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Tropical Atrium Open Source Hub

The goal of the open source Tropical Atrium is to create an aesthetically pleasing and multi-functional center for the Earthbag Village (Pod 1). It is designed to grow food, recycle heat from the Earthbag Village showers, and provide a beautiful and energy efficient year-round recreation space. It will be affordable relative to its size and produce herbs and tropical fruit as part of the One Community open source botanical garden model. This page contains the following sections related to this structure:

RELATED PAGES

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WHAT IS THE TROPICAL ATRIUM

sustainable civilization building though housing, sustainable housing, best practice living, sustainable housing systems, green materials, earthbag, cob, straw bale, One Community, open source housing, free-shared architecture, sustainable living, green living, eco living, living ecologically, for The Highest Good of All, transforming the world, build your own home, build your own house, affordable housing, open source architecture, architects of the future, sustainability non-profit, 501c3 organization, sustainable life, water catchment, organic food, eco-housing, artistic homes, sustainability cooperative, sustainable living group, open source, sustainability nonprofit, free-shared plans, teacher/demonstration village, open source project-launch blueprinting, One Community housing, Highest Good housingThe Tropical Atrium is the center of the Earthbag Village (Pod 1) and part of the One Community botanical garden model. It will provide food, beauty, a recreation space, and shower water heat recapture. It is being design for easy modification if needed, passive heating and cooling, and enough height for growing trees.

Earthbag village, earthbag construction, sustainable living, green living

The Tropical Atrium in the Center of the Earthbag Village – Click to visit the Earthbag Village Open Source Hub

Here is a bullet-point list of the key features and intentions for this structure:

Tropical Atrium Cross-section

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render of Cross Section – Click to Enlarge

One Community Tropical Atrium, Open Front

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking Inside and Northwest

 

WHY A TROPICAL ATRIUM?

Each of the 7 sustainable village models will provide one or more multi-use structures. We chose to build a Tropical Atrium as the center of the the Earthbag Village (Pod 1) because we wanted to demonstrate:

  1. Affordability
  2. Tropical food production
  3. Shower-water heat recycling
  4. A beautiful recreation space
  5. A space big enough to host large trees
  6. An environment that would be beautiful even before any of the trees and plants began to really flourish

Central Atrium for the Earthbag Village by One Community – Created by Gilberto Martini de Oliveira

 

WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO EVOLVING THIS SUSTAINABILITY COMPONENT WITH US

SUGGESTIONS     ●     CONSULTING     ●     MEMBERSHIP     ●     OTHER OPTIONS

 

TROPICAL ATRIUM OPEN SOURCE PORTAL

project management software, open source software, teacher/demonstration village, objective fulfilled living, data gathering for The Highest Good, transforming the planet, global collaboration, working together, tangible time, One Community, ACE Application Open Source Hub, Open Source ACE, ACE Application

As we continue open source project-launch blueprinting the Earthbag Village and the Tropical Atrium, build them, and problem solve and evolve all the different aspects (water catchment and watering systems, heating and cooling systems, planting and harvesting, etc.) for One Community (and with others around the world) we will use this page as the portal to complete Open source project-launch blueprinting specifics for making duplication of this village model as easy as possible. These details for complete duplication are being designed to include the following comprehensive resources:

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open source equipment, sourcing equipment, what equipment you need, eco-equipment selection, Highest Good equipment, tools and equipment, earthbag tools and equipment, straw bale tools and equipment, cob tools and equipment, earth block tools and equipment, green tools and equipment, earthship tools and equipment Detailed tools and equipment list, best place to buy, and cost analysis for all components
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building time needs, time investment, build times, time to build, earthbag build time investment, straw bale build times, eco build times, sustainable build times, green building, labour evaluation, labour investment, labour input, labor requirements, labor input, time for building Detailed build-time investment needs for each component based on our building experience
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Heating and Cooling Icon Detailed Tropical Atrium heating, cooling, and humidity research, plans, and adaptations
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making building easier, what we learned, sustainable building resources, what to do and not to do, how to succeed, making success easy How to make your build easier than ours and how to solve any problems we encountered in our build
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collaborative friends, cooperative partners, consultants, partners, earthbag consultants, earthbag collaborators, straw bale consultants, eco consultants, sustainable builder consultants, green consultants, eco consultants, green building help, straw bale building consultants, cob building consultants List of everyone who helped us design and build this so they can be contacted to help with modifications
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ADDITIONAL TROPICAL ATRIUM DETAILS

