Puertas Tulum - Guide To Sustainability

Content
Making it Happen
The Basics
Orientation .............................................................................................................................. 9
Pollution.................................................................................................................................. 10
Revolution ...............................................................................................................................11
The Architectural Habitus ....................................................................................................... 12
Mission ................................................................................................................................... 14
Vision ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Guidelines .............................................................................................................................. 17
Masterplan & Architectural Guideline.................................................................................... 17
Construction Guideline ........................................................................................................... 18
Household & Office Guideline ............................................................................................... 21
Landscape Management Guideline......................................................................................... 23
Agri-Culture............................................................................................................................ 23
Trees........................................................................................................................................ 23
Bees......................................................................................................................................... 24
City Development ................................................................................................................. 26

People First ............................................................................................................................. 26
Residents Participation ........................................................................................................... 29
Building First Homes.............................................................................................................. 31
Building Seed Sites................................................................................................................. 33
Ressource Assurance & Economy .......................................................................................... 34
Resource based Crafts............................................................................................................. 36
Puertas Innovation HUB......................................................................................................... 38
Sustainability Standards ...................................................................................................... 39

Sustainable City Certification ................................................................................................ 39
A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !1
Procedures Leading to Certification ....................................................................................... 40
Cradle to Cradle C2C.............................................................................................................. 40
Construction
First Crucial Steps ................................................................................................................ 44

From Theory to Praxis ............................................................................................................ 44
Process Design........................................................................................................................ 45
Pilot Construction .................................................................................................................. 46
The Lab.................................................................................................................................. 47
Chan Ká Vergel Objectives ..................................................................................................... 47
Lab Functions ......................................................................................................................... 48
Vital Village Community Plans .............................................................................................. 49
Vital Village Pilot.................................................................................................................... 50
Budget & Business Proposal .................................................................................................. 51
Sustainable Technology Trials ................................................................................................ 54
Financing Proposal ................................................................................................................. 55
Lab Economy.......................................................................................................................... 55
The Seed Structures ............................................................................................................. 55

Innovation HUB ..................................................................................................................... 56
Green School .......................................................................................................................... 56
Spiritual Center ....................................................................................................................... 56
The Water Features ................................................................................................................. 57
The Gardens ............................................................................................................................ 58
5 Pilot Homes......................................................................................................................... 61
Architecture ............................................................................................................................ 61
Engineering............................................................................................................................. 61
Materials ................................................................................................................................. 61
Technologies ........................................................................................................................... 61
Monitoring .............................................................................................................................. 61
Sustainable Timber Supply .................................................................................................. 62
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 62
Timber Supply ........................................................................................................................ 63
Community Forest Management ............................................................................................ 65
Strategic Options .................................................................................................................... 66
Silviculture Projects................................................................................................................ 68
Other Materials..................................................................................................................... 73
Roofing Supply Issues ............................................................................................................ 73
Sand, Soil, Rocks, Sascab....................................................................................................... 74
Roofing Supply Issues ............................................................................................................ 75
Key Technologies................................................................................................................... 77
Solar Energy ........................................................................................................................... 77
Wind Energy ........................................................................................................................... 78
Financing Needs ..................................................................................................................... 79
Sustainability Guidance
Leadership ............................................................................................................................. 81
Governance ............................................................................................................................. 81
Sustainable City Management ................................................................................................ 82
Governance Needs .................................................................................................................. 85
Interface Management ......................................................................................................... 86

Ecological Interfaces .............................................................................................................. 86
Public Infrastructure ............................................................................................................... 87
Social Interfaces...................................................................................................................... 88
Tulum & Puertas City ............................................................................................................. 89
Sustainability Leadership........................................................................................................ 90
Technology Catalogue
Available Timber ................................................................................................................... 92
Materials ................................................................................................................................ 94
Solid Timber .......................................................................................................................... 95
Lighting................................................................................................................................. 105
Timber bricks ....................................................................................................................... 106
Wood Chip Concrete ............................................................................................................ 106
Saw Dust concrete ............................................................................................................... 107
Social Timber........................................................................................................................ 107
Bamboo ................................................................................................................................ 109
Plastic Conglomerates ......................................................................................................... 109
Soil Bricks.............................................................................................................................110
Lime Plaster ..........................................................................................................................111
Tadelakt. ................................................................................................................................111
Soil & Clay Based Plasters ...................................................................................................112
Enzyme Roads ......................................................................................................................113
Steel Concrete .......................................................................................................................114
Summary Construction Materials .........................................................................................114
Other Supportive Technologies .............................................................................................115
Water Bodies & Flow ..........................................................................................................116

Water flow design .................................................................................................................119
Water ..................................................................................................................................... 120
Tulum's water........................................................................................................................ 120
Ponds & Canals..................................................................................................................... 120
Wastewater & Nutrient flows ............................................................................................... 126
Mosquito Management ......................................................................................................... 130
Energy Supply ..................................................................................................................... 130

Energy design ...................................................................................................................... 130
Wind Energy ......................................................................................................................... 130
Solar Electricity .................................................................................................................... 130
Fuel Cells ............................................................................................................................. 130
Biomass Energy Sources ...................................................................................................... 131
Regulation............................................................................................................................. 131
Climatization ....................................................................................................................... 131

The Living Environment....................................................................................................... 131
Insulation .............................................................................................................................. 131
Ventilation............................................................................................................................. 131
Cooling ................................................................................................................................ 131
Cold Storage ......................................................................................................................... 132
Regulation............................................................................................................................. 132
Household Technology........................................................................................................ 132

Air & Temperature ................................................................................................................ 133
Cleanliness ............................................................................................................................ 133
Waste..................................................................................................................................... 139
Sanitation .............................................................................................................................. 139
Cleaning ................................................................................................................................ 139
Mosquitos ............................................................................................................................. 140
Household Energy ................................................................................................................ 140
Furniture .............................................................................................................................. 140
DIY & Local Crafts .............................................................................................................. 140
Waste .................................................................................................................................... 141

Waste Definition ................................................................................................................... 141
Paper & Cardboard ............................................................................................................... 142
Plastic Waste ......................................................................................................................... 142
Plastic Separation.................................................................................................................. 142
Styrofoam Waste ................................................................................................................... 142
Metal Waste .......................................................................................................................... 143
Other Solid Waste ................................................................................................................ 143
Waste Transport .................................................................................................................... 143
Exteriors & Interiors ............................................................................................................. 143
Mobility................................................................................................................................ 143
Mobility ................................................................................................................................ 144
Personal Mobility Issues ...................................................................................................... 144
Street Scooter ....................................................................................................................... 144
Electric Bikes ........................................................................................................................ 144
Transport Alternatives........................................................................................................... 144
Energizing Mobility .............................................................................................................. 145
Annex to Book 2
Technological Details .......................................................................................................... 147

Timber technologies ............................................................................................................. 147
Timber preservation .............................................................................................................. 147
Superwind Description ......................................................................................................... 148
Beekeeping Standards........................................................................................................... 149
Structures in Chan Ká Vergel................................................................................................ 156
Structures in Xla Ká Vergel .................................................................................................. 156
Agrology Training Poster ..................................................................................................... 157
Making it Happen
A Guide to the Sustainable City
Bernardo del Monte
Dec 31, 2016 
Not bene:
The following capitalized text references were taken from from BIG's Puertas Master Plan, in
some cases, adapted and more fully elaborated to meet sustainability requirements.
The paper concentrates on the Puertas City governance & implementation 
throughout its three phases of development over a 12 year period covering 
The Basics • Construction • Governance • Technologies • Interfaces.
The technological and constructive issues will continue to be updated and further elaborated
throughout this period and beyond. The stipulated ideas and proposals referring to the future
property structure and business model need careful discussion among the owners. It is
proposed to run a 2 or 3 day workshop to define these basic positions and then establish an
appropriately functional marketing strategy.
Experimental construction and technology experimentation can start in the Chan Ká Vergel
Laboratory immediately to enable the first Model Homes in Puertas to be built from mid 2017
onwards.
BN
Other materials available are
BIG Masterplan 
Book 1: Puertas City New Deal • The Sustainability Concept 
Book 2: Making it Happen • A Guide to the Sustainable City 
Book 3: Essays on the Sustainable Economy (in preparation) 
The Basics
Orientation
Companies and projects define themselves through their mission, vision and work plan.
In the case of a city identity has an additional component which we call the Habitus1, a city
personality reflecting lived values which determines their attractiveness and vitality. The habitus may be
embedded in the architecture, the public spaces, or in the way people move and relate. Often
cities harbor historic memories. They reflect a sentimental mixture of loss, decadence, guilt
and nostalgia, of positive and unspoken traumatic, resistant, unsettling elements.
When a new city is planned its habitus is already defined, and it may not necessarily
respond to the presented plans. The habitus, just like a human personality, is made of mental,
subconscious and unconscious realities embodying the participating past historic development
and the dreams they follow. Spiritus locii the Romans called this phenomenon. It guides the
inner and the external becoming of a city, one may consider it the subconscious structure for
its routines and development.
It is upon this habitus reality that any guidelines and plans for the future development
become effective. Tulum is not a blank space, it is quite vibrant. It’s vibrancy is only perceived
within the specific social sectors and doesn’t engage with any other. It is for that reason that
effective guidelines must refer to the way these communicate, work and relate. Orientation
must be provided for the
• Architecture
• Construction
• Environmental management, food and trees
• Household management
• Personal development & growth
It is the combination of these guidelines with a sensitive perception of the existing
habitus that will enable a new kind of city to grow. We speak of guided growth, knowing that
the process can only be controlled to a certain degree, and participation is the key to its
effective orientation resolving Tulum’s most pressing issues.
1 see Book One, Cities make People.
Pollution
Tulum has existed as a civilized space for thousands of years. Today it lives glorious
times, but also a very crucial moment. Its magnificent waters, landscapes and natural wealth
have become one of the most important tourist attractions worldwide. At the same time the
tourism causes a saturation of unmet needs and loss of control in nature conservation. The
current developments of Tulum grievously endanger the sustainability of its own splendor
making it urgent to resolve the case. We called this the pain of Tulum.
The villages in the vast rainforest areas around Tulum reflect this contradiction. The
local Maya peoples were an independent and stable people considering themselves rich and
blessed. But the local people have only been involved working as servants for hotels and
restaurants without really contributing their own knowledge and experience. The loss of
cultural identity deepens day by day as tourists progressively dominate the town’s reality.
Some different and positive examples exist, yet, so far, they have no impact.
Environmental and social destructiveness occurs due to a deep lack of communication.

