Steven McIver

Hello friends,
 I have more definite info for the location of the monastery. We will be located in south central Illinois. I hope this helps narrow down ideas.

Dillion,

The possible sites right now are Southwest Louisiana, Central Illinois (Springfield), and Western Oregon. I realize those are widely different climates, but right now those places are in correspondence with us concerning us setting up a monastery. As far as terrain assume a slope terrain with the monastery built near the top so that the monastery is like a beacon for all around to see.

I am thinking there will be some modern HVAC, but I was wondering if there was a way to design so you didn't need much conventional HVAC systems? For example, rocket mass heater on a large scale like the hypocausts of Rome. Same thing with plumbing. Electricity will definitely be used for lighting.

Hello Permaculture friends! This my first post here on permies after many months of browsing topics.

I want to pose a question for amateur and professional alike. I am part of a Catholic religious men’s group that - God-willing - will build a monastery to house between 15-30 men. We intend to build a monastery like the gothic monasteries of western europe. The basic shape of which can be described as a large church built on the east-west axis with an enclosure to the south in the shape of a square. An example of this would be the Benedictine Abbey of Notre Dame, L'Abbaye, 36220 Fontgombault, France. The building would be made of large cut stones and bricks. The temperature in the building doesn’t have to be perfect as we monks accept the cold or hot as an austerity that is normal for our life. It would have: a large kitchen and dining hall; 30 rooms for the monks and 5-10 rooms for guests; a library; a dairy and bakery; a brewery; a cellar; and a common room for recreation inside. This building will have lots of rain water catching possibilities and opportunities for large scale innovative ideas for energy conservation. What would a permaculturist do to adapt this setup to need the least amount of inputs while leaving the aestethics of those beautiful buildings relatively untouched?

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your ideas and welcome any clarification questions.

In the Christ Child,
Bro. Joe