration and long-term 
costs by depleting
                              land and resources. Dependancy on the 
automobile intensifies
                              these problems, while increasing pollution, 
congestion, and
                              social isolation. Arcosanti hopes to address 
these issues by
                              building a three-dimensional, 
pedestrian-oriented city.
                              Because this plan eliminates suburban sprawl, 
both the urban
                              and natural environments should keep their 
integrity and thrive.

                              Arcosanti is a prototype: if successful, it 
will become a model
                              for how the world builds its cities.

                              In 1970, the Cosanti Foundation began 
building Arcosanti, an
                              experimental town in the high desert of 
Arizona, 70 miles
                              north of metropolitan Phoenix . When 
complete, Arcosanti will
                              house 7000 people, demonstrating ways to 
improve urban
                              conditions and lessen our destructive impact 
on the earth. Its
                              large, compact structures and large-scale 
solar greenhouses
                              will occupy only 25 acres of a 4060 acre land 
preserve,
                              keeping the natural countryside in close 
proximity to urban
                              dwellers.

                              Arcosanti is designed according to the 
concept of arcology
                              (architecture + ecology), developed by 
Italian architect Paolo
                              Soleri. In an arcology, the built and the 
living interact as
                              organs would in a highly evolved being. This 
means many
                              systems work together, with efficient 
circulation of people and
                              resources, multi-use buildings, and solar 
orientation for
                              lighting, heating and cooling.

                              In this complex, creative environment, 
apartments,
                              businesses, production, technology, open 
space, studios, and
                              educational and cultural events are all 
accessible, while
                              privacy is paramount in the overall design. 
Greenhouses
                              provide gardening space for public and 
private use, and act as
                              solar collectors for winter heat.

                              Arcosanti is an educational process. The five 
week workshop
                              program teaches building techniques and 
arcological
                              philosophy, while continuing the city's 
construction.
                              Volunteers and students come from around the 
world. Many
                              are design students, and some receive 
university credit for the
                              workshop. But a design or architecture 
background is not
                              necessary. People of many varied interests 
and backgrounds
                              are all contributing their valuable time and 
skills to the project.
                              Week-long silt sculpture workshops and 
Elderhostel programs
                              offer other ways to be involved. At the 
present stage of
                              construction, Arcosanti consists of various 
mixed-use
                              buildings and public spaces constructed by 
4000 past
                              Workshop participants.

                              The residents of Arcosanti are workshop 
alumni, who work on
                              planning, construction, teaching, computer 
aided drafting,
                              maintenance, cooking, carpentry, metal work, 
ceramics,
                              gardening and communications. They produce the
                              world-famous Soleri Bells, as well as hosting 
50,000 tourists
                              each year in a Gallery, Bakery, and Cafe open 
every day
                              except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years 
Day . Guided
                              tours introduce visitors to the philosophy , 
history, planning
                              and ongoing construction of the site.

                              Concerts and other events in the Colly Soleri 
Music Center
                              also allow visitors to experience Arcosanti. 
Shows include
                              dinner, and are often followed by a 
Pictograph 2000 light show
                              on the opposite mesa.




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