Tropical Atrium Overview, earthbag atrium, growing food, food self-sufficiency, eco-housing, Earthbag Village, open source earthbag housing, One Community Global

Earthbag Village Tropical Atrium Overview – Click to open a full-size PDF (5 MB) in a new window

All aspects of the Tropical Atrium (and surrounding Earthbag Village) are being open sourced for replication. As shown above, we are producing complete materials lists, build-time and labor details, construction plans, permitting needs and strategies, and much more. When complete, the Tropical Atrium will demonstrate a building that can be constructed almost anywhere in the world to provide the same internal environment and results as the original structure. To make this possible we have incorporated a variety of interesting design elements for heating, cooling, moisture control, and easy modification, as well as specific plans for adaptation to the unexpected. Complete planting plans are also provided.

We explore these and the following additional design features here:

 

PASSIVE HEATING AND COOLING

The Tropical Atrium is designed with maximum sunlight penetration and passive heating and cooling as goals. To accomplish these, the structure was designed with a round shape, a South wall that is sloped using the hands feature discussed below to match the angle of the sun at its lowest level for the year, and water storage below the main floor to act as a thermal mass. The Earthbag Village East and West showers will provide additional heat via piping the water through the internal structure. The planting plan also incorporates a layered design to minimize shading.

Here is a graphic summarizing our research related to the angle and path of the sun at different times of the year:

One Community Tropical Atrium Heat Azmuth Heat Gain

Solar Heat Gain with Respect to Azimuth Direction – Click to Enlarge

Primary venting will be via North and South doors and roof vents, secondary venting will be via East, West, and South slider windows. All the windows and doors will be framed in with the ability to remove, replace, or change them if needed.

Tropical Atrium in progress, One Community

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Renders – Inside View (Larger Images Below)

 

BIG ENOUGH FOR GROWING TREES

Another key feature of the Tropical Atrium is its size. Built 8 feet into the ground with a 25′ high external height above ground level gives this structure a net growing space height of 33 feet. The structure also offers a 64′ width.

One Community Tropical Atrium, Final Render, Plan View

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – Plan View

This means the structure is both tall enough and wide enough for large trees in the center and a diversity of dwarf species behind those. Details of how these trees are layered for maximum light penetration and utilization are below. You can also visit the planting plan page.

One Community Tropical Atrium, Final Render, View Looking West with People Added

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking West

 

SOUTH-WALL HANDS

The South half of the Tropical Atrium is filled primarily with the artistic hands feature. These hands are an aesthetically pleasing way to provide the terraces needed for maximum sunlight utilization in the winter and in support of the planting plan. The hands are also designed to be hollow and contain the mechanical room for this structure.

One Community Tropical Atrium, Final Render, View looking South with People Added

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking South

Built and then covered with local stone, the hands feature also provides the very important feature of making this area beautiful while we are implementing the planting plan. Making it beautiful and functional from the first day construction is complete is important because it will take many years for the Tropical Atrium to reach its full plant-growth potential, and at least a year for even the initial planting plan components to establish themselves. Having the structure be beautiful even without plants supports its immediate use as a social and recreational space. Below is a concept render of the view looking South both with and without plants to illustrate this.

