Natural Building & Integrated Systems

Cuko hayetv

Ekvn-Yefolecv is dedicated to coupling traditional Maskoke ecological worldview, which encompasses integrated systems design, with Western scientific approaches to regenerative lifeways.

Felling trees in the forest for timber frame structures

Mortising timbers

Estowet Cuko Hayeyat

Although the timber framing technique we employ in the ecovillage is not Maskoke tradition, it coincides with our philosophical worldview concerning ecological sustainability. This process includes ecovillage residents selecting trees from the forest on-site, followed by our traditional tree harvesting protocol; we then fell, skid, debark and mill the timbers on-site. Next, we create natural joinery using mortise and tenon, which reduces hardware needs in the structures. The entire process, from forest to frame, decreases embodied energy requirements, such as eliminating the need for extracted precious metals and fossil fuel and carbon emissions that would have been required in ordering/transporting equipment and timber from off-site.

Debarking trees with a drawknife

Milling timbers

Skidding trees from the forest

Community center

Feed storage, microgreens growing, chicken hatchery

Hand raising tiny home duplex

Ekvn-Yefolecv’s tiny homes are 400 sq ft off-grid (no HVAC system) units, and features include:

timber frame with wood harvested from on-site
strawbale wall insulation with earthen plaster coating
perlitecrete stemwall for annualized thermal inertia
passive geothermal tubes
earthen floor
living roof
rain catchment from porch roof
rocket mass heater
building sited and oriented to optimize solar access for passive daylighting and passive solar gain

Tiny home duplex

Este-Cate em Ponvkv Cuko Mon Norickv-cuko

Our completely off-grid language immersion schoolhouse and community kitchen building includes:

nickel iron battery solar system
geothermal HVAC system
light tubes
wooden windows
non-toxic zero-VOC wall paints
rocket mass heaters
barrel oven
kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities from locally reclaimed lumber
paperstone cabinet tops
water 100% sourced from rain catchment
(sediment filter, 0.5 micron filter, UV sterilizer)
recycled graywater for food forest irrigation
methane gas from biodigesters for stovetop cooking and water heating
mineral wool insulation
energy efficient chest freezer and refrigerator (each using only a little more than half a kilowatt hour per day)
use of biophilic materials: natural wood flooring, ceilings, furniture
intentionally designed to drastically reduce electrical loads
no wifi to reduce EMF in the building
building sited and oriented to optimize solar access for passive daylighting and passive solar gain

Early construction stages

We maintain a partnership with the Institute of Integrated Regenerative Design to engineer what we aim to achieve in an off-grid integrated systems approach to regenerative living.

Mentoring

Painting is a part of

school ciriculum

LANGUAGE IMMERSION SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY KITCHEN

Community kitchen and language classroom

MASONRY

Barrel oven inside community kitchen

Cob oven

Insulating the rocket mass heater with cob

Monthly dietary cheat day with pizza on the cob oven

Rocket mass heater

Ekvnv Vcayeckv Vrahkv

Additional natural building features include: strawbale wall systems with earthen plaster coating and earthen floors (clay, sand, wheat straw and buffalo manure). We pour 4 ft deep perlitecrete trenches around each building for annualized thermal inertia.