Bamboo House

In 2008 we transformed an abandoned house in the middle of the forest into an airy, picturesque exemplar of bamboo construction and sustainable living – on a slim budget of about $5,000. Designed by 3MAlliance founder Isabel Davila, the Bamboo House Research Station was built entirely with hand-tools and almost entirely (about 95%) from renewable resources drawn from the site. The water is drawn from a stream born along the mountainous peaks of the reserve, and all organic “waste” is recycled or remediated on-site, through composting and gray water systems. Other special features include a dry compost toilet that, like the cobble-stone shower, is open-faced, with a view of the entire rainforested valley (although angled for privacy). A clay pizza oven and a mushroom propagation system were constructed by the summer intern class of 2010. Presently, our nights our illuminated by candles and, clouds permitting, the moon. In 2011 we will be installing small-scale solar paneling to satisfy our minimal energy needs.

Accomodations

There are four bedrooms with a total of eight beds equiped with nice mattresses and pillows and bed sheets and mosquito netting, as well as 8 hammocks that line the balcony and the second floor living area. The Bamboo House serves as home for all researchers, interns, and visitors at the reserve, and is the center of permaculture/agroforestry research and experimentation, as well as ecological and biological research.

Self-Sufficiency

The Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve is managed according to permaculture design principles. In this case, roughly 97% of the 201 hectare (504 acre) reserve is primary and secondary growth forest, and this land is managed solely for conservation.  Almost all food production is concentrated in the half-hectare zone that surrounds the research station, which we have been developing as a living laboratory of permaculture design and sustainable agroforestry.  Our goal is 50% food self-sufficiency within 5 years and 100% self-sufficiency within ten years. In 2010, we planted 30 different species of fruit and nut trees (122 trees in total) in the half-hectare zone surrounding the Bamboo House research station, as well as 14 different species of native hardwood trees in degraded patches throughout the reserve. To learn more about permaculture design and agro-forestation projects, go to Sustainable Systems Research.