Many dream of the opportunity to create a truly sustainable project to Tulum and its
surroundings and there is growing awareness of the mentioned disengagement but no valid
approach to change. Both Tulum's situation and the the role of its surrounding communities
are confusing and difficult to understand. The town’s different social sectors, the Locals, the
Hoteliers, the Civil Initiatives, the Workers, hardly communicate amongst each other. Tulum lacks
a script to engage their many intentions and capabilities.
The present town of Tulum is filthy, disordered and disorganized, while on the beach
and in the hotel spheres most people perceive a clean and perfect environment. Just when one
looks more closely one realizes that this image is only partially true, if not fake. People from
foreign countries arrive without knowing about the special environmental conditions in this
tropical environment. The hotels use all the poisonous substances presently available on the
market to avoid any tourist exposure to the insect, rat, mice and mold reality behind the
scenes. Greasy residue waters are being led into the mangrove. Toxic substances are used for
cleaning, waste waters are not fully purified or recycled, the sensitive ground water streams
and denotes are contaminated, major diseases have already occurred due to the lack of
sanitation.

Pollution may still be revertible, and young creative people from many different parts of
the world are willing to contribute to change. It needs the participation of all, which is what
Tulum has not been able to achieve. The environmental destruction, social misbalances and
forest degradation in Tulum correspond to a deep failure of social communication and of the
Government’s directive measures taken for improvement and conservation.
Revolution
The present city habitus is coined by contradictions and negative habits. This calls for a
revolution in the best sense of the term, a turnaround. When things are head down they must
be reversed. In this sense the negative habitus can very quickly gain positive traits. Dedicating
our efforts to the basics of soil, water and soul a very positive identity will soon emerge, a
habitus of transformation instead of stagnation that must show in the structure, the dynamics
and the personal attitude of the people. This is what Puertas City is heading for, a model case
for what should and can be.
This revolution will imply cooperation with various stakeholder groups. To prepare it, a
profound study was elaborated on Tulum’s civil activities, 70 different initiatives who are
begun engaging in Tulum’s urban planning procedures, willing to promote Puertas City as a
model case for Tulum’s and the state’s future development. Dialogue has already started, a
platform Somos Tulum was created and many of the topics mentioned in these guidelines are
entering discussion amongst engaged people. The Jornadas de Tulum will constantly widen the
platform which takes Puertas City as a reference.
In the Mayan backlands of Tulum some communities have started engaging in their
own process of revolution, beginning to take responsibility for the effects of pollution and
social change. That is the background into which the following proposals and initiatives will
integrate to revolutionize Tulum.
No financing exists for these initiatives. Without receiving compensation small groups of
people do work that should be have been done by hotels or by the city administration. But
even initiatives are of little worth when they are not recognized and documented. Money is
the society’s omnipresent instrument used for that purpose.
A parallel local monetary system will therefore be initiated for the members of Somos
Tulum to at least pay services and goods that are exchanged within the group. When local

construction materials begin being used and neighbors help each other the local currency can
be used. It will be given to anybody creating or contributing what is needed and appreciated.2
The system relates to the local economy created in the Puertas City Lab Chan Ká
Vergel. I serves as an instrument of communication and recognition, and, with time, will
present a sustainability oriented alternative to the prevailing economy.
The Architectural Habitus

Puertas is built on a vast city area which will be grounded by two distinct poles, the town
centre and the holistic centre.
The town centre adopts an open architecture language,. The constructions framing it
are outward facing and inviting, promoting the Puertas City ideology and inviting the world,
the surrounding communities as much as the international transplants, to Tulum. We call this
the mushroom typology. Like the hidden mushroom web that makes the forest thrive these
structures will support the community life and spirit. It’s buildings are only lightly grounded to
provide space for sharing. In the town centre the idea of openness, showcasing, broadcasting
ideas, knowledge sharing, innovation, trading, and co-living prevails while providing natural
cooling and shelter from the wind and sun.
The holistic centre rests lightly in the dense jungle, just like a series of scaled up
waterdrops, creating introverted spaces, providing tranquillity to the guests, place for inner
reflection, healing and wholeness. We call this the waterdrop typology. The architectural
language is introverted. This soul space is strongly anchored in the ground, a is space for
inquiry and breathing, the environment filters the light.
The two poles are connected by a helix and influence each other, creating a
• holistic town centre
• innovation HUB
• spiritual center
• wellness area
• school landscape
• centers for the crafts and
• for the fiestas of different kinds.
The key principles of the two mentioned typologies can be applied to any number of
intermediate building typologies. As the Helix guides people towards the holistic centre the
2 The rules for the issuing and conversion of this money are explainnd in ……>>>>>

structures offer more private and concentrated spaces but provide the same shelter, filtering
light and cool air. The city thus evolves through the dynamics created between its areas of
different habitus. A social learning process occurs, and the people will ultimately provide the
fine tuning to the project through their acceptance and co-creation of the proposed spaces.
The constructed city elements intersperse with agricultural and silvicultural zones,
gardens and natural recreation areas.
Building over the intricate underground water streams, and in a dense canopy presents a
challenge as well as the perfect opportunity to develop a construction approach which directly
relates the inside to the outside, blurring the boundaries and lowering the city’s ecological
footprint and impact through its material choices. Locally produced timber and bamboo may
not be sufficient to build all that needs to be built, yet they offer environmental benefits and
allow keeping a strong relationship with nature.
The town centre is organized in a simple circular grid with smaller mushrooms at the
eastern entrance, gently rising to larger mushrooms framing the central gathering space, not a
colonial Plaza, but a horizontally and vertically open place for interaction with people and
nature. The town centre provides dense and intimate settings for groups and events, their
lively expression without ever losing the strong relationship with nature. It's space, place and
pace setting qualities represent of the forests qualities that will, at the same time, you strongly
promoted by Puertas City’s silvi-culture initiatives in the surrounding community lands,
following the motto a city like a forest.
The main gathering square provides a centrally located flexible platform for a variety of
events, gatherings, markets, festivals, lounging, meeting, active and passive occurrences. The
whole town centre is a pedestrian friendly zone, with a leave your shoes at the door atmosphere,
only allowing service and emergency vehicles at limited times, while the primary traffic will
happen by E-car only on the helix which acts as a classic ring road to the town centre. Puertas
City’s Town centre is a fluid continuation of the commercial road leading to it, blending,
transitioning and re-thinking the way we organize our daily routines, do business, and interact
with one another.
The helix also plays an important role in limiting the sprawl of the town centre,
preserving a cosy boutique scale environment for Tulum. The commercial zone, trading posts,
boutiques, cafes, restaurants, and markets, is a welcoming introduction to Puertas City with
spill out spaces, where businesses expand their trading to mini-plazas in a meandering open

marketplace. Great flexible spaces it can be shared between neighborhoods, spill out, or pop
up for events. For maximum openness and flexibility, places of all sizes and enclosure types
could be formed, from fully open to small curtain closed meeting rooms, extra large lecture
halls or co-living spaces.
The boutique scale town centre layout shows flexible boundaries between the different
programs and indoor/outdoor relationships following the classic Tulum beach vibe. The town
centre hotel will be complementing the other hotels in the city and on Tulum’s beach. It will
play a key role in providing temporary accommodation for vacationers, potential community
members, and innovation centre guests during conferences and events. The town centre hotel
will take full advantage of blending with adjacent boutiques, cafes, and restaurants, providing
a vibrant and lively setting for its visitors.
Co-living at this space is key to encouraging a truly sharing and inter-acting community.
It will provide the perfect introduction to Puertas City’s hosting, tourists, accidental visitors,
jet-setters, and those not set for managing a household of their own. It will offer co-living
spaces four shared communal use, social kitchens, roof terrace dining, live-work spaces, as
well as other amenities for fitness and entertainment. This co-living world is meant to teach
Puertas City’s community spirit to all.
Mission
Puertas City is a portal to a new lively
community habitus rooted in nature.  
It cultivates nature’s regeneration and  
its deeply renewed relationship with our  
human species, preparing for a further
healthy and symbiotic evolution of both.
The Spirit
Change and transformation only happen through people, their consciousness and
overcoming of habits. Change demands an empowerment effort as long as we live. Only
becoming who we were meant to be at birth, overcoming the cultural and psychic rules and

habits imposed on us do we feel the security and freedom for transformation. It takes a
lifetime, our last transformation is death. Our relationship with nature is strongly imprinted
by the inner maturity we have achieved, both as a person and the society we belong to.
The empowerment process is about our inner satisfaction, the strength, freedom,
vitality, love and joy we experience. Puertas City provides the space to relate our personal
being and perception to the world and people around us. The key to a positive relationship
with nature lies within.
Sometimes it is helpful to know why this was not happening before. Starting with the
Renaissance European development aimed at harmonizing, streamlining and equalizing
society and its members, forcing them into into personal and communal straightjackets.
Communist, socialists and capitalists shared this approach, strongly enhanced by
industrialization it finds its ultimate expression in globalization and thoughtless exploitation
resulting in poverty, violence, pollution and loss of natural potential. Conflicts govern politics,
wars determine the national budgets, research and technology development.
Disempowerment and lack of ownership, both physical and psychologically, reflect the
world’s most important yet silent crises and destruction of livelihoods. It is now, finally, time to
change. Puertas is the gate to empowerment for self-regulation, use of their full capacities,
expertise, solutions and products to remedy the environmental hazards and support nature's
productivity.
Vision
In Puertas City we transmit the hedonistic values
of sustainability. We live and show how operating
with nature is more productive and effective for
both. Our future is easier to live and yet more
luxurious than the present state. Technology will
serve the people and the environment. We will be
more selective, better informed, sentient and
conscious of our doings.

