Material Visualization of Sustainability
Christine Chastain, UCL
In the 1970s, in the small town of Falmouth, Mass., USA, an experimental, sustainable community was formed called Alchemy. This project was funded by government grants and allowed its members to explore such exotic concepts like hydroponic vegetable growth, composting, contained, sustainable systems, etc. Members were so busy and engaged that someone forgot to submit a government grant and the community folded without the necessary financial backing.
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Hilda and Earle bought one of the remaining dilapidated greenhouses from this project and decided to revive the vision their own way. Both Hilda and Earle are landscape architects and proud owners of the thriving business, Good Works. They have managed to create a delectable visual feast of their sustainable lifestyle aspirations using materials they either create, grow or that are indigenous to the area of Cape Cod.
First, they rejuvenated the greenhouse itself and added a house onto it. The home is a modular one, build in an environmental way using recycled and sustainable materials. The greenhouse not only serves as a winter garden but regulates the temperature of the home using passive solar means, heats the water that is used in the home, and grows both koi and fertilizer in a symbiotic relationship in large water tanks. The fertilizer is then used to enhance the soil in which the couple grows their gorgeous plants and vegetables. The house also sports biodegradable toilets and electricity purchased from a windmill – the waste can be used as fertilizer and whatever electricity goes unused can be sold back to a community of people supporting alternative power sources.
Earle and Hilda grow much of their own food in a vegetable garden and keep chickens. They also use materials grown or produced on their land, such as bamboo, compost and mulch, for use in the creation of their own landscapes and those of their clients.
Their studio is contained within their home which means they are not commuting long distances to get to the office and both are very healthy and stress-free Baby Boomers due to long hours of physical labor, fresh air and organic produce.
While all of this is admirable and to be commended, of almost greater interest is the way in which they have chosen to visualize their relationship with this contained ecosystem in an exhibition of self-expression of both private and public self. At once, this project is a very personal journey but also a showcase for their professional work to share with potential clients. This couple truly live to work AND work to live with personalized material visualization of sustainability within a truly sustainable lifestyle their ultimate goal.
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