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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.

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Felling trees in the forest for timber frame structures

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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.

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Debarking trees with a drawknife

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Milling timbers

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Skidding trees from the forest

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Community center

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Feed storage, microgreens growing, chicken hatchery

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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

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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

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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.

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Mentoring

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Painting is a part of

school ciriculum

LANGUAGE IMMERSION SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY KITCHEN

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Community kitchen and language classroom

MASONRY

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Barrel oven inside community kitchen

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Cob oven

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Insulating the rocket mass heater with cob

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Monthly dietary cheat day with pizza on the cob oven

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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.  

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Strawbale wall system 

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Applying earthen plaster to straw bale walls

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Pouring perlitecrete tench 

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Making earthen plaster

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Finished earthen wall plaster

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Truth window in the plaster wall showing the straw bale structure beneath

Finished plaster wall painted with natural clay-derived pigments harvested and created on site

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Finished plaster wall painted with natural clay-derived pigments harvested and created on site

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Truth window in the plaster wall showing the hempcrete structure beneath

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