Puertas City follows the Mayan spirit of fractal
correspondence with nature. We create the
foundation for a resource based economy, people
centered development and learning, preparing for
a future where machines will do most work and
people learn being creative, expressive and truly
innovative.
Puertas community members leave the

straightjacket of systems behind to create their
own world in a monopoly of the people.
The Spirit
Puertas City is a non-exclusive social business and community initiative displaying the
new powerful and responsible way of life needed to assure a sustainable living. Inspired by the
historic example of the Maya civilization Puertas feeds into and supports other communities.
Puertas widens its own business with the main objective to create ever increasing
opportunities for others to copy and join the effort.
Empowerment is to become profitable, more profitable than centralization and war.

Decentralizing and democratizing agri- and silviculture, village and home industries
PUERTAS enhances productivity to create a positive, productive and regenerative human
footprint on earth. People are to become the true managers of natural productivity
supporting vitality and health through symbiotic relationships.
The unseen world, the microorganisms in our bodies, in the forest and in the water
support the diversity and production of timber, insects, birds and leaves. We concentrate our
care on what we see and don’t see, just as the ancient Maya considered the unseen world,
Xibalbá, the subtle energies, microorganisms, planetary forces and magnetism in all their
practices and beliefs.
Microorganisms help reduce the number of mosquitos significantly, restore polluted

Cenotes, the forest micro-climate, get rid of unpleasant odors, increase lucidity and improve
the quality of the drinking water, irrigation, soil, forests and garden products.
Good architectural design eradicates the need for air-conditioning appliances, reduces
energy consumption significantly and produces more pleasant climatizing effects on the living

space, both for people and for plants. Adequately constructed green houses will contribute to
self-sufficiency in a difficult tropical growing environment and increase the available oxygen at
home. Microorganisms and new design combined in water and sewer management allow
improving the general water quality instead of degrading it. Plastics can be replaced by all
natural materials of equal practicality. Mobility must not contaminate. Energy can be 100%
regenerative. New materials help prevent the use of contaminating chemicals, avoid toxic
emissions and protect the aquifer.
Puertas will offer these methods in the city, in small villages and any destination
suffering from pollution. To obtain construction materials Puertas restores forests and
empowers communities to practice silvi-culture as the art of enhancing the relationships
between the soil, water, vegetation, microbiom and people, to lead the Yucatán peninsula
from devastated wasteland to high productivity and a village industrialization based on local
resource production and 3D printing technologies.
Guidelines
Masterplan & Architectural Guideline
The Puertas City Masterplan was elaborated by BIG with reference to the sustainability
concepts in this documents. The two together are primers to the further guidelines combining
the dynamic vision of city development with the Mayan and rural community experiences.
In a series of workshops the architectural and the operational interpretation of the

Masterplan will be discussed and further elaborated with architects interested in the project.
These workshops will be among the first presented by the Puertas Innovation HUB covering
essential components such as
• the philosophy and concept of a sustainability oriented relationship  

between man and nature,
• available resources and technologies to support sustainably transformative action,
• practicality of old Mayan experiences and approaches to construction and production
• the economy of sustainability.

The reality of sustainability finds its expression in the real life combination of all of
these. In the end, sustainability can only be created by the people consciously living and
working in the society, it is a shared project. The true reflection of sustainability in its
governance rules is therefore absolutely essential and the here presented concepts need to
develop according to their implementation and experience.
Governance therefore includes the procedures for consciousness building, learning and
shared strategy development. The sustainable society is a society of pro-active doers,
independent minds looking and acting for the right solutions. This begins with the individual
behavior in the households. The way water, waste or dirt are treated in the private space has
strong impact on whether the community pollutes the environment of enhances it. The
cleanliness of a household may determine whether people will need mosquito sprays or bug
killers or rather create a healthy natural environment.
México is not the easiest environment to implement all these. The climate changes from
dry to very humid. Mold develops very quickly, bugs enter any box or closet, textiles rot easily.
Sea salt spreads out through the mist and deteriorated all iron appliances, bicycles, cars.
Constant awareness is needed to maintain a household in good condition. A caring
architecture based on the rules established in the Puertas documents helps, but above that
people must engage in living accordingly.
The present town of Tulum is filthy, disordered and disorganized. People from foreign
countries arrive without knowing about the special environmental conditions in this tropical
environment. The hotels use all the poisonous substances presently available on the market to
avoid any tourist exposure to the insect, rat, mice and mold reality behind the scenes. Greasy
residue waters are being led into the mangrove, even. Puertas City will establish new
standards in environmental management, invite others to learn from the example, apply its
natural means for cleanliness, mosquito control and waste management.
Construction Guideline
Puertas City will count on Guidelines for the assessment of it’s suppliers sustainability
credentials. When it comes to the details the sustainability of a product or service often
depends more on the performance of the supplier and the quality of the installation than on
the kind of technology it is. The suppliers themselves need to be sustainable, or already
transforming the way they do business and provide sustainable solutions, to be admitted to

Puertas City constructions.3 The most effective are those who offer products or services that
match or exceed our needs. Similarity minded suppliers will be especially interesting to the
project. Buying from a carefully targeted group could have a number of benefits:
• it will be easier to control

• Puertas City will become more important to them
• exclusivity may spur them to offer and develop sustainability services.
Reliability, consistent quality, value for money are important, but the lowest price is not
always the best value for money. The emphasis lies therefore on strong service capabilities and
clear communication Puertas City needs honest suppliers who deliver on time and under the
exact circumstances agreed upon, they must give plenty of warning if they can't. The best
suppliers will want to talk with Puertas City regularly to find out what needs you have and
how to serve better.
This could be called a p partnership approach, a strong relationship will benefit both
sides. We want your suppliers to acknowledge how important sustainability is to us, so they
make every effort to provide the best service possible. We are more likely to create this
response by showing the supplier how important they are to our business. this is worth some
extra efforts.
Obviously, the normal issues of financial security are equally important. It's worth
making sure the supplier has sufficiently strong cash flow to deliver what we want, when we
need it. A credit check will help reassure you that they won't go out of business when we need
them most. Choosing suppliers we will emphasize the following:
1. Set basic criteria
• Lead times from receipt of your order to delivery

• Minimum and maximum order quantities
• Storage and handling facilities
• Specific methods of delivery
• Quality assurance processes
• Payment terms and conditions
3 Examples and references: https://www.ceres.org/resources/reports/supplier-self-assessment-questionnaire-

saq-building-the-foundation-for-sustainable-supply-chains 
https://www.business.govt.nz/procurement/pdf-library/agencies/Guide3.pdf 
http://www.apcc.gov.au/ALLAPCC/
APCC%20PUB_Assessing%20A%20Supplier's%20Sustainability%20Credentials.pdfhttps://
www.projectsmart.co.uk/white-papers/supplier-selection-checklist.pdf

• Return policy
• Contactable references
2. Define the process
We will publish our requirements in trade publications and call for bids, and we will
approach selected companies directly for proposals and estimates. The allocated time frame
for conducting the selection process is 3 months. Qualified team members need to review the
proposals and recommend a revised short list to choose from.
3. Call for bids.
Call for bids can be a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quotation (RFQ).
Whatever form it is, it should include full details of the products or services needed, along
with quantities, delivery dates, and quality standards identified in your criteria. We ask
bidders to provide detailed information on the processes they use, the stability of their raw
material suppliers, and reasons why we should choose them, and what discounts they offer for
long-term or high-volume contracts
4. Evaluate the bid submissions.
Each submission received will be checked against the checklist of criteria. We will
question any items that appear to be lacking in clarity. We will internally decide on each
criteria’s importance and score all submissions against this for evaluation. The following is a
preliminary checklist:
- Name of the initiative / organisation / - size of organisation (directly involved people)

group / foundation - size of reach (audience / followers / indirectly
- address involved)
- website - any governmental support
- name of contact person and phone number - any current support
- category (we need to define them also : - technology description (more details)
energy / waste / material / etc and also an - mission
even lower classification more detailed)
- values
- development stage (again agree on
classification: early stages / established / etc) - growth objectives
- references available - current CSR criteria / sustainable policy
- unique selling proposal - certification if any

