Hot Springs Retreat
Big Bend, California | 2012

This hot springs site has been a sacred site for generations, and the project’s masterplan will restore this and many other values to the land, including the vitality of water resources and the wildlife habitat.  The design seeks to develop a model sustainable permaculture facility with geothermally-heated greenhouses to grow food, a small-scale camping & soaking facility, and community spaces.  A residence and community room are among the project’s buildings, made using locally-sourced straw bale, and including many unique features such as site-harvested-lumber, earthen wall plaster & floors, geothermal heating, hexagonal floor plans, and pyramidal skylights.