One Community Tropical Atrium, Final Render, before and after planting plan

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – Before and After Planting Plan

 

PLANTING PLAN AND HARVEST DETAILS

The planting plan builds off of all the details above. It is designed to provide a combination of food production and plants that add to the overall beauty of the space. Plants are also layered to maximize light penetration:

One Community Earthbag Village Tropical Atrium Tree Sunlight Guide, 640

Tropical Atrium – Tree Sunlight Guide – Click to Enlarge

Here is a planting plan overview, visit the planting plan page for complete details.

Tropical Atrium planting plan layout, tropical atrium open source construction hub, sustainable civilization building though housing, sustainable housing, best practice living, sustainable housing systems, green materials, earthbag, cob, straw bale, One Community, open source housing, free-shared architecture, sustainable living, green living, eco living, living ecologically, for The Highest Good of All, transforming the world, build your own home, build your own house, affordable housing, open source architecture, architects of the future, sustainability non-profit, 501c3 organization, sustainable life, water catchment, organic food, eco-housing, artistic homes, sustainability cooperative, sustainable living group, open source, sustainability nonprofit, free-shared plans, teacher/demonstration village, open source project-launch blueprinting, One Community housing, Highest Good housing, tropical atrium, earthbag village, pod 1, botanical garden model, recreation space, indoor growing, tropical food production, tropical atrium open source portal

Tropical Atrium Complete Planting Guide – Click for the Open Source Hub

 

USE AS A CLASSROOM AND/OR RECREATION SPACE

The goal of the open source Tropical Atrium is to create an aesthetically pleasing and multi-functional center for the Earthbag Village (Pod 1). It is designed to grow food, collect and store rainwater, pre-heat water for the Earthbag Village showers, and provide a beautiful and energy efficient year-round recreation space. It will be affordable relative to its size and produce herbs and tropical fruit as part of the One Community open source botanical garden model.

With in easy walking distance of all the Earthbag Village homes, this structure will be a beautiful place to sit and read a book, attend a class, or enjoy a relaxing nap in a year-round tropically maintained environment.

Tropical Atrium, Earthbag Village, earthbag construction, green living, eco-living, sustainable living, construction with earthbags, earth architecture, One Community Global

One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking Northwest – Click to enlarge

Here is a view of the rooftop seating area that will provide views of the entire village.

Tropical Atrium, Earthbag Village, earthbag construction, green living, eco-living, sustainable living, construction with earthbags, earth architecture, One Community Global

One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – Rooftop View Looking Southeast (click to enlarge)

This area will be used for recreation, socialization, relaxation, or sometimes even as a stage.

One Community Tropical Atrium, View Looking South

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking South (click to enlarge)

Here is a view of the South entryway that has been designed with the upper walkways and sloped entry creating a mini-amphitheater space able to host events and classes. Seating and standing areas in and around this area are designed to accommodate 200+ people.

Tropical Atrium, Earthbag Village, earthbag construction, green living, eco-living, sustainable living, construction with earthbags, earth architecture, One Community Global

One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – Front Entry Area

Here is the view of this area looking South from behind the pond.

View looking South from the Tropical Atrium Pond, Tropical Atrium, One Community

One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – Entryway Looking South View (click to enlarge)

This image shows the Tropical Atrium from the outside and with the fully developed planting plan.

One Community Tropical Atrium Looking Northwest

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking Northwest (click to enlarge)

Here is a view showing the main area being used for a yoga class.

Tropical Atrium Recreation Space with Yoga Class, One Community Earthbag Village

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking Southwest

Here is a view with the central area being used as a social space and/or tourism attraction.

One Community Tropical Atrium, Final Render, view looking Northeast with people added

The One Community Tropical Atrium | Concept Render – View Looking Northeast

 

OTHER NOTEWORTHY POINTS

Here are a few additional noteworthy points. Some are briefly mentioned above too.

