CHRISTOPHER ANDREWS ARCHITECT & TOWN PLANNER
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| The Big House & the Organic Gardens |
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THE BLUE MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS PROGRAM PROJECT LANGUAGE |
Inspired by the work of Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein and others in a A Pattern Language (Oxford University Press, 1977) as well as the work of Christopher Alexander and Hajo Neis and others at the Eishin Campus in Japan, we fashioned a project language for the Blue Mountain Program. A project language is a set of environmental patterns that come out of a vision unique to a particular site and a particular group of people. This project language describes the vision of several of the founding and board members of Blue Mountain, including Jake Wallace, Rick Serpa, Dave McFarlane, Henri Mannik, and Andrew Hryniewicz. This project language was worked out during site visits and meetings over a period of several months. Blue Mountain
will be built incrementally over time, in a continual process of site
enhancement, maintenance and repair. We
will utilize an integrated process of design and construction to further refine
the designs of individual buildings and building components throughout the
process of construction. Construction
will begin with the initial environmental vision, and design will not end until
the last brick is laid. Through
this hands on program of design and construction, students will learn practical
vocational, cognitive and social skills Blue Mountain
will be built using ecologically sustainable building systems, materials and
construction methods. The design of Blue Mountain will utilize active and passive
solar energy, maximize daylight, and exploit and direct air flow for climate
control and wind power generation. Spatial
design will maximize efficiency by allowing for multiple uses.
The buildings themselves will be constructed using a super-insulated
straw bale wall system. The water management system will include the capture of
rainwater and the recycling of “gray” waste water. Ecology is the
science of the relationships between organisms and their environments.
Sustainability is about providing for the needs of the present while
preserving the ability of future generations to provide for their needs.
Using the principles of ecology we can build and maintain environments
that are integrated with local climate, ecology, history, and building
practices. Ecologically sustainable
environments balance the life cycles processes so that the wastes of one process
become food for another. Ecologically
sustainable environments heighten our awareness of the interaction between
humans and other natural systems, providing inhabitants with a clear sense of
location, weather and time. The
student-residents of Blue Mountain will learn about science and nature through
this direct experiential analysis, understanding, and response to their own
living and working environment. We are presently in the process of refining the schematic design of Blue Mountain, focusing on the interaction between site restoration, the layout of the organic gardens, the planning of the water management system and the overall siting of buildings. We are also working on the preparation of plans for the first building to be built at Blue Mountain, the Gatehouse, which will serve as the initial test of the construction processes to be used throughout the life of the project.
THE
INNER AND OUTER PRECINCTS There are two main parts to the Blue Mountain Wilderness School--the Inner Precinct and the Outer Precinct. Development of the Outer Precinct consists of a gradual process of site repair, including native grass reclamation, fire protection, reforesting, and other long term processes which will begin to restore the entire forty acre site to ecological health. The initial phases of development concentrate on the Inner Precinct, an area of several acres, which is described herein.
THE
GATEHOUSE The Gatehouse is a small building that welcomes you to Blue Mountain. It forms an entry way to Inner Precinct. It is connected to a small gate through which vehicles and pedestrians pass. As it is the first permanent structure built on the property, the Gatehouse is a seed for the entire project. It is the initial element in the network of gardens, buildings and paths. The Gatehouse faces the Organic Gardens. It is connected to the walls and fences which surround them. The Gatehouse will serve multiple uses over time, as a workshop, sleeping cabin, and storage facility at various stages of the project.
THE
ORGANIC GARDENS The Organic Gardens are the means for achieving the goal of self sufficiency in food production. They border the Main Yard and the Big House. The Organic Gardens will be laid out in two phases. The first phase is small scaled, and tests the techniques and layout for the larger phase which is to follow. The second phase will attain the goal of self sufficiency in food production. The Organic Gardens will be contained by fences and walls to guard against encroachment by animals. These walls will help to define the edges of the Inner Precinct. The gardens will be developed according to principles of permaculture, which asserts that a diversity of species, growing seasons, and natural pest management creates a more ecologically sustainable system than contemporary monocultural farming with its extensive use of fossil fuels, pesticides and herbicides.
THE
WATER NETWORK The
Water Network is a primary element in the overall plan of the Blue Mountain
Wilderness School. This network
extends from a visible system of ponds to an invisible system of aquifers,
watersheds, wells, tanks, and pipes. It
encompasses not only the capture and storage of water to be used for drinking,
agriculture and cleaning, but also the recycling of water back into the
surrounding environs so that the health of the larger network beyond the site is
maintained. The heart of the Water network will be the Middle Pond,
located at the center of the Organic Gardens.
The capacity of this pond will be based on the seasonal resources of the
Pine Ridge Watershed. The pond will
provide for the irrigation of the Organic Gardens. The Middle Pond will provide a center for aquaculture.
It will contain fish and a refuge for waterfowl.
It will also provide a safe place for swimming.
THE
CENTRAL PATH The
Central path is the main circulation route through the Blue Mountain Wilderness
School. It comfortably accommodates
both pedestrian and vehicular movement. The
main portion of the Central Path begins at the Gatehouse and ends at the Main
Yard of the Big House. The Central
Path runs along edge of the Organic Gardens.
The main outbuildings of the Inner Precinct--the Barn and the Workshop,
are located along this route.
THE
MAIN YARD The
Main Yard is the central space of the Inner Precinct.
It is the center of human activity--the primary outdoor social and
working space of the school. The
Main Yard is bordered by the Organic Gardens.
The Central Path terminates here. It opens up to the sky to the south.
It is partially shaded by deciduous trees. The Front Porch of the Big House opens onto the Main Yard.
THE
BIG HOUSE The
Big House is the main indoor place of the Blue Mountain Wilderness School.
It contains living and work spaces for the students and Staff.
These include student and Staff bedrooms, the Farmhouse Kitchen, the Bath
House, the Library, Classroom and Study areas, and the Staff Offices and Meeting
Rooms. Although
the Big House serves a variety of diverse functions as the nerve center for the
School and Farm, it has the intimate feeling of an large but comfortable home.
The Big House has a generous porch which opens onto the Main Yard.
At the center of the Big House is the Farmhouse Kitchen. The other spaces of the house are wings that spring from this
center. They may also take the form
of separate structures, so that the final form of the Big House is that of a
complex of buildings. This Building
complex forms the edges of the Main Yard.
The
Big House is the first major building constructed on the site, after the
Gatehouse. It will be built up and
modified over time. In its initial
stage, it will contain living spaces for half a dozen students and several staff
members. Later it will accommodate
as many as eighteen students and half a dozen staff.
THE BARN The
Barn is the indoor service and storage area for the Organic Gardens.
It is located along the Central Path.
THE
WORKSHOP The
Workshop will be located along the Central Path, close to the Main Yard.
It will contain a wood, metal and automotive maintenance and repair shop.
THE
GAME FIELD AND OTHER SMALLER ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN The Game Field is at the large level meadow at the center of the site. This will be an area that will be used for recreation--frisbee throwing, ball games, etc. It will serve as a testing area for the native grasses reclamation project. Some other smaller elements of the plan include: fences, walls and gates, a windmill, smaller tree places and flower places, animal houses, smaller scale pathways and the well house. |
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GO BACK TO BLUE MOUNTAIN PART I: THE VISION
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