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Living Lab Comes to Taos New Mexico
In 2003 the New Mexico State Legislature allocated Taos County funding to design and build the first Living Lab. This facility will serve as a center to promote ecological literacy for elementary, middle, and high school students throughout Taos County. The Living Lab will be constructed adjacent to the Taos Middle School and administered by Taos Municipal School District.
Curriculum for the Living Lab is being developed by Dharma Living Systems, The Yaxche School, and the Taos School District. Construction on the facility will start spring of 2004.
Preliminary architectural model of the Taos Living Lab.
The Living Lab is an engineered learning space with curriculum designed to demonstrate the most innovative concepts in sustainable building, ecological design and environmental stewardship. The core of the Living Lab is a unique “living classroom ” that will implement hands--on lessons in ecology, agriculture, aquaculture, engineering and environmental restoration. This center,and the associated curriculum, will illustrate the mutually beneficial relationships existing between different organisms in natural ecosystems and show how students can harness them to provide clean water, food, and shelter.
The Dharma Living Lab is self-sustaining, generating a portion of its own power from the sun, collecting rainwater and reclaiming wastewater through a Living Machine ® System.. Living Machine ® Systems use communities of microorganisms and plants in engineered ecosystems to digest and the organic compounds in wastewater.
Taos Living Lab A Living Classroom The Living Lab introduces students to the interrelationship of the five kingdoms of nature; how bacteria, algae, protista, plants, and animals provide “life support ” on this planet.. Students become active participants in the development of living systems which provide clean water, food, and building materials. The diversity of pathways assures that wastes from one system become food for another. Harvested plant material from the Living Machine ® System are mixed with waste paper to provide substrate for mushroom cultivation.. Spent mushroom substrate is utilized as fish food for the aquaculture system. Nutrient enriched aquaculture water becomes fertilizer for grains, fruits and vegetables. Treated wastewater from the Living Machine ® System irrigates groves of aspen and bamboo surrounding the building to provide sustainable building materials. The Living Lab makes environmental principles both transparent and exciting. Students will recognize the potential of these complex natural systems and develop important life skills as they raise fish, harvest fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms, and build furniture and flutes. They learn that natural systems can transform wastewater and solid wastes into valuable resources.
The architecture of the Living Lab is designed to immerse students in the dynamic ecosystems described above. In addition to the laboratory space on the first floor, a second floor space is enclosed in glass and provides a quiet classroom environment. The design, materials and technologies of the building reinforce the principles of sustainable design. Passive solar design provides heating and cooling and is illustrative of solar cycles. Rainwater collection systems inform students about seasonal water availability. Natural building materials illustrate the important connections to local farms and forests. The building structure and infrastructure is designed as a “kit-of-parts ” assuring that construction is quick and cost effective..
Collected rainwater is stored in a cistern. Rainwater is used in toilets and sinks .A Living Machine ® System treats wastewater. Harvested plant material is used as substrate for mushrooms. Treated wastewater is used for outdoor irrigation of bamboo grove. Bamboo is used for furniture. Rainwater is used for aquaculture. Waste paper is used as mushroom substrate. Mushroom spawn is used as fish food. Fish waste is used as fertilizer for crops. Waste crop material is used as fish food.
ABOUT LIVING MACHINES, INC.
Responsible Solutions for Responsible Living Living Machines, Inc. was formed for the purpose of providing a "natural-systems" approach to wastewater treatment using the principles of ecological design and engineering. Since its beginnings, Living Machines, Inc. has been involved with the design, construction, and operation of innovative wastewater treatment facilities for communities, educational institutions, resorts, and industrial users. These facilities, which include more than thirty commercial-scale and pilot facilities located throughout the United States and seven other countries, range in size between 300 and 750,000 gallons per day. Given this diverse and extensive experience Living Machine™ systems have become the most recognized brand in the evolving field of eco-engineering and the development of natural wastewater treatment technology.
Living Machines, Inc. designs ecologically engineered treatment systems for advanced wastewater treatment. Every Living Machine™ system has three simple and practical design criteria: high quality effluent with potential for reuse, stable operation, and aesthetic appeal. We design systems for decentralized wastewater treatment for medium and small flows with sizes ranging from towns and suburban developments to households. In these markets, a wastewater treatment system must enhance the neighborhood where it is located. A Living Machine™ system does this and more by providing a lush green facility that is both practical and beautiful. Possibly the greatest value in the Living Machine™ system is the inherent potential for reuse of the high quality treated effluent. Potential re-use options include: • Agricultural and landscape • Industrial activities such as cooling and process needs • Groundwater recharge • Recreational and environmental uses such as golf courses, parks, and habitat restoration • Non-potable urban uses, such as toilet flushing, fire protection, and construction
Living Machines, Inc. is part of the Dharma group of companies, a multi-disciplinary environmental solutions corporation. Among our various services and products, we offer land-use planning and sustainable architecture in addition to safe; secure chlorine-free water disinfection systems that eliminate undesirable by-products and the need for expensive Risk Management Programs (RMP).
For more information or to inquire about partnering opportunities for developers, architects consultants, and contractors contact us at:
LIVING MACHINES, INC. 125 LA POSTA RD.-8018 NDCBU TAOS, NM 87571 - USA (505) 751-9481 - Fax (505) 751-9483 www.livingmachines.com info@livingmachines.com ©2003 LIVING MACHINES, INC.
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