Highest Good Design
Low-impact development housing is housing we consider Highest Good housing™ because it is more cost effective, lasts longer, and is built from resources that are readily available. We are operating as a sustainability think tank to demonstrate and build 7 different communal living mini-village models of 15-100 residences as examples and prototypes for self-sufficient and duplicable teacher/demonstration communities, villages and cities to be built around the world. Each village model (we’re starting with the Earthbag Village and Duplicable City Center), will represent a different eco-build methodology designed as ultra-affordable and eco-friendly living with the additional option to be combined with the One Community Highest Good food and energy components.
All village models are designed with four things in mind:
- Our open source goals to free-share complete plans for cost effective eco-building
- Showcasing the broad diversity, benefits, and differences of all the various eco-home options
- Demonstrate eco-housing as artistic, innovative, and beautiful expressions of this way of living
- Maximized functionality while each contributing something unique to the fulfilled living environment
MASTER PLAN
In addition to the village elements and criteria above, a complete Master Plan for the property has been created so that the entire environment will be conducive to the One Community self-sufficient and self-replicating teacher/demonstration hub experience and goals. This plan includes our ideas for how the 7 villages will integrate with food production, the Duplicable City Center, other key infrastructure components, additional fulfilled living elements/components we are planning, plus options for visitors to stay even more affordably by camping.
One Community Master Plan – Click to Enlarge
Something to note when looking at the plan above: Most of the additional elements beyond the 7 villages can be easily and affordably added, so our intent is to include as many as possible as part of the development plan for the first 5 years.
OVERVIEW FOR EACH VILLAGE
The foundational architectural plans for the Earthbag Village and Straw Bale Village are finished and we are now working on the details necessary for permitting of the Earthbag Village. The rest of the village/pod designs are continuing to develop too with our Phase 1 and Phase II development goal to house a minimum of 300 full-time adult members and 150+ tourism/timeshare/scholarship/part-time residents.
As each village/pod is completed, Community Pioneers will have the option to “upgrade” their residences and provide their previous residence to incoming new community members and visitors. This will allow us to continue to offer free housing for new members as we grow proportionate to our infrastructure.
Click Here for Residency Projections – Click Here for Home Ownership Details
VILLAGE #1
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Semi-subterranean Earthbag Village with Central Tropical Atrium Theme: Affordable DIY Sustainability / Red Accents 60 Resident Units / 12 Visitor Units / 1 Common Area |
The first village we will build will be the Earthbag Village (Pod 1). The open source purpose of this village is to demonstrate maximum affordability and a diversity of earthbag designs that will be able to be duplicated almost anywhere in the world without the need for permits. Our structures, however, will be permitted.
The Earthbag Village will consist of seventy-two 200 square foot (19 sq meters) semi-subterranean earthbag “hotel room” style cabanas organized as seen above. These low-impact development bungalow-style buildings will connect with spoke-like walkways into a central semi-subterranean 60-foot (18.3 meters) diameter Tropical Atrium/Meditation Center housing flowers, herbs, and tropical fruit like papaya, mangos, and bananas. The Tropical Atrium will be heated by a combination of passive heat and recycling of the warm shower water from the earthbag village communal bathrooms.
We will begin building the Earthbag Village (Pod 1) within the first month on the property as a living/rental pod for the initial Community Members, visitors, and students. This village is projected to take 18-24 months to complete and will provide our first rental residences as well as homes that our initial Community Members (The One Community Pioneers) will own if they remain members of the community for 18 months or longer. (Click Here for Home Ownership Details)
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS ON THE EARTHBAG VILLAGE OS PORTAL
VILLAGE #2
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Straw Bale Construction | Family & Community Recreation Village Theme: Modularly-Expandable Community Housing / Green Accents 40 Resident Units / 12 Visitor Units / 11 Common Areas |
The Straw Bale Village (Pod 2) will be the second sustainable village we will construct. The open source purpose of this village is modularly-expandable housing with a focus on providing a diversity of family and community spaces. Construction of this village will begin as soon as the Earthbag Village (Pod 1) is complete and we’ll use the torus design to build the first few units to completion to show what is possible on the small scale, and then add onto those units to demonstrate how this style of communal housing could be expanded as a community expands, adding additional units as needed. Once built, this will be the largest straw bale construction in the world, using over 20,000 straw bales and 2x the size of the current largest building.
The Straw Bale Village will consist of fifty-two 250-300 square foot (23-28 sq meters) studio-style rooms, each with an attached bathroom and arranged in groups of 4 that can easily be connected and or converted to create multi-room units. Forty of these units are planned for residents and 12 are planned for visitors. In support of the family-living and community social, recreational, and developmental focus, this village model also includes 11 common areas: a kitchen and dining area capable of feeding 150+ people, computer room, meeting and conference room, children’s art and playroom, game room, outdoor playground, outdoor barbecue area, outdoor dining area, library, gym, and central social area with a gas fire pit that can be covered to provide a stage.
The circular design of this village is heating, cooling, and resource efficient with plans for the central areas to include fruit trees and other greenery that will benefit from the micro-climate and protection from wildlife the center of the village will provide. Water collecting will also be incorporated with storage via the decorative waterways.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS ON THE STRAW BALE VILLAGE OS PORTAL
VILLAGE #3
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Cob Construction | Maker-space and Artist’s Village Themes: Artistic and Creative Expression / Yellow Accents 20 Resident Units / 8 Visitor Units / 14 Common Areas |
The Cob Village (Pod 3) will be the 3rd village to be constructed. Cob is an ancient building material composed of dirt, straw (we’ll use the remaining straw from Pod 2), and water that has been used for construction since prehistoric times. Some of the oldest man-made structures in Afghanistan are composed of rammed earth and cob and still standing. We’ll open source this building method to share the durable, affordable, sustainable, and artistic possibilities with cob, provide and open source 4 different maker spaces, and provide housing specifically for skilled individuals wishing to open source share their art and artistic knowledge with One Community and the world.