  • Semi-subterranean design (10 feet/3 meters depth at North wall) is to assist with temperature control
  • Building orientation will be slightly to the east and northeast by 10-15 degrees to catch earlier sun and avoid the hotter late afternoon sun
  • Southwest exterior cold hardy plantings will be utilized to reduce excessive summer sun if deemed necessary
  • We’ll build this entire structure with nuts, bolts, and screws so we have maximum ability to adapt and modify it for anything unexpected.
  • We’ll also take video and pictures of the insides of all of the walls and floor so we have easy and permanent reference of electrical, plumbing, etc. for ourselves and as a template for others as part of our open source project-launch blueprinting of adaptability of this and all One Community infrastructure
  • Grade-level vents and pollinator attracting plants will be used to help draw pollinators into this structure

See the Heating, Cooling, and Humidity Control page for the strategies we are building into the design in order to allow for us (and those who follow in our footsteps) to fine-tune these variables as needed.

 

SUMMARY

sustainable civilization building though housing, sustainable housing, best practice living, sustainable housing systems, green materials, earthbag, cob, straw bale, One Community, open source housing, free-shared architecture, sustainable living, green living, eco living, living ecologically, for The Highest Good of All, transforming the world, build your own home, build your own house, affordable housing, open source architecture, architects of the future, sustainability non-profit, 501c3 organization, sustainable life, water catchment, organic food, eco-housing, artistic homes, sustainability cooperative, sustainable living group, open source, sustainability nonprofit, free-shared plans, teacher/demonstration village, open source project-launch blueprinting, One Community housing, Highest Good housingThe Tropical Atrium will be the multi-functional center for the Earthbag Village (Pod 1). It will be affordable to build and provide a beautiful and comfortable place to host classes, grow a diversity of tropical fruits, re-use the greywater from the showers (for both watering plants and passive heat), and it will expand our botanical garden model. In accordance with our open source goals, the entire structure is being built for maximum heating, cooling, humidity, and overall structural modification. It has also been designed so that it will be beautiful to see and use even before any of the internal plants and trees begin to flourish.

FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS

Q: What will you be growing in the Tropical Atrium?

Please read the Tropical Atrium Planting and Harvesting Page for complete plant and tree details.

Q: How do you intend to maintain/stabilize the internal temperature and humidity?

Please read the Heating, Cooling, and Humidity Control page for complete heating, cooling, and humidity control details.

Q: What is the function of the internal hands feature?

The internal hands are purposed to provide an artistic and functional feature inside the Tropical Atrium. This feature will fill most of the South half of the structure. They create the growing terraces necessary in the South half of the structure to allow maximum sun and growing space utilization. They also create an aesthetically pleasing internal element that will make this building an interesting recreational space while we are waiting for the internal plants and trees to flourish.

Q: How do you intend to build the artistic hands feature affordably?

The cost of this feature of the Tropical Atrium will be extremely low because we will create the basic shape of the visible aspects of the hands using PVC piping that will transport the warm water from the adjacent showers through the fingers. We will then cover the vertical edges with stone from the property and grow plants on the horizontal surfaces. The rest of the hand elements will not need to be created because they are not visible.

CONSULTANTS ON THE TROPICAL ATRIUM

Amauri TavaresBachelors of Science and Technology and Aerospace Engineering Student
Bear Stauss: Horticulturalist and Landscape Design/Recreation Area Management Specialist
Christian OjedaMechatronic Engineer 
Devin Porter: 3D Graphics Design Specialist
Diogo RozadaCivil Engineering Student specializing in Hydraulics
Douglas Simms Stenhouse
: Architect and Water Color Artist
Erika Yumi TamashiroArchitecture and Urban Design Student
Fernando CarvalhoMechanical Engineering Student
Gilberto Martini de Oliveira3D Animation Design Student
Israel SilvaElectrical Engineering Student
Izadora CarvalhoCivil Engineering Student
Jorge Antonio RicardoMechanical Engineering Student
Matheus ManfrediniCivil Engineering Student specializing in Urban Design
Renata MaeharaCivil Engineering Student and AutoCAD Drafter
Ron Payne: Mechanical Engineer and HVAC / Thermal Designer
Shadi KennedyArtist and Graphic Designer

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