ECO-SYSTEMIC RESTORATION: A MODEL COMMUNITY AT SALTON SEA
The traditional model of growth is a ‘zero sum’ game with discrete land use typologies, where
growth in one can only happen at the expense of another. Our primary motivation in developing a
systemic community is to provide a paradigm shift in accommodating growth – by capturing and
integrating systems that are cyclical in nature and time, with each cycle rejuvenating and healing
the surrounding ecology rather than eroding it over time.
The approach is holistic, in that we consider interrelationships between all processes fundamental
to sustaining life and preserving nature – water and energy cycles, agriculture and seasonality,
production and the exchange economy, as well as social needs of a multi-generational
community. Our strategy, however, is hinged on the notion of restoring scarred landscapes,
making them givers of life, and enhancing their integration into the surrounding ecology and life.
The site
Our project site is located on the northern bank of the Salton Sea. Contrary to its name, the Salton
Sea is the largest lake in California and is located approximately 130 miles southeast of Downtown
Los Angeles, and about 35 miles southeast of Palm Springs. It is 35 miles by 15 miles across with
an average depth of 29.9 feet and 51 feet at its deepest, and has over 100 miles of shoreline; it is
located 228 feet below sea level. It is essentially a basin that had filled up with occasional flooding
of the Colorado River, but now gets constantly replenished by the agricultural runoff from the area
surrounding it. The lack of any outlets makes it a very unstable ecosystem with rising salinity and
increasing toxicity.
Strategy of occupation
The process of healing is emphasized by a symbiotic relationship between the community and
the natural environment in and around Salton Sea. Key objectives in this is to reduce the Sea’s
salinity levels, provide alternative models of agriculture, and maintain the ecosystem it supports.
We have incorporated a number of strategies that emphasize this symbiotic relationship such as
biofuel producing algae farms, which have a dual role as an energy source as well as an
environmental cleanser. Nature sensitive agricultural practices and crop types provide food provide
a food source and economic benefits to the community while eliminating chemical runoffs into the
Sea. Passive energy strategies such as the heat sink and solar ponds use the Sea’s mass and
salinity to the advantage of the community.
The 3200 acres of land considered in this project is part of an ecological restoration effort to heal
the site and create life-sustaining conditions, appropriate for the desert environment. The chosen
site is already occupied and developed. We are re-occupying it with the smallest possible building
footprint, creating clusters of buildings organized around public spaces and productive areas, using
nature as our mentor. The goal is to create a community that does have a net 0 impact on
emission, waste, energy and water.
We feel that our approach can be a model in the adjacent desert communities that have practiced
unsustainable living and agriculture for more than 50 years; and possibly, over the next 25 years
Salton Sea’s North Bank could be renewed by:
a- rehabilitation of agricultural land, and conversion to “slow” agriculture.
b-“Zero Impact” growth with additional housing as an expansion to our community or in creation of
similar ones in the region.
c- clean production and creative factories attracting people to the area and incubating innovative
environment sensitive industries.
d-increasing 0 impact energy production as conventional agricultural uses are replaced by the
suggested agricultural practices and crops.
Community Design
We think that the process of architecture is a plan to manage a built object’s life, and we address
architecture as a process for construction as well as dismantling.
We re-occupy the site and inject infrastructure to support production as we feel that the picture of
a sustainable community is incomplete if all aspects of the community living not taken into account.
Besides “dwelling”, fulfilling a community’s productivity and economic needs, and social needs,
within a sustainable framework is of utmost importance.
The land is reconfigured with uses within its carrying capacity, in a way that it is engaged and not
exploited. The residential component includes a variety of unit sizes and types allowing a
multigenerational community to flourish. Several communal spaces are linked to the residential
dwellings, and others to the entire community allowing for multiple public activities. Each design
element serves multiple community objectives - similar to any living organism where all of the
specialized parts collaborate for communal well being.
The community’s current capacity is for 1000 people as designed, but it allows for future growth, in
response to local and regional pressures.
Solar energy, water conservation strategies, non-emissive materials and earth embankments
are introduced as design considerations, to reduce the energy input of the inhabitable space, and
provide energy conservation in residential housing.
The earth houses and water towers are characterized by their thermal stability and energy
efficiency. Several passive strategies, integrated with low consuming active systems described
below are implemented:
Passive Systems
The key to reducing building energy consumption is to take advantage of the benefits that can be
provided by the sites natural environment. Creating a synergy between the systems, building and
the site recreates the potential to eliminate active systems in some cases and significantly reduce
the size of active systems in others.
