Green Initiatives

Archinia's Kins Domain Design Book

The concept of Kin Domain was introduced by Anastasia - a girl from Siberia, whose guidance to a lover which was written down in a series of books that have become a worldwide phenomenon. Anastasia suggested an entirely new way to look at our relationship to the world we live in, called a kins domain.

A Kins Domain is a self-supporting, self-sustaining microfarm, situated on 2.5 acres, or 1 hectare, of land. That's all it takes to design and build a space built for you, by you... that you can live, work, and create within. It has a living fence of berry bushes which serves as sustenance, dissuasion from crossing, provides habitat for birds, AND provides a means of supporting yourself. It has orchards, and gardens, and a pond. It has space for wildlife to come in an interact with you and your family. It feels like home, and is a perfect place to educate your kids, and interact with your community.

And its about you. Finding the space within you to be the person you really want to be, and manifesting a physical space without you to allow that to unfold naturally.

Kin Domains are different in every location, as they respond to their environment and the way that the sun and wind and rain and earth interact.

 

THE KIN DOMAIN DESIGN GUIDE

Click on the underlined text to go to that chapter.

 

Note from the Author


Nuts and Bolts

 

Introduction

General Design Criteria

Stages of Design

Hiring an Architect

Sustainable Features

Tax Incentives for Green Design

Water Conservation Options

Demolition

 

Infinite ~ Esoteric Aspects of Design

Design can be about so much more than just building a solid structure. You may choose to introduce concepts of astrology, proportion systems, the creation of Sacred Space, or the use of Feng Shui and Vaastu to your design program. Here are some helpful hints about what all this means, and how to attain it.

Sacred Space

Vaastu & Feng Shui

Astrology and Design

Proportion Systems

 

Sync ~ Design with Climate

Archinia's Vernacular Design Book (for the US)

 

Without ~ The Land

The land you choose to make home on is a space for a sacred partnership with you and the earth, the elementals, and the energies that occupy your space. Herein are offered ways for you to cultivate those relationships and help all those beings affected by your participation with the land  to thrive.

Using the Land

Choosing a Building Site

Locating Places of Power

General Site Design Criteria

Site Evaluation Checklist

Fire-wise Design

Windbreaks


Within ~ Rooms & Spaces

There’s a certain magic to where you place the rooms in your home. Here are some guidelines for room placement, and some tips and tricks to make specific rooms better functioning and feeling than you might have thought possible.

Room Placement

Stairs

Kitchen

Garage

Root Cellar

New Home Questionaire


Above ~ Roofs

It’s what protects you from the rain, provides shade in the heat of summer, and it can also be a place of gathering… Make your roof perfect for what you want to accomplish in your oasis.

General Roofing Criteria

Sod Roofing

Thatch Roofing

Roof and Attic Details


Below ~ Foundations and Floors

One foot on the ground in front of the other… How long that ground lasts, what it looks like, and how it functions in your home can make the difference between a good space, and a GREAT space. Here are some tips and tricks for making the foundation of your home, and the floors, stand out… and last for generations.

Foundations

Floors

Decks, Terraces, and Patios


Around ~ Walls

Walls are like a mother’s arms. The hold you and protect you and keep you safe and warm.

When at Texas A&M, I had the unique opportunity to travel around the country for several months with one of my professors, Dr. Charles Graham, of the department of Construction Science, who was, and is, one of the best forensic architects in the country. We were studying a particular type of wall that had a horrible tendency to fail, traveling to different locations to see how it failed in different climates. I discovered then the two most important lessons in architecture - that if something is going to fail, it will fail at the joints (either of planes or materials), and that you have to understand the nature of the materials and the environment to design an appropriate architectural solution.

That being said, I have some particular observations about different building types that might offer you some food for thought on what you use to define the exterior of your new kin domain.

These techniques herein described will help you to be sure you get all you need in your literal and figurative surroundings.

General Building Shell Criteria

Adobe

Wood and Log Construction

Stone

Strawbale

Earthships (not a chapter, per se, but links to a series of articles I have done on the pros and cons of these)

Rammed Earth


Finite ~ Details

They say that the perfection of space happens in the subtle details. Here included are ideas of how to make the smallest things work on behalf of the whole.

Concrete

Interior Finishes

Glass and Glazing

Mechanical Systems

Natural Ventilation Strategies

Electrical

Solar & Wind Power

Indoor Plants

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