- sustainability ambitions - production capacity
- willingness to partner - distribution capacity
- piloting option (yes/no) - availability / lead-times
- willingness to offer samples and training - desired partnership format
- costing - what do they need to grow / gain momentum
- customer group / targets - synergies / how we could fit
- current sales - compatibility with other technologies
- current volumes - reach / network 
- current geographical reach
Compare potential suppliers
Price is important, but it shouldn't be the only reason why we choose a supplier. Lower
prices may reflect poorer quality goods and services which, in the long run, may not be the
most cost effective option. We want to be confident that our supplier can make a sufficient
margin at the price quoted for the business to be commercially viable.
Above all we want to make sure that the supplier will be doing the work. Some suppliers
may outsource work to subcontractors, in which case we will also investigate the those.
Wherever possible we will meet potential suppliers face to face and see how their
business operates to get a better sense of how they can benefit Puertas City. We will also
consider the ethical dimensions of our supply chain. Sustainability cannot be based on
exploitation.
Household & Office Guideline

Several of the newly introduced sustainable technologies imply adapting specific daily
household practices. This is either necessary for the functioning of some biological processes,
or to avoid toxic influences. There are servicing requirements that differ from the customary
practices, and people need to be educated and trained for them.
Presently no regulations for toxic substances in detergents and other commercial

cleaning agents exist. Many of them produce allergic reactions and sickness, some accumulate
in the environment, contaminate the ground water, and, in the case of Tulum, the ocean and
the corral reef.

There are 4 major companies in the US and in Europe selling very well functioning
certified non-contaminating cleaning agents.Those will have to be made available in Tulum.
Other substances, except some natural self-fabricated cleaning agents, may not to be used,
and are definitely not needed.
In many Mexican households the customary quantities of cleaning agents used are a
multiple of what is needed to clean. Insecticides are often deliberately used in the household
and will have to be fully replaced under a sustainable regime. Cost reduction, positive effects
on health and well-being will soon convince people of the strategy’s benefits as many
European examples show.
A guideline will therefore be elaborated in 3 steps:
1. A general short guideline for interested buyers.

2. A more detailed guideline for the use of every installed technology:
2.1. Use and application of microorganisms
2.2. Sanitation & general aspects of cleanliness
2.3. Laundry & dish washing options
2.4. House cleaning materials & substances
2.5. Composting toilets (if applicable)
2.6. Rainwater collection features
2.7. Waste management
2.8. Energy management
2.9. Household and office appliances.
3. Continuous workshops will be offered for those living in Puertas City to learn about
sustainable options available for their households. A large number of European and
US American guides already exist for the purpose and will be adapted and updated.
4. Puertas City shall elaborate a red list of appliances not to be installed and used in
the area. A positive list of recommendable materials and appliances shall be
published and continuously updated.
The same obviously applies to office management and to the maintenance of public
buildings. Laser printers, to mention one case, have proven to be a major health risk to those
sharing office space with these machines. They emit nano particles, fine dust, that cannot be

filtered by the bronchial system and deposits in the lungs creating high risks for cancer.
Alternative printers exist.
Landscape Management Guideline

To prepare the landscape management guideline a confirmation of the definite land
limits is ownership needed. Following that a land survey will be conducted defining the
accurate location for the first and definite accesses to the site, define the provisional
infrastructure and first locations for pilot constructions.
The actual survey then determines areas to preserve intact and their potential for forest
restoration. Based on a first forest and water map the actual construction areas can be roughly
defined for a further detailed evaluation.
Before any other major activities Puertas City’s water features’ location will be
determined. The kind of features, lagoons, canals, swamps, cenotes need a topographical
survey and will become an essential part to obtain the environmental permits for
construction. This plan must include the use of any excavation material for raising ground
above the flood line with excavated soil under the main access road, the town center and any
other major structure. A net zero soil balance is to be achieved.
Agri-Culture
Puertas City inhabitants will receive the possibility for small-scale gardening in the
surroundings of their homes. The gardening activities will be supported for the provision of
materials for soil improvement, fertility, irrigation and shading. All agri-culture activities will
be organic. In some cases greenhouses will be included in the construction.
Training activities and internships for gardening and agriculture will be offered at Chan
Ká Vergel and in Puertas City, coordinated through the Innovation Center.
Trees
A silvi-culture management plan will be established as soon as the landscaping plan is
ready. Puertas City will organize the silvi-culture management for the whole area. There will,
however, be possibilities for people to further engage in the pruning, fertilisation and care of
trees in the surroundings of their homes. Corresponding workshops and practices will be
held. The general silvi-culture guidelines are included in Book One, Puertas City New Deal.

Bees
Insects and wildlife are an important part of Puertas City’s design. Bees produce honey,
but above all, they helped to increase the environment biodiversity and vitality. Bees are one
of the oldest creatures of this planet, and one of the most effective species when it comes
improve the environment.
There a normal honey bees and some 20 species of local wild bees without stings. All of
then have specific functions. All of them deserve being supported.
Bee colonies can be set up in boxes or similar cavelike structures. They consist of a
queen, female workers and male drones. There are also hundreds or even thousands of yeast,
mould, fungi, and bacteria species as well as 170 other insects and parasites living with or
along the bee colony. Some of the relationships are symbiotic, most are opportunistic as all
like honey. Bees can even help control mosquitoes!
The bees deal with all these given that their immune system and defences are strong. A
bee colony is a complete system which sustains the hive’s temperature and humidity control,
disease and spoilage control, reproduction, tending the youngs, feeding the queen, male
drones and larvae, cleaning and defending the hive, producing the wax, maintaining the
comb system, meticulous recording of pollen and nectar flow times of flowers and trees,
stacking the food where they need most, communicating the foraging resources etc. etc.
Mankind is effectively ruining the bees introducing chemicals, artificial foundation

combs, artificial foods as HFCS syrup and other interventions. Their detrimental effects are
only determined when massive diseases or killings have already taken place. Neo-nicotinoid
based chemicals were used in agriculture for over 20 years before the resulting colony collapse
disorders were finally proven, in which entire colonies disappear leaving the brood and honey
resources behind which bees usually protect with their lives. Agricultural chemicals and even
the weed killer glyphosate used in most municipalities contaminate the pollen and nectar and
later build up in the comb’s wax. After a while the concentration becomes unbearable for the
bees, they either die or leave and die.
Bees will serve as an indicator for the sustainable management of Puertas City’s
landscapes and homes, and they will contribute to its beautification and vitality. We will
provide them places to live in peace, which can be little boxes for native bees, insect hotels or

commercial hives for generous honey production. To support the foraging resources in
Puertas City native trees and herbs will be
planted where needed.
Tropical organic bee keeping was started in

Chan Ká Vergel in 1995. The experience
will be shared with anyone interested in
Puertas City. City beekeepers shall be
trained to safely work even close to the
houses. A good portion of the consumption
honey for Puertas can be locally produced. 

City Development
People First
People’s living dynamics make the city, cities are places for people, made by people. The
city’s social structure, the people’s diversity, their family, homes, schools, teams, food or their
minds are what ultimately implements all that is presented as the Puertas project.
The old city model has split and dissociated the people and their minds, confronting
them with ecological problems, social stress and many unmet cultural needs. New social and
communal units are to emerge in Puertas City to overcome these issues. That begins with the
conscious or unconscious selection of the people invited to join.
The old Mayan society was characterized by a specifically balanced design of the
relationship between social life and space-making. The topic was already elaborated, the interrelation
of space-making and social life, too, begins with those participating. At this early stage of
development the Sustainable Social Design is maybe the most important contribution to the
beginning process, more even than the many cultural and technical conditions, to ask who will
live in Puertas City?
The Masterplan proposes a diverse pod structure to distribute the inhabitants over the
Puertas City area. Pods represent construction areas that will have a defined size and
different, varying population densities occupying them. On the social high end between 4 and
8 homes occupy a pod, on the low end there are 16 homes. The pod surface is 1,200 square-
meters, of which 20% are for communal spaces - gardens, kitchen, workshop, sitting area,
pool, ball field or playgrounds. Under this assumption 12% of Puertas City’s surface is
potentially used for private construction.
Assuming an average 2.5 stories this leads to a maximum of 2,500 square-meters floor
space per pod. Eight homes per per could have a 300 square-meter floor space each, while on
the low end the floor space would still be 150 square-meter. Given that some of the living
area will be communally shared these are high numbers. The assigned space will not
necessarily by used to 100%, and some of it may well become available for workshops,
artesanal or cultural spaces.
An integrated diverse community, especially if it is to incorporate local Mayans, needs

pods with higher populations. Mayans are used to living communally. Under limited

economic conditions a family composed of five to 12 members, according to age structure,
occupies less than 100 square-meters of floor space and counts on an open garden and patio
area. These spatial arrangements would be possible in the pods, surrounded by a defined and
protected belt of protected natural land or forest.
In any case, according to peoples needs, to live in privacy or in a micro-community,

pods can be implemented incrementally, leaving space for further edifications. They will be
growing along the helix connecting the different centers, following their typologies, and ech
pod can have its own typical social or cultural character defined by the people occupying it,
with enhanced native landscapes between them.
Our question therefore widens to Who decides who lives and where to live in Puertas City? The
answer can only be found in the process, involving the interested parties. A first
approximation shall, however, give orientation:
Departing from a determined number of pods the following assumptions serve for
guidance on the future social structure. We determined 5 social strata to classify the different
I II III IV V pod types and their social characteristics. These five

Distribution # of individuals strata do not necessarily reflect the future residents’
in Puertas City
economic potential, they can indicate social
preferences, life habits and community preferences
13%
27% present in all cultural groups.
17% The aim is an even distribution of these 5 groups by

number of inhabitants, which leads to the distribution
20% 23%
Category Number of pods Number of homes per pod
I 53 16
II 53 14
III 105 12
IV 70 10
V 70 8
Total 351 16
of individuals shown in the left diagram.

