Canyonlands Field Institute Master Plan
The Canyonlands Field Institute (CFI) provides immersive outdoor education for youth and adults on the Colorado Plateau, instilling an ethos of respect, empowerment, and environmental stewardship in all that participate. Through the master planning process, MHTN worked to comprehensively engage a diverse stakeholder group and help build consensus around a vision for an ultra-sustainable environmental education campus in Castle Valley, Utah. The climate-responsive approach was developed through intentional collaboration and a sensitivity to the unique values of CFI. It embodies the spirit of “living lightly on the land” and combines elements of Living Building Challenge with indigenous planning and building techniques.
The project leverages abundant resources on site to support its mission. A variety of outdoor gathering spaces will serve to connect people to nature, permaculture gardens will demonstrate sustainable desert gardening techniques. A solar micro-grid system will power the campus, and ground-source heat exchange system will serve the heating and cooling needs. Composting toilets and grey water re-use systems will address the lack of water in the region.
SERVICES: Master Planning
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BY THE NUMBERS
Castle Valley, UT | 160 Acres | 2020
Earth Centered
Buildings will be high performance, straw bale construction integrating community-based, non-profit builders. Large tracts of land will be designated a conservation easement to return agricultural land back to its native state.