The San Francisco Bay Area is a hot bed of activity for the Burning Man crowd. Recently Katherine Steele of the Urban Permaculture Guild posted something in the Permaculture SF Discussion Group about the Green Man Pavilion at Burning Man. This led to an interesting debate about the merits of Burning Man and those who participate in it at the Permaculture SF yahoo discussion group. Indeed many are critical of the fact that the event is a huge effort that climaxes with the destruction of a massive wood structure – Burning Man. The more conservative and prudish greens see Burning Man as a wasteful celebration of hedonism, while more uninhibited, free living folks see it as a way to “retribalize” – if but for just a week – and take some time out from their modern lives escaping into the desert.
Regardless I appreciate the statement and energy put forward at Burning Man, despite not being a big fan of the event.
I particularly am impressed by the eco innovators who has a history of making a splash at the event with their wonderful and intricate contraptions which often melt technology with art in new and inspiring ways.
A city is in many ways analogous to a body, and certain areas perform specific functions. The center of Black Rock City is like the solar plexus. Here, within a civic plaza, our community converges, sharing a rich and nourishing flow of constant interaction. The heart of Black Rock City might arguably be found in the Temple, far out on the open playa. This architectural marvel is devoted to the remembrance of the dead. Between these two impressive nodes may be found the base of the Man. This central landmark of our community may be likened to the mind.
In 2007, we will expand the pavilion that surrounds the Burning Man into a 30,000 square foot exhibition space that combines art, earth sciences and technological innovation. Traditionally, this space has been exclusively devoted to art, but the Green Man Pavilion will be different. Our goal is as simple as it is profound: create a visually and sensory rich space where breakthrough ideas and proven environmental technologies can be displayed and interacted with against the backdrop of the world’s largest participant-created event. We believe this exposition may well be the only place in the world where such a wide range of technologies and solutions can be displayed in an interactive environment.
Already, many artists are creating works intended to address these issues. Some projects will be small and intimate, while others will be huge. One example is the Mechabolic, a large-scale bio-imitative installation of hydrocarbon based fuel production and transformation. In the artist’s words, this piece will, “…take the form of an exploded assembly of digestive and respiratory organs, laid out across the desert floor, and mashed up with their associated mechanical metabolic machines (i.e. internal combustion engines, refining gasifiers, anaerobic digesters, liquefiers, process tanks, condensation towers, etc.)”. From the maceration of organic matter to the actual production of fuel that will power some of Burning Man’s mutant vehicles, this project will engage the public in compelling ways.
Mechabolic
Exploring the site Green the Man section of the Burning Man site It appears that the Mechabolic, a “large-scale bio-imitative installation of hydrocarbon based fuel production and transformation” fits with with the evolution of towards more comprehensive and integrated approaches to development (Arcology, ZERI, Califia, Permaculture, Living Machines, SolaRoof, etc).
Hexayurt
Vinay Gupta explains in the Global Villages discussion group that his open source 
Hexayurt (link to his wiki) approach has certain applications such as in relation to disaster recovery and temporary settlements. The wiki includes pictures of his recent trip to Burning Man 2006 in which he showcased one of his Hexayurts and a manual on how to build one.
Hexacomb Cardboard can be used to construct Hexayurts. The material used to be used for structural insulated panels for building regular houses in California and can be filled with blown cellulose. Vinay says there are some approaches there where you use, say, 1 mm thick aluminium, then four or so inches of hexacomb and blown cellulose, then some human-friendly interior material.
Hexacomb is similar to a building technique called Captive Columns by Larry Bosch and promoted by my colleague Mark Roest. My assumption is that both emcompass a similar design process so that they are able to incorporate materials such as cardboard into buildings that we might not otherwise expect to be strong enough to provide structural support as actual structural members in the building.