The key to the Salton Sea climate is to minimize the impact of the high summer temperatures and
solar heat gains, take advantage of natural wind currents, and harness what rain is available on the
site (what about harnessing solar heat?). Fortunately for the Salton Sea, there is limited humidity to
be controlled so natural ventilation can be utilized during most of the year.
The narrow profile of the building is conducive to creating cross flow natural ventilation during
temperate days, and cool evenings and nights. On the single buried levels, a high space provides
for high level openings to create a cross flow of air providing natural ventilation to all levels.
The passive systems of the building buffer the interior from the extreme summer heat. This is
accomplished by adding additional mass to the building in the form of earth walls, and water
columns. The mass walls on the lower portion of the building protect the south orientation, and then
dives through the building to protect the west orientation where necessary. The mass on the south
and west sides provide a shield to absorb heat to be rejected in the cooler evenings. This strategy
also works in cold climates where the heat from the day is absorbed and rejected to the interiors
during the colder nights. The towers are wrapped with a skin of water, both recycled grey water, and
rejected water from the cooling system for usage inside the buildings. Grey water captured from rain
fall, showers, and sinks to be used later for irrigation, flushing toilets and washing machines.
Cooling water stored in the towers is sprayed across the roof tops and cooled using night sky
radiation to reduce the temperature. The mass from the water serves the same purpose as the
rammed earth walls to absorb heat to be reject to the outside during cooler periods.
Openings on the south and west orientations are limited to reduce direct solar radiation during peak
summer months, while the openings on the north and east elevations provide diffuse natural
daylight reducing the need for artificial lighting. Glazing will provide solar protection while still
allowing sufficient levels of daylight to enter into the space.
While passive strategies gain much to reduce the heat gain (or heat loss) into the space, in all but
the most temperate of climates active cooling or heating is required to maintain the space
temperatures within acceptable comfort levels.
Active and Generative Systems
While water is an increasingly scarce resource around the world, the use of hydronic systems to
directly provide cooling to the space are significantly more efficient in reducing space conditioning
systems while at the same time improve the quality of occupant comfort. Hydronic radiant systems
are located in the building slabs as well as portions of the thermal mass wall. The radiant systems
located in the slabs are exposed not only to the spaces above, but also those below improving the
overall efficiency of the system. The radiant tubes located in the mass wall not only serve to cool the
space, but also provide a means of cooling the mass at night via night sky radiation.
The central heating and cooling system utilizes a system of roof-mounted tubes to absorb solar
radiation during the day to generate hot water, and uses the cold night sky to reject heat at night.
The central cooling system provides cooled water to the radiant systems via a dual service night sky
radiation system, and the heat reservoir provided by the Salton Sea. Exposing water to the very low
temperature of the night sky cools the water to a temperature that is usable by the radiant floor
system. For this particular location, the size of the Salton Sea serves as a sufficiently large heat sink
to reject heat without endangering the sea’s ecosystem.
The central heating system operates off of gas extracted from the algae farms to operate boilers
which circulate water through the building. To supplement heating demands, the solar collectors
used for night sky radiation are used during the day to meet the demands of domestic hot water
systems.
All energy needed by the community will be generated within the community. Solar and wind
technologies will provide all required electricity for residential consumption. The residential energy
system design includes significant over capacity. The extra capacity will be used to charge
emergency batteries. The extra energy will be sold into the grid to export emissions free electricity
for consumption outside the community.
The systemic community
The site in Salton Sea transcends its limits, acting as a geographical attractor of regional interest.
The existing highway 111, connects manufacturing centers along the Mexican border not only to
the Los Angeles region but also to a transportation network serving the entire United States. This
existing infrastructure is considered to be a means of regional access for all visitors. An inter-modal
parking lot will allow the exchange to a non-emittive transportation system to travel within the
community.
The new community will integrate several uses: from the creative offices located in the towers, an
eco-lodge to support the Salton Sea lost tourist nature, to the research field station. The town center
includes services integral to community life: a school, sport center, multipurpose open theater,
markets and public offices. Growth over time will integrate additional uses - avoiding monofunctionality-
and additional visitors.
The beach park connects to the existing state park south of our site, protecting the natural lake
edge. The food forest provides a food source as well as a recreational area of the community.
The community is organized in 6 clusters, which rotate around a community garden. Each individual
building has a central playground to allow children and adults to meet, interact and play.
The office towers are the center of activities and provide a vivid exchanging environment, which
contribute to create a higher intensity of social relations.
Eliminating the commuting to the not far Los Angeles and San Diego areas while providing a rich
and vibrant cultural end entrepreneurial environment is the aim of this community based on
innovation and research inspired by nature