Dreams to Reality 2010 Plan Structure

Design/Build Practicum Details

The practicum combines aspects of a design studio (an architectural process of developing the building design, from initial concept to finish drawings, usually held in an office or classroom), a sustainable design course, (a combination of theoretical and hands-on education in sustainable design principles) and a series of natural building workshops (hands on in nature, ranging from materials to systems).

Due the the educational nature of the practicum, participants will be considered interns. The interns will be working intensely with each other and key staff members throughout the practicum. Intern engagement with the village will be necessary for educational purposes, and the plan is to have that engagement be a symbiotic one for both the interns and the community. It is planned that hands-on learning opportunities will avail themselves from a variety of construction sources in the form of both formal and informal trainings.

The 2010 program is designed as a multi-month internship, planned in 3 segments.

The first segment of the program is planned as a learning intensive, providing interns with an understanding of the Dancing Rabbit community (infrastructure systems, consensus, conflict resolution, etc), culture (resource sharing, simple living, etc), and village design plans (density model, building relationships, etc), as well as an understanding of how to design using natural materials (cob, strawbale, earthbag, urbanite foundations, etc) and ecological concepts (passive solar design, convection heating, wind scoops, solar access, etc) holding in balance both natural and human criteria, with a foundation of sustainability at it's core.

The second segment will involve the design of a specific project, working with a design leader (someone to mentor the interns through the design process) and a community liaison to create a structure that makes sense for the village and meets the needs of the users.

The final segment will include construction on the project.

The actual project for the practicum has not yet been determined. Several project options are being considered, and either public and private buildings could be applicable for this type of internship program.

Some project ideas include the possible design/build of private housing, an intern housing cluster, a new resident housing cluster, and a dance/yoga studio.

Program fees will be determinend by scaling scale, according to ability to pay.  Scholarships are available.  Please contact Jennifer at timberhome@gmail.com for more information.