Surrounding the building and reaching into the landscape, seed bank adobe walls – located to block strong winter winds – erode, regenerating grassland. When a wall is built, a shrub hedge that will eventually replace it is planted. The walls are seed banks. Spaces between bricks provide shelter and perches and allow wind and water access to the wall to speed erosion. After the walls erode, the soil supports prairie dog burrows. The main component of the sun protection layer is a wood shade structure. At times it is covered in cholla pieces, edited for increased or decreased light transmittance, or used to shade roof waffle garden soil pockets. Daylighting through south-facing glazing and small skylights support a vegetable garden and a climate extension garden, respectively. Bird nests made from repurposed skeletons of cholla cactus, an indicator species of grassland degradation, provide shade and nesting locations for non-migratory birds. The water protection layer is made of structural concrete arches that transition from convex (water shedding) on the roof to concave (water collecting) underground. Rainwater collected in the V between arches waters roof plants before draining into a narrow, but deep, underground pond. Shallow steps at the pond’s edge provide safe drinking water access for small species such as skinks, mice and birds while the depths provide habitat for aquatic species. Any overflow is drained by culverts to irrigate grasslands; municipal water piped to the building is recycled after use to provide additional irrigation An air space functions as the building insulation layer. Earth tubes precondition incoming air and hot air is exhausted via a solar chimney. Although operable glazing layers allow adjustments, in the main the design takes advantage of natural air stratification and evaporative cooling. A semi-conditioned building space acts as a climate shelter for sensitive species and extends the range of species the refugia supports.
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on site review 41 :: infrastructure
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