With different population densities in the pods
surface portions can be assigned to them, as
16 14 12 10 8
Distribution of surface seen in the second diagram. The land value is
in Puertas City basically the same for all pods, resulting in a
higher proportional land costs on the higher
8 16 end.
14 The possible construction costs equally rise
10 from the low to the high end of this pod

classification. Adding them to the costs of
12
larger land areas per home very significant
price differences occur, from $7’000USD to
about $70’000USD per family member, as
family sizes decrease with higher social status.
As seen by land occupation there will be an
even social distribution throughout Puertas City.
The left chart shows the approximate construction cost per pod and home unit and
family member. The relationship between the highest and the lowest construction cost is
approximately 1:10, which reflects the real economic capacity of the different strata
The marketing strategy must adapt to specific sales arguments for each specific strata.
Also, the spatial distribution of the total 350 pods needs to be related to strata characteristics.
The following is the distribution of pod numbers among the different social categories.
“I” is the so-called low end, “V” is the high-end of 2 to 8 Villas per pod. We indicate the
maximum numbers for all categories, variations are always possible. It is even quite
foreseeable that the social categories I to III will define themselves culturally and by age
group, more even than through their economic capacity. The number of homes and number
of inhabitants per home in all these categories may then follow different logics altogether.
The following does not respond to the needs for lower end Mayan families. There mostly
be a low-end, the construction modes must meet specific Mayan needs and requirements. Pilot
structures for these types should be tried in the Xla Ká Vergel pilot.
The Mayan pods should not be compared to or placed in the vicinity of nomad visitors
with similar economic potential and improvised co-living conditions. The family structures

should be respected. Actively integrated groups occupying pods will be very welcome. The
process can, however, not be forced.
The variety of people is Tulum’s unique selling point in comparison to other areas of
the Caribbean, and shall be maintained or even cultivated by Puertas City. It's very special
and unique clientele come from all racial, cultural and professional backgrounds with a large
variety of economic potentials. At the same time all these come for different reasons, Some
tourists some are seasonal winter birds, some have part-time jobs. The authors of the
masterplan described them as some searching for the beginning of new ways of life and others finding in
the end of a well travelled pilgrimage. There are Bohemians and new Artisans. To attract all, what
does habitus must be respectful, open minded and creative, healing and listening are than
prescribing.
Residents Participation
People interested to live in Puertas City should find a possibility to try it out. To that
purpose intermediate accommodation shall be offered intense, cabins, call living homes and
even under adventurous conditions that allow immersing in the Puertas City sustainability
concept. The truly positive way of living cannot be imposed and, in fact, already exists for
many who will contribute their ideas to the implementation process.
Live feedback is essential to avoid mistakes. Outreach and marketing activities to the
first potential residents to form a few pods must accompany the first steps of landscape
formation and constructions.
A third question arising is How shall the different pod categories be distributed to assure the best
possible population dynamics? The topic will be referred to in the second next chapter.
The unique architectural proposal got Puertas City is based on establishing City Pods,
sub-units of the landscape and city space that can develop their own characteristics, emphases
and qualities. These pods are to differentiate each other according to their inhabitants
capabilities and preferences. They can involve very different lifestyles and thus enable a
unique participatory process to happen at the Puertas City level.
The approach follows the Mayan example. Mayan governance was a reflection of the
variety and diversity of its towns and villages who all contributed their own production, styles,
clothing, art and ideas to the whole when uniting at their frequent fiestas, which were, at the

same time markets, learning and educational events, ceremonial realms and administrative
institutions.
Participation has a very different quality when it is the participation of well defined and
differentiated social units. It is a principle essential to natural evolution: the clear definition of
distinctive group characteristics provides the benchmarks for progress. The Pod proposal is, in
itself, an adaptation of incentives for social behavior to natural rules. Filling the pods with
people who are responsive to the task of creating their environment to meet their own identity
is certainly a key step towards the formation of Puertas City itself and of a future Puertas City
Council representing its residents..
The Mayan example serves as a reference: in the old Mayan world whoever managed
organizing a certain group of people or villages obtained the title Tatich through a
combination of acclamation and official recognition. The pods will have to be represented by
their Tatiches, recognized pod representatives who then constitutes the cities main governing
body, the town assembly. Whatever governing institutions this town assembly may want to
install is up to their responsibility and shall meet the Mexican legal requirements. To give
them the highest possible degree of independence and responsibility it may be considered
transforming the city into the legal form of en Ejido.4
The old Mayan villages met at regional Fiestas. They formed village processions on the road towards the
ceremonial center of their choice. Arriving they were received in great honor, proudly walked towards the palace,
visible to all, and clearly differentiated from all others by their clothes, music and the products they presented
both for proof of capability and for sale. Every village had its melodies or sound and was recognized at long
distance before the delegation arrived. Honors were expressed towards the people as well as towards the noble
organizers who offered ceremonies, teaching, music, administrative support and joyful cultural events for 2, 3 or
even more days.
The pods will relate to centers, central installations for each pod, where some activities
of joint interest are shared. These can be gardens, a kitchen, playgrounds for the children or
spaces for socializing, sports and relaxation.
A certain number of pods can share topical centers - market, innovation, spiritual,
cultural, musical, recreational - established for specific purposes. The functional division of
these spaces is a characteristic to Western city organization: Westerners are used to going to a
4 The advantages and details of their proposal are discussed in the Puertas Guide to Sustainability.

sports center or to a music hall, which they would expect to be very different from a market
place or a school. The Maya integrated all these functions within one regional center that
they would visit with all or many members of the community. In each of these centers they
were able to freely and easily move between any of the mentioned functions. The
representatives of the villages or pods could therefore jointly take time off work, travel
together, visit the center and be represented as a group, and yet they might follow different
interests and purposes while doing so. The pods are an ideal space to introduce incentives to
the local Puertas City economy. It is here that any new economic rules can be practiced
internally, among neighbors, analyzing and discussing them to the point that their application
in a wider community context becomes normal and encouraging. Through the use of local
money neighborhood support contributions to family and community life find the recognition
they deserve.
Creating synergies between the Western and the Mayan ways is another The Puertas
City ambition. This can only happen if the exact Pod design is elaborated by the residents
themselves. There is no need to predetermine all aspects.. The first residents in the first pods
will start defining their rules of the game.
The Seed Structures - Spiritual Center, Innovation Center and Green School - are pre-
established centers to help initiate and guide the process. This does not contradict their
further diversification and differentiation.
Careful guidance to the ‘making’ of the pods is a crucial step not to be missed. It
reaches beyond the architecture of the homes into the spheres of life-style counseling and
communal organization. The topics shall be handled by the Spiritual Center training and
workshops, in the Innovation Center and in the Residents Council.
Building First Homes 5

Tulum’s beaches are full of beautiful architectural ideas and constructions. What most
people don’t realize is that the standards for construction further inland must be raised to
meet additional requirements due to the presence of more animals and moisture, less and
inconstant wind, and a higher demand on durability and serviceability. The hotels are
serviced on a daily base and frequently renovated, a fact permitting more improvised
construction and amenities. Adaptations are possible, but need to be carefully considered.
5 For details see Pilot Structures

To perceive some of the distinctions between beach construction and the quality needed
in the Puertas City area it is recommendable to visit other sites. Simple pilot applications in
Chan Ká Vergel are therefore recommended and will be explained further ahead.
The first homes to be established in Puertas City can be of the following types.
Type Materials Used Size Architect
Multi-family mushroom Full timber, soil bricks, 2 units 200 sqm Julius Natterer & local tem
Tadelakt, glass. floorspace each
Open mushroom structure Full timber, soil bricks, 250 sqm open Swiss H… Group,  
Tadelakt, glass, new structure with Solar Paint Project 
design materials. central amenities
Closed mushroom structure Bamboo, timber, 120 - 150 sqm Javier Creuzeras team
Adobe clay
Classic Mayan modernized Wood, clay, soil bricks, 80 sqm Chan Ká Vergel team
cement
Bamboo geodesic dome Bamboo, soil bricks 100 sqm Julio Peláez team
These can include the following innovations that are essential to making the future
massive construction sustainable:
1. Hypocaust natural cooling systems

2. Massive timber floors, ceilings and walls
3. Soil bricks
4. Solar energy
5. A 20 KW per day windmill
To elaborate technologies 1 to 3 in praxis they can beforehand be applied in simpler yet
similar pilot constructions in Xla Ká Vergel. The pilot project has the following objectives:
1. Hypocaust: there are many technically viable options. Differences between these
must be show, can hardly be explained to non-experts without the corresponding
object. To accept the idea interested parties must feel the effect. Experience shows
that demonstrations convince, yet explanations confuse.
2. Massive timber elements: the whole production chain needs to be established. Logs
need to be bought, sawn, quality standards established. The massive timber
elements must then be fabricated in small village industries. Reliable time lines can
only be established based on real experience.6 To avoid quality failures it is
recommendable to run the whole production chain before the real pilot is started.
6These technologies have never been implemented in the tropics: the timber is different, work attitude differs, a
mobile sawmill needs to function.

