Design/Build Callout

Tragedy of the Commons: The tragedy of the commons is a useful concept to help us understand how we have come to this point in human history where we are faced with incredible global environmental destruction, a world of unlimited resource extraction, and human exploitation in the name of profits for personal and corporate gain.  The tragedy of the commons explains the classic human dilemma where individuals acting to protect and serve their own interests, destroy limited shared resources in their quest for personal gain, which paradoxically undermines the potential for prosperity for themselves, and eventually for all living things.

Knots: We use knots: to join things together; to fasten or secure things; to help us climb trees and rock faces; to make beautiful rugs; to navigate in nautical miles; to sew, knit, and crochet; and to tie our shoelaces. Knots are:

• A tight cluster of people or things; "a small knot of women attended the workshop”
• Any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a rope (or cord) upon itself or to another rope or to another object
• In mathematical knot theory, knots are closed with no ends to tie or untie
• On a piece of wood, knots are the round, harder, usually darker in color, cross-section point where a branch emerges from the trunk. Our global commercialized timber Industry focuses on chopping down all the knot-free trees. We believe knots give wood its charm and often seek out the knotty wood so as to ensure a healthier variety of trees left behind to propagate.

The Knot-in-Commons Project: The Knot-in-Commons Project is a design-build project that seeks to be a knot in the theory of the tragedy of the commons—a call to action to participate in a more active, collaborative rejuvenation of our environment, and to cultivate a more balanced, healthy, vibrant, prosperous society.

OVERVIEW

By bringing together designers, builders, experts, and novices, the Knot-in-Commons Project will be a one-year design-build experiment seeking to jumpstart the transfer of knowledge and skills to participants, volunteers, and Belizeans alike, especially focused on benefiting those who are interested in pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities that make socio-economic transformation and ecological regeneration possible.

If you are looking for a unique chance to experience a myriad of ongoing projects and learning opportunities all in one place, a place where projects will serve as teaching models for future community improvement projects, and a place to reconnect to nature in an highly immersed, intimate way, then the Knot-in-Commons design build competition might be just the thing you are looking for.

In line with our mission, we seek to create the infrastructure for Wild Earth Stewardship Center in a collaborative way that seeks to rejuvenate the earth and in the process, supports those who are interested in pursuing earth stewardship in any form. We are looking for students, artists, builders, architects, engineers, and dreamers who are interested in contributing information, skills, and installations to serve people who are traditionally excluded or do not have any such learning opportunities available to them. In addition, these designs and onsite installation projects will be used as the prototype for all future community improvement projects. Beautiful, intelligent, multi-disciplinary design has the power to change lives; your designs can help make an impact in Belize and beyond.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Submit project designs or design-build projects in the following categories:

1. Design only: Submit your design for consideration for a model project, and if selected we will assemble a build team to build it.
2. Design and build: Submit a design-build proposal that includes your team’s design as well as you plan to come to Belize to build it. Design-build projects should include your plan to manage and run you build project from the conceptual design to material requirements and assembly.
3. Design, build, teach: If you have a passion for teaching and would like to run your build project as a way to pass on valuable knowledge and skills, we will match your build team up with volunteers and local community members.

A jury of experts will help us select the winning design-build projects that best serve as model community projects for Belize. If your build project is selected, Wild Earth Stewardship Foundation will provide the necessary building materials and your meals for the duration of your stay. We have a limited number of spots available for funding and to ensure that we area able to maintain an ecologically responsible devotion to the rainforest we call home during the run of the project.

Each submission will be judged on how well it embodies and incorporates our mission, strategies, and community projects and techniques to best serve communities in need. We are looking for projects that can be easily replicated with a limited set of skills, employ economical use of materials, and are creative, innovative, and beautiful. Multidisciplinary design-build teams are highly desirable, especially those who include designers, painters, sculptors, and other artists along with skilled builders and other skilled artisans in the design and build process.

We will do our very best to answer questions when we have email access, but during the months of

April through August, we will be in and out of the country and often times working in remote rainforest areas where we will not have regular access to internet or phone connections. During these times, we will do our best to answer your emails within a week or two. Please be patient with us during this time, as we will get back to you.

The deadline for submitting your project is August 1^st, 2009.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of projects you can submit designs, or design-build models for:

• Small home (cob, timberframe, bamboo, etc., sleeps 4-6 people)
• Larger home or cabin (sleeps 8-10 people)
• Bunkhouse (sleeps 15-20 people): This building should be suitable for large groups and incorporate multiple rooms.
• Outdoor community gathering space
• Remote research stations
• Tree platforms for tree canopy research
• Community gathering building for workshops, gatherings, dances, etc.
• Outdoor woodworking shop: The space should accommodate a class of 20-25 people with numerous workbenches. Bonus points for clever wood storage design!
• Wellness center: This will be a place for yoga classes and meditation as well as for private sessions in the healing arts.
• Compost toilets: Please help contribute beautiful designs that do not look like outhouses!!!
• Outdoor showers with a view
• Permaculture Garden Test plots
• Chicken house
• Chicken tractor
• Countrywide bike path: We need alternatives to concrete paths that are durable in the tropics, and useful for walkers, bikers and strollers alike. Currently everyone walks and bikes along the road, even with babes in strollers!
• Wind turbine: We need small-scale systems for water pumping and off-grid electric production.
• Solar hot water heater: We need a design that is simple, durable, easy to operate and maintain, and can be built from hardware that can be found anywhere.
• Biodigester: We are looking for designs that use alternatives to concrete (not plastic) and are easy to clean and maintain.
• Water catchment container: We want to find the best alternative material and process for producing containers in country that aren’t plastic and don’t use cement.
• Small cooperative scale biodiesel processing plant (suitable for a cooperative of 10-20 people)

Design Guides: Because we are looking for design-build projects that could serve a variety of people, and rural scenarios, please be sure to check out our section on Belize to gain some understanding of a sense of place. Please read through our ecological assessment on Belize to assist you in learning additional country specific details. We will be posting the Wild Earth Stewardship Center site assessment sometime in early summer, so please check back if your design requires more detailed site-specific information. Please see below to download design boards we have included to guide you in the design process and in completing your project application. These are provided as inspiration and helpful, loose design guides only; they are not exhaustive, nor intending to limit your imagination or creativity.