The Cob Village will consist 28 units and the support the social, recreational, and developmental focus of One Community by providing a central playhouse and presentation structure and 4 different wings dedicated to art and creativity. Each wing will feature a large-scale social space adjacent to the living spaces a one of the 4 different large-scale maker spaces. These space will include:
- A Wood Maker Space
- A Metal and Glass Maker Space
- A Painting, Sculpting, Masonry, Tile Work, and Pottery Maker Space
- A Weaving and Textile Maker Space
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE COB VILLAGE OS PAGE
VILLAGE #4
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Compressed Earth Block Construction | Health & Wellness Village Themes: Health and Wellness / Indigo Accents 35 Resident Units / 15 Visitor Units / 10 Treatment Rooms / 16 Common Areas |
The Compressed Earth Block Village (Pod 4) will be the 4th village to be constructed. The purpose of this village will be to open source the broad diversity of what is possible with this ultra-sustainable construction method while providing housing specifically for health and wellness professionals wishing to open source share their skills and knowledge with One Community and the world.
The Compressed Earth Block Village will consist of 50 living units incorporated into a 2-story half-moon design with 10 treatment rooms, 4 classrooms, 2 meeting halls, kitchen and dining for 200+ people, laundry for 300+ and a diversity of rooftop and outdoor recreation and relaxation areas.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON THE EARTH BLOCK VILLAGE OS PAGE
VILLAGE #5
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Shipping Container Construction | Business and Entrepreneurial Village Themes: Business and Entrepreneurial Development / Violet Accents 24 Resident Units / 12 Visitor Units / 18 Common Spaces / 7 Professional Meeting Areas |
The Shipping Container Village (Pod 5) will be the 5th sustainable village we will construct. The open source purpose of this village will be to demonstrate the durability and practicality of construction using shipping containers while adding to our open source business and entrepreneurial offerings.
The Shipping Container Village is planned as a semi-subterranean 3-level village with 36 living units, 18 additional common spaces including a library, game room, exercise room, computer lab, kitchen and dining for 150+ people, laundry for 300+, and a diversity of indoor and outdoor recreation and relaxation areas. It will also add 7 different areas intended for hosting professional meetings of groups from 20-100 people at a time.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON THE SHIPPING CONTAINER VILLAGE OS PAGE
VILLAGE #6
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Reclaimed Materials Construction | Personal Enrichment Village Themes: Personal Enrichment and Expression / Orange Accents 30 Resident Units / 17 Visitor Units / 14 Common Areas |
The Recycled Materials Village (Pod 6) will be the 6th sustainable village we will construct. The open source purpose of this village will be to share how to build safely, affordably, and efficiently with maximal use of reclaimed/recycled materials. As part of this village, we will also open source a diversity of indoor and outdoor personal growth/self-development and expression spaces.
The design of the Recycled Materials Village is an earthship-inspired semi-subterranean design that will provide 47 living units and 14 common areas. The common areas will include dining and social space large enough to seat 200+ people, an art space, music room, dance room, yoga/meditation space, library, game room, gym, and relaxation and socialization room. Each common area will have an indoor and an outdoor design with ground-floor spaces (art studio, library, game room, and gym) planned to include and open source specific extensions and development of outside space dedicated to the same use and also designed and constructed with recycled materials.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON THE RECYCLED-MATERIALS VILLAGE OS PAGE
VILLAGE #7
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Tree House Construction | Eco-expressionist Village Themes: Eco-expressionism: “Beyond Traditional Sustainability” / Blue Accents 51 Resident Units / 21 Visitor Units |
The Tree House Village (Pod 7) will be the 7th village we construct. The open source purpose of this village will be to show what is possible “beyond traditional sustainability” with tree houses. These off-ground and low-impact designs will integrate everything we’ve learned from the previous 6 villages and City Center to maximize energy and space efficiency, waste recycling, reclaimed materials, and artistic design to showcase an additional world-class sustainability option for residents and visitors.
The Tree House Village will provide 72 living spaces, 2 separate large-scale kitchen and dining facilities, 2 arts and crafts spaces, a library, a game room, and 2 fully enclosed play structures for kids, all built in the trees. The living spaces will be capable of housing over 300 people. Separate shower and bathroom towers will provide convenient access to these facilities while helping to minimize the ecological impact, centralize and insulate plumbing, providing rooftop recreation space, and individual storage spaces for each residence.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON THE TREE HOUSE VILLAGE OS PAGE
THE DUPLICABLE CITY CENTER
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Duplicable City Center | Village Community Center & Eco-tourism Hub Themes: Eco-tourism and Social & Recreational Space 12 Visitor Units / 12 Common Areas |
The Duplicable City Center will be constructed at the same time as the Earthbag Village (Pod 1). The open source purpose of the City Center is to save resources and help model a redefinition of how people choose to live. This structure will function as a recreation center, large-scale dining hall, large-scale laundry facility, and alternative for visitors that might not (at first) be comfortable staying in the earthbag or straw bale hand-constructed homes.
The Duplicable City Center will provide 12 visitor rental rooms and is meant to be (but doesn’t need to be) built as the central and/or starting point of any one of the 7 One Community sustainable village models. As part of One Community’s global-transformation and duplicable teacher/demonstration communities, villages, and cities model, it will be LEED Platinum certified and function as a revenue stream and communal-use and resource-saving replacement of individual kitchens, laundry rooms, and living rooms for all the residents of One Community.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON THE DUPLICABLE CITY CENTER OS PORTAL