3. Soil bricks: the technology is simple and has been implemented under tropical
conditions. Workers teams must be trained and the bricks must be laboratory tested.
This needs a running project. Individual or low number samples permit no reliable
judgement.
4. Solar energy: it will have to be seen if some of the newer solar technologies like 3D
printed Solar tiles and Solar Paint can already become available for the pilots. The
producing companies need to be motivated for a pilot partnership. Otherwise
normal solar panels will be used. They are freely available in México.
Building Seed Sites

PHASE 1: 2017 - 2021 [2019 ?]
The construction of the green school and the innovation centre can start conjointly.
These two functions can temporarily share roof while the site is further developed.
• Clarifying the collaboration between BIG & John Hardy is imperative

• A site must be chosen to maximize the productive land around the school
• Green School's connectivity to active transportation needs to be assured
• The Green School design must be adapted to the locally available resources
• Passive cooling during occupancy hours must be assured [Xla Ká Vergel Pilot!]
The Green School and Innovation Center are Seed Sites as they will then contribute to
the further process of Puertas City’s development by
• raising awareness & teaching about innovative water management techniques

• elaborating on waste sorting, management and reutilization
• Teaching about black and grew water management
• support the timber & bamboo etc. productive land network(s) further inland
• produce food on site & in communities to feed at least all students
For initial purposes the Vital Village University in Chan Ká Vergel will host the initiatives,
workshops and trainings on these topics.
In the meantime the connection of two lagoons by a canal loop Will structure the policing of
the first residential pods around the future town centre and to the Spiritual Center, the Seed Site on
the other end of Puertas City, which can then be reached by a pilgrimage on forest trails. The lagoon
excavation will provide construction material to all building sites. A vehicular bridge would be built to
connect the site to the beach.

This first development phase is decisive for Puertas City’s future landscapes. Massive activities
shall be established to increase the amount of soil and fertility for agri-culture uses, to lift, enrich and
diversify the forest canopy. It is expected to raise the canopy by 2 to 3 meters within 4 years, and again
by the same amount in the following 6 years. The architecture will adopt to these new tree heights
permitting wide and long views from penthouses and roofs.
Equally, the trees shall serve to creating privacy in and around the pods.
PHASE 2: CONNECT 2021 - 2024 [2020 - 2022 ?]
• The Innovation Center and Green School are completed

• Co-living units invite guests and interested future inhabitants
• Craftshops are established
• Construction sites are prepared
• First commercial activities occur in boutiques framing the central plaza
• The Town Center grows
• The Spiritual Centre grows with the addition of a Wellness Centre
• A second canal loop is carved, pulling the residential development further inland
• the most direct helix connection between the Spiritual and Town Center is prepared
for solar vehicle use to efficiently connect them
• Second ring of pods offset from the town centre
PHASE 3: THRESHOLD 2024
Construction happens in all pods, the infrastructure is completed.
All the above shall be further elaborated in subsequent workshops.
Ressource Assurance & Economy

The set-up of a governance structure according to the Vital Village e.G. proposal in the
Puertas sustainability guide is strongly recommended to assure the resources for sustainable
construction. Without this concept the possibilities to become sustainable are limited. Where
is a summary of the various analyses presented throughout the book.
The present economy promotes unsustainable attitudes, and even the story of the
Mayan collapse is a projection of what our globalized economy is presently doing to the
world.

The present economy favors growth and consumption while it has roots in continuous
exploitation. Personal initiative and political change are not valued by the monetary rules,
which need to be balanced by patterns allowing people to create their lives in sustainable
ways. The monetative7 must relate to sustainability.
Human life separate from nature has stipulated a dangerous foundation for Western
monetary and economic systems. The corresponding lack of self-regulation creates an
economy of externalization, separation and avoidance.
Economic sustainability deeply depends on questioning, adapting or re-designing the

system to make it work, which in turn makes it necessary to regard the human economy as a
part of nature. True economic analysis considers all ecological factors and all human activity.
Sustaining nature is not separable from human action in regards to culture, politics, work and
production. The global economy must work in conjunction with and adapt to the natural
world. Our economy should thus work through a monetary, regulatory and subsidiary system
that supporting the maintenance and care of the world. FairTrade and Corporate Social
Responsibility initiatives are rather superficial band-aids while the basic capitalist economic
rules permit to destroy, exploit, damage or contaminate, externalizing any counterbalancing
yet unprofitable concerns focusing on profit and production independent of non-monetized
concerns. The modern global economy is unable to integrate cultural divergence, biological
diversity or even the people’s creativity. The system builds on a schooling system made to
train instead of educate, preparing students to obey instead of develop their specific
capacities. It finances scientists who are not heard by politicians. The system prides itself on
what causes death, destruction, poverty, war and disease. So we must do the opposite.
Nothing describes the difference between the long living Mayan civilization and the
modern capitalist economy better than their economy of the natural resources. I fully
focussed on the use local materials.
A newly created parallel local economy can counterbalance the existing and introduce a
strong impulse for change.
7 The money issuing power. The term was coined by a German economist, Prof. Bernd Senf, describing the
monetative as any society’s 3rd power parallel to the executive and legislative powers. 

Resource based Crafts
This will activate local initiative. The origin of village crafts lies always in the local
availability of the applied materials. Crafts create local economies. Those initiating these
economies all the best caretakers for the resources and therefore for the environment. The
local monetary system will strongly support their role and make it visible to the members of
the wider economy.
The people coming to Tuolumne look for local production, Traditional handicraft and
anything that can relate them to the traditional culture, People and economy. Presently they
receive fake objects, most of them are produced in China. A big market potential lies astray
and it can be activated just by adding some new local economic rules.
Modern technology allows taking the craft initiatives to an industrial level. 3 D printing
allows producing just about anything anywhere. There are many in the young generation
eager to apply then knowledge and fascination four computers and coding. There are still
plenty of grandparents around with the knowledge needed to relate these capacities to the
natural resources. Filaments, the Materials needed for 3-D printing can be produced from
locally grown plants and even from wood. Once that material is available it is possible to
produce just about any spare part or gadget for Puertas City’s installations in town, in the
villages, or in the Puertas Innovation HUB. The HUB shall soon play a leading role
triggering these activities. A local monetary system will be energizing them, strongly
supporting the engaged people’s motivation.
Many similarly oriented initiatives already exist in the world. Organizations like the
Living Building Challenge support local initiatives in their efforts to improve city development.
The Internet of Things creates a wider outlook on crafts. The availability of low cost sensors for
environmental measurements permits a simple and quick analysis of any new technology’s or
product’s impact on the environment. Small citizen platforms engage in exactly what the here
presented concepts ask for. A local economy bundles these initiatives and energizes them.
The proposed architecture provides the space for all this to happen. Malocas or village
house can be the places to bring people together and install new democratic processes.
Community gardens, bodegas, cafés and belvederes enrich the social environment with even
more opportunities for collaboration. The local monetary system sets the pace. This makes
the full correspondence with the forest ecosystem. The mechanisms of silvi-culture

development were described as space-making, place-making and pace-making, which is
exaclty what the community needs and gets in Puertas City.
Industrialization by itself is not necessarily a threat to nature. It all depends on how it is

done, which technologies are applied and how much care is given to the production processes.
Sustainable industries already exist in many places around the world. They do not disrupt or
destroy the water, air, soil or human environment. Most of them are even deeply beneficial to
the environment, improving the water situation, building soils, making people’s lives happier.
Some sustainable industries are roundabout beautiful and can easily be integrated into a
living environment.
The separation between industrial areas and the human living space is a reaction to
industries detrimental effects on the environment. Above that it only produces disadvantages:
more traffic, longer distances between people’s homes and their workplaces, a disintegration
of families, schools and other services. The separation between different spheres of life creates
a dissociation of the social, environmental and economic issues. This translates into the
selection of inadequate technologies, which gets to the core of the present society’s and
economy’s dysfunction: the capitalist economy is designed to oppose businesses interest to
workers interests. These two sectors of society are systematically opposed, they cannot jointly
pursue a common interest, the corporate leaders are set-up to maximize their production at
the lowest possible cost, and the highest cost factor is, or at least used to be, the cost of labor.
Only a very strong representation of labour interests can lead to a somewhat balanced
relationship between the two, and only where such balanced relationships were reached did
the two manage to sit together and look at third issues to be solved, environmental or cultural
or any other longer term arrangements in favoring a more sustainable development of society.
This level of agreement has been reached at few occasions in some European countries.
The general trend, however, has been a disastrous battle of interests under which, in the end,
even the most basic worker rights were lost. Today, workers earn much less than they ever did
before, percentage wise. Trade Unions, which used to be representing some of the most basic
aspects of sustainability, have lost their negotiating power. Governments play the least
important role in this, stand with their back against the wall, overly indebted, with decaying
public infra- and service-structures plaguing them.
We are further away from being able to integrate other aspects of public life into the
political and social process. The real political discussion only reflects differing interests of the

various groups of business and financial elites who are the only ones left with certain means
and access to control. We have seen how the system always leads to the same, its present crisis
is a clear sign of its dysfunctionality. There is only one way out, which is to rebuild our
economy and society from bottom-up, on a functional scale, before it dissolves or collapses
totally.
The crafts, community services and art are the activities to carry this development.
Personal growth and responsibility only thrive when they have a chance to materialize. New
endeavors will only be taken by the majority of the people when they are not at each others
throats but relaxed, creative and recognized. Stressful struggle is the least one wants in the
present situation. It is therefore our yearning that the hope and positive expectation created in
a sustainability oriented community may create the stepping stone to personal expression and
transformation that opens the full wealth of traditions, culture, crafts and technologies to the
necessary transformation.
Puertas Innovation HUB

The Puertas Innovation HUB is a place for creative learning and entrepreneurship
created with no concept or intention under the awareness that perfection can make systems
unbearable, while every person is born with a different and distinct potential that can be
triggered and supported to contribute to a productive and prosperous society. Adequate
technologies for a sustainable production and living exist but have not been made available
and applied accordingly. Even more can be found. The needed support is
1. knowing the various technological options

2. applying the right criteria for technology selection not just from technical points of
view but through community involvement also.
3. learning about the relationship between technology and sustainability
4. creating local and regional production chain scenarios
5. inviting entrepreneurs from different backgrounds to cooperate
6. support the local involvement in sustainable production.
More needs may be discovered and can be added with time. The Puertas Innovation
HUB will largely be self administered to permit an open dynamic.

