Pattern Languaging

Designing a living community that provides all of its own needs and produces a surplus of resources over time. Integrating interior and exterior spaces, humans, plants, animals, soil, and living water systems. Combining ALL the best design solutions that have been used throughout history in all climates by all cultures to craft a curated library of design patterns.

Just over a year ago, I was visiting Puerto Rico only 8-months after the hurricane devastated the island. When volunteering to help install an off-grid solar electric system for a local family, the local contractor informed me that there was a local need for low-cost housing solutions for at least 1,000 families, ASAP. Specifically organized in villages of approximately 30 homes in various locations across the island.

I have evolved from a commercial “punch-out guy” into an owner/builder and finally into a high-end residential renovator. Having been researching natural building systems, materials, and design approaches for nearly three decades now. I have learned to combine Pattern Language Design with Permaculture Design, Bau-Biologie, and Green Building concepts.

I decided that my decades of research into various natural building systems, and the pattern language design approach would allow for communicating the many solutions in an easily understood and flexible manner. And that designing for a single household at a time is not the most efficient, nor effective means of planning a village.

As I am a fan of Buckminster Fuller’s work and believe in minimizing both materials and labor, I opted to design the structures based on the shape of the Icosahedron. One of the five pentatonic solids, the Icosahedron is the most efficient and stable structure possible. Which will help with the limited resources on-island as well as provide stronger buildings better able to withstand hurricane strength forces.

Icosa-yurt pavilion framing layout

This led to a clustered housing design with five structures surrounding a central dining pavilion for sharing meals and resources between the residential Coop members. Starting with the relevant patterns taken from Christopher Alexander’s “Pattern Language” book, and adding in all the best of the natural building systems I’ve collected over the last few decades. Eventually narrowing the Pattern Language design down to 93 patterns formatted into a PowerPoint slide deck.

Rather than attempt to list all 93 patterns here I will simply address the many categories of solutions included to allow for a closed-loop off-grid sustainable living system. Intended to provide true freedom by providing for ALL of the various “essentials for life”, as Thoreau put it. Enabling local sovereignty over all resources to provide a high quality of life to all the residents without requiring hardly any outside inputs.

Intended to be as low-maintenance as possible, simple to operate, and ultimately producing more value over time without needing additional labor and/or materials to keep them functioning. Stacking as many functions as possible and integrating the residential structures with our food, energy, and social needs.

These categories of concern include:

Electrical production and storage

-Solar Panels

-Vertical axis windmills

-Battery systems

-Crypto mining servers

On-site waste recycling and re-use

-Greywater gardens

-Composting toilets

-Methane generator systems

-Vermiculture composting of kitchen scraps

Low maintenance gardening

-Verticle gardens

-Floating bed gardens

-Wicking bed sub-surface wetland gardens

Integrated animal systems

-Aquaponics

-Chickens

-Rabbits

-Black Soldier Flies

Soil production

-Black soldier fly composting

-Vermiculture composting

-Traditional composting

Fuel

-Methane generators

-Wood-gas generators

Money

-Crypto mining rigs

-Food and craft retail sales

-Air BnB vacation short and mid-term rentals

Combined these systems provide all the life essentials, in addition to shelter from the elements.

Electricity to power our appliances, fuel for our stoves and for back-up power, both plant and animal food sources, and even currency to be used for paying property taxes, maintenance labor/materials.

I even included for both internal and external exchange of energies with both a centralized dining pavilion for shared meals and decentralized public interfacing to offer raw and value-added materials and services to the general public. Through a farm-stand, arts/crafts booth, a cafe restaurant, and Air BnB rentals. All segregated from the residential spaces to allow for individual households to maintain personal privacy as desired.

At first, intending for the 5-unit compound for use as an extended family unit. With a home for both grandparents, parents, and two children. I then modified it for more personal use with my own family, with a residence for my son and daughter on either side of the structure for my wife and myself. With the other two structures to be used as partial compensation as the residences for the on-site managers of the grounds and of the people.

Designed to facilitate our not having to fulfill those roles ourselves.

Giving my wife and I, as well as my two offspring, freedom to travel. Avoiding our becoming essential components for system operations at all times. While providing trusted management to oversee operations for us.

One of the concepts in Permaculture design is that it takes three design categories to provide stability. The residential structures of the homes. The garden systems for providing for food production. And “invisible structures” for governing both internal and external operations.

My asset protection studies taught me to make use of layered Trust Entities for segregating roles and asset classes.

Providing both regulatory arbitrage and jurisdictional diversity

In this system, the concept could be applied by having an off-site Trustee that holds Title to the Land. With on-site Trustee assigned to managing the people and another Trustee responsible for managing the land and the physical infrastructures.

The “Tribal Office Trustee” would be responsible for hiring staff for managing the business operations for the Air BnB, the farm stand, crafts booth, and cafe. Provided with their own private quarters and business office in their own buildings, as part of their compensation for their services.

The “Vehicular Office Trustee” being responsible for the management of the physical infrastructures of the property, tools, and vehicles. Also provided with their own office and living quarters on-site as part of their compensation package.

And lastly, an off-site “Investment Office Trustee” that is responsible for managing property taxes, income taxes, and investment accounts. With an on-site office located above the dining pavilion for use by the Coop members and the Trustees when they do visit the property.

This compartmentalized approach protects the land, the buildings, and the investment accounts from any potential lawsuits. From any of the guests of the Air BnB, the cafe, or retail sales. As well as defending against potential risks from liabilities incurred through the vehicles, the tools, and the hired staff.

Segregating risk between multiple entities keeping the entire property from becoming at risk due to any of the business operations. While providing for assigned roles and responsibilities for managers of the people, the built structures, and the land itself.

I describe this “invisible structures” pattern design as a Multi-family Trust Association. Overseeing a multi-use residential Coop organized around an aquaponics dining hall as central shared facilities for Coop members.

Creating a multi-layered strategy for achieving self-sufficiency and personal freedom from dependence on outside systems.