Sustainability Standards
Sustainable City Certification
The environmental destruction, social misbalances and forest destruction in Tulum
correspond to a deep failure of the directive measures taken for improvement and
conservation. Directive measures hit their limits as we deal with complex social and natural
systems.8 Even though both national and international programs have been set-up during the
past 4 decades to confront the mis-development the situation has worsened. We must turn to
procedures that work.
Functioning government regulations must be put in place to so. The legal frame exists,
but thoughtful action is needed to fill it with content and make it work. The existing state
commissions for construction, environmental conservation and other relevant fields will
respond to useful proposals once these are put on the table.
Change happens most likely as people act in new ways, construct and produce
differently. Puertas offers the opportunity and space for this to occur. The new city can evolve
spontaneously, and yet, following a guided transformation process in which the minimum
necessary direction is given.
Tools are therefore needed to proven the effectiveness of change and motivate
accordingly. Trial and error processes will be a necessary part of the process, possible failures
need to be detected to learn from them, and some failures should be avoided.
Certification is the tool of choice. A well conceived certification process rewards those
who autonomously promote their own sustainable development successfully. It indicates to
others where the weak points of their procedures or constructions lie. Competition between
various architects, construction teams or home owners then creates real references for
achievable action and a dynamic of transformation is created.
The marketplace responds to certification rewarding success with value gains, thus
motivates for further change. A certification scheme and its logos testify the process and
guarantee the correctness of its rules and case.
8The term refers to a differentiation between directive top-down measures, typically government or corporate
rulings, and spontaneous bottom-up initiatives created by the affected.

Several stages of certification avoid overloading the requirements and establish
attainable goals, permitting a careful step-by-step strategy represented by bronze, silver and
gold standards of sustainable construction. The highest achievement lies in a fully sustainable
integration of the construction works with the region and economy around, affecting its
ecology and social development in positive terms.
The latter integration relates to the Vital Village guidelines which, combined with both
the silver and gold construction standard adds another level of certification.
Procedures Leading to Certification

Puertas City being one of the first examples of decidedly sustainable planning and
development can initiate establishing the certification scheme with the standard development.
The provided documents are basic to this step. Further on inspection schemes and a decision
making process for the actual certification need to be established.
In the future this will imply cooperation with various stakeholder groups. To prepare it,
a profound study was elaborated on Tulum’s stakeholder activities, 70 different initiatives who
are begun engaging in Tulum’s urban planning procedures, willing to promote Puertas City as
a model case for Tulum’s and the state’s future development.
Cradle to Cradle C2C

There is nothing to add to the short summary of the Cradle
to Cradle Criteria for the Built Environment. The electronic
publication of these accompanied the inauguration of
Europe’s first fully sustainable public building, a city hall in
Venlo, Holland, already described before.

Sustainable Construction &City Development Standards
Standard Core Criteria Requisites Application
Integrated agri-culture,
silviculture and Membership in  
Sustainability Gold, Silver or
sustainable communal Vital Village e.G.  
Bronze certification with the
development according to  
formal commitment to reach the
the Vital Village standard Gold Standard, subscribed by and  
Vital Village reflected in inhabitants and owners.    
entrepreneurial and  
Economy of the
Active pursuit of a common
organizational structures Common Good
good economy by the majority
directed towards a of inhabitants Association  
resource based economy [Gemeinwohl Ökonomie]
of the common good
For established cities,

Concept defined and Membership in the
their infrastructure,
articulated by the World intern’l regenerative City
Regenerative City  social organization and
Future Council Working working group and local /
[World Future Council] administrations
Group on Regenerative regional stakeholder
recognized stakeholder
Cities support
organizations only
Minimum 3 year active

membership and pre-
Fulfilment of Masterplan
certification during the
Sustainability Gold and Sustainability Yearly 3rd party reviews
construction phase -or-
Guidelines to 100%
prior Silver or Bronze
status
Fulfilment of Masterplan Commitment to reach the Gold

Standard, subscribed by
Sustainability Silver and Sustainability
inhabitants and owners. 
Guidelines to 80% Yearly 3rd party reviews
Fulfilment of Masterplan Commitment to reach the Gold

Standard, subscribed by
Sustainability Bronze and Sustainability
inhabitants and owners. Yearly
Guidelines to 50% 3rd party reviews
Green Key certification

Written sustainability
No contamination  for hotels. 
policy, all inhabitant and
Declaration of origin for Green Key standards
employees formally
Ecologically sound construction materials  meet these rules. 
committed, annual 3rd
Use of renewable energy Certification was
party reviews acc. to ISO
sources to a defined % obtained by the Ahau
9’000 standards
group hotels
Self declared marketing

Location in Tulum’s
Eco-chic No criteria defined term used by several of
beach environment
Tulum’s beach hotels

Construction
First Crucial Steps
From Theory to Praxis
Many attempts to build modern sustainable communities throughout the world have failed
in the past, even with the highest motivation, technology, and finances behind it. Conceived as
intentional communities they all all stumbled over the very core issue they had raised and
were never able to implement their intention, disappeared or strongly diverted from the
original plan.
Chan Ka Vergel was selected as a laboratory community for Puertas City. Over the past
40 years this experimental farm community patiently developed ways of productive cooperation
between the present Mayan and the modern commercial world, incorporating the wisdom
transmitted by the Peninsula’s older inhabitants and the ancient Maya. This knowledge and
experience must now be used grounding Puertas’ intention before starting to implement the
large ambitious city projects.
2017 
Feb - July experiment construction  
> resource local & regional raw materials  
> May - June > invite & train architects, constructors  
> exhibit new technologies, water, wind, energy, soil, trees  
> measure, monitor environmental parameters & effects  
> prepare community participation  
July 2017 > 2018 build Puertas model houses
Having a smaller model to follow is imperative to the participant’s and clients’ learning
process and therefore to the success of the project. We must learn on a smaller scale before we
dive into the ambitious master plan. It will allow resourcing the appropriate raw materials,
prepare the communities for participation, quickly build simple model houses and exhibit the

new technologies needed for sustainable construction. There will be mistakes, and we must learn
on a smaller scale before we dive into the master plan. Scaling-up is the the best possible rule for
the game.
Book One is a white paper to the Puertas New Deal and needs to refer to practical
examples to perceive the more comfortable and enjoyable life they can get through
sustainable life and construction. Sustainability ultimately happens in and between ourselves.
More than simply building different houses we must create and run our homes accordingly,
we must fully identify with the process and its intention. Only through a pro-active procedure
will the sustainable home and city be perceived as the new luxury it is meant to be.
We showed how the soil, the water and our soul are essential references for making this
happen. As we turn to practicing the dream, these issues must be made visible and palpable
for those involved complexity. It must happen before we deal with high complexity. We want
our intention to become visible. Only if we truly connect our intention with the procedures
and processes needed to construct a house, the infrastructure, the city will this happen. It is
where most people and projects stumble.
Process Design
Sustainable construction depends on different materials, different processes, new teams.
Unfamiliar quality criteria need to be applied, and yet, everybody will expect the construction
process to run smoothly and without delay. But there will be mistakes or other unforeseen
hindrances that no architect or owner can fully foresee. The first construction experiences
should therefore not be too demanding. To avoid foreseeable stress it is imperative to first
construct resilient small scale model homes, so to learn operating the more demanding
technologies and processes the city before constructing the sophisticated sustainable houses all
hope see as soon as possible.
People are easily torn away by their dreams, and much of what makes a sustainable
home is dreamlike. All natural air condition, all ecological construction materials, low energy
consumption, off-the-grid energy production and natural water management are all possible,
gut for some good reason they have not been implemented in the past. That is simply because
the existing routines, architectural procedures and construction agreements are not easily
compatible with the sustainable ways. It is a different system. All that has become a habit in

personnel relationship, payment practices, quality controls and many more will have to be
redesigned and will not easily function in the beginning.
Even the decision making process about a sustainably designed home can become
complicated. Most people today have not experienced natural air conditioning without the
support of electric appliances. Most do not know in how far the sustainable technology imply
changes in the way they live and seek comfort in their homes. Less even can most people
imagine how the rhythms of daily life change in such a different home and city.
Even the best effort explaining the implications of sustainability can not make sure that
everybody really understands. Hands-on experience is essential, experiencing independence,
natural sounds, the naturally conditioned air flow, mosquito controls or good tasting water. To
exemplify and prove these points we propose simple model homes, places made to learn and
understand the major elements of what the more elaborate sustainable homes will then be
like. This corresponds to a common practice of presenting models to sell homes, and it
permits the future owners true participation in their own design.
Pilot Construction
The sustainable approach can and should be individualized. A sustainable home is a
living outer body for the people living in it, they become part of it. Experience with
sustainable construction in Germany shows that a deeper and more personal relationship
between the owner, founder and creator of such houses evolves from the very process of
understanding and designing the flows of energy, water, air, organic matter and waste. The
essence of the home is its functioning as a living body.
One of the most successful construction companies for sustainable homes is Erwin
Thoma’s Timber 100, a company producing 100% timber homes in Europe, the US, Japan and
several countries more. All these homes are off-grid, even under the most extreme climatic
conditions, all are naturally climatized. The founder resumes his experience with some 1’000
clients as follows: They all come to buy a home, and they all leave as good friends. The friendship is
obviously based on a relationship with the house itself and therefore with those who built it.
The experience can only be shown own practice. there is no blueprint for a sustainable
home, there are principles to follow, many technologies to chose from, and in the end it is a
matter of establishing the sustainable relationship between he people occupying and owning
the house and the processes that make the living space a quality experience. The Puertas City

proposal is to use the Vital Village concept to widen this experience even beyond the limits of
the home and create community relationship based on the same principles with the city itself
and with the resource supplying communities in the backlands.
All this must be experienced. Some 3 model houses shall therefore be constructed in
Puertas City exemplifying the case. To provide a step-by-step learning experience into the
process of sustainable construction a precursor phase of modeling will happen until mid 2017.
The Lab
Chan Ká Vergel Objectives
As a laboratory of sustainability development for Puertas City the little village in
paradise, Chan Ká Vergel, in the Mayan backlands of Tulum establishes a Vital Village to
attain the Sustainability Gold Standard and exhibit references for the technologies, several
house models, garden- and silvi-culture management to be implemented in Puertas City9.
Chan Ká Vergel is the precursor to a Puertas City Pilot Phase. Construction takes place
around the Vital Village University site and serves to demonstrate the technologies proposed
for Puertas City. As Chan Ká Vergel is an already existing agri-culture village in a rural zone,
no permits are needed and construction can immediately start; actually the preparations are
already in process.
The first three pilot homes shall be completely finished within 5 months. The next two
shall then be in process. they will serve to demonstrate the homes, technologies, raw material
assurance scheme and environmental integration. Visits and demonstrations shall be
organized. Training courses for constructors will be run on-site by Vital Village University to
create the personnel capacity for a first Puertas City pilot project (3 to 5 homes in Puertas).
Further Vital Village University courses will also further adapt and improve the technology
proposals based on first evaluations of their functioning.
Cost per home is (average) $20,000USD, basic furniture equipment included. Potential
candidates to settle in Chan Ká Vergel have shown interest. In the beginning, however, these
9 Successful silviculture forest restoration has already been practiced in Chan Ká Vergel, Oxkutzcab, in the
former heartland of the ancient Maya. Surpassing the fears expressed by traditional ecologists destruction can
be reverted within less than a lifetime once we dare merge natural and human intelligence.

homes should rather serve to receive Puertas City interested customers and tourists to
promote the scheme. A small tourist operation can be set-up for that purpose.
The total project aims for 50 homes within the next 2 to 3 years, the pilot-phase
includes 5 of these. Some 18 people will be trained to work in sustainable construction, 4
people in management functions in this first phase. The process then continues.
Lab Functions
Chan Ká Vergel and Xla Ká Vergel together were conceived as a laboratory for Puertas
City for several reasons;
• the regeneration of soils, forests & water started some 20 years ago based on
altogether 38 years of practical learning and work experience in Yucatán peninsula,
• the intuitive restoration of the old pre-hispanic village Xla Ká Vergel created
experiences for Mayan space-making, place-making and pace-making in respect to
settlement development, all three of them being defined with mathematical precision,
• traditional Mayan agri-culture and organic farming synergies were continuously
developed and promoted in Chan Ká Vergel,
• the little village already turned into a bird and insect sanctuary and clearly shows the
potential of a regenerative sustainable approach to land-use,
• the school & training programs offered at Chan Ká Vergel were long conceived to
creating a Vital Village University for rural and sustainable city development, and
several Universities are connected to it,
• the structures for the Vital Village University student accommodation and teaching
are far advanced and can be finished in short time to be used for Puertas City
purposes, including
• water-management features,
• a pre-hispanic water potabilization structure,
• an artificial lake in a naturally all dry environment during 5 months,
• 26 structures built with local materials and Mayan geometry,
• rainforest accommodation in an all natural environment.
Based on these experiences Chan Ká Vergel can provide strong outreach to potential
Puertas City customers and inhabitants through the Vital Village University services:
• pilot applications for the proposed sustainability oriented technologies,
• pilot structures: homes, buildings, water-management features, lakes,
sewage treatment, gardens, fields, forests etc
• training events and facilities for all the above.

The laboratory Chan Ká Vergel can operate as a training center and sales point for the
development. Acquisition results are expected to pay for the pilot structures that are needed
for technical reasons in any case.
Vital Village Community Plans

Vital Village Pilot
Issue 50 Homes Project 5 Homes Pilot per home @ 50
Chan Ká Vergel, 15 hectares MX$ 7,200,000 MX$ 0
Land bought, 2 hills MX$ 650,000 MX$ 0
Land bought, buffer 200 has MX$ 480,000 MX$ 0
Total @ 50% of cost for homes MX$ 8,330,000 MX$ 416,500 MX$ 83,300

Budget & Business Proposal
The Pilot Homes

Main Size Climatization Bathroom Amenities
characteristics sqm
Casa Maya Modernized 50 Hypocaust, Connected High Q LED

Individual Mayan home, 1.5 thatched roof, compost toilet lighting
rooms & bathing,
running water
Casa Maya as above w/ 2.5 90 Hypocaust, Inside compost High Q LED

Familiar rooms thatched roof & toilet & lighting &
modern cube w/ shower, workspace
forced ventilation
ventilation control
Casa Maya 9 Vegetable gardens 40 Hypocaust, Outside Modern

people & small pool thatched roof, compost toilet Mayan
and bathing Interior
Casa Maya for 1 or 2 Hammocks, 20 natural Outside close Romantic

Guests basic furniture, no ventilation, compost toilet lighting, small
running water shaded porch tea kitchen
Modern Cube Glass, smooth 120 Hypocaust, Inside compost Modern

House walls, flat roof patio open water toilet & kitchen,
pond, high bathing, equipped for
ceilings ventilation all modern
control, small appliances
pool
Communal Event center, 800 Kitchen wood Luxurious hot Walkable

kitchen, ceremonial space, stove, gas stove, bath, 3 gardens,
restaurant &
event center sweat lodge; Big fridge, cool showers, 3 landscape
dining table, storage, toilets; view, in midst
locally grown ventilation old Mayan
organic food village
structures
The following is the budget for 5 pilot structures in Xla Ká Vergel, to be built with the
local farm and school teams to create the first production chains for sustainable construction

materials, demonstrate the new technologies and start training people to later work on the
Puertas City construction sites.
Homes include 
• 5 prototype homes (1p, 2p, 2 child family) Infrastructure includes:
different styles (tradit’ll Mayan, modern,
• Comfortable access, parking facilities in
solid timber, soil brick, bamboo).
5 Pilot Homes in Xla Ká Vergel-1

Issue Total Project 50 Pilot Phase 5 per home @ 50
Total @ 50% of cost of land MX$ 8,330,000 MX$ 416,500 MX$ 83,300
Construction materials p home MX$ 3,750,000 MX$ 450,000 MX$ 75,000
Technologies MX$ 10,384,500 MX$ 1,246,140 MX$ 207,690
Infrastructure MX$ 600,000 MX$ 72,000 MX$ 12,000
Work 9 pp @ 100’000$ p.y. MX$ 3,750,000 MX$ 450,000 MX$ 75,000
Management 4 pp MX$ 800,000 MX$ 96,000 MX$ 16,000
Administrative MX$ 400,000 MX$ 48,000 MX$ 8,000
Vital Village University Fund MX$ 1,400,000 MX$ 168,000 MX$ 28,000
Financing 10% MX$ 1,200,000 MX$ 144,000 MX$ 24,000
50 homes total, 5 homes pilot MX$ 22,284,500 MX$ 2,674,140 MX$ 445,690
$ USD cost of house construction $ 1,061,167 $ 127,340 $ 21,223
$ USD cost of house & land $ 1,457,833 $ 147,173 $ 25,190
• 3 finished in 5 months, 2 in process. Chan Ká Vergel

• Landscaping, food production and
Technologies include:
silviculture in the living areas.  
• Well, water connectivity, solar pumping
• Modern composting toilets, grey-water
system, integrated use of treated waters
• Renewable energy supply:  
one windmill, solar panels
• Internet connectivity 

The above are direct costs within Chan Ká Vergel’s agri-culture school set-up.
The low cost is determined by the fact that there are no overheads, no external service
providers and no taxes paid ion most of the involved construction activities. A 20% surcharge
is included for the Vital Village University to justify this budget as a training expense. It will
be used for the further adaptation of the Vital Village University infrastructure to Puertas’
needs.
Business Case
Visitors / per visitor / Profit
1 year operation Volume
nights participant 50%
Training center 400 $40 $16,000 $8,000

Sales point 200 $1,500 $300,000 $150,000
Accommodation 300 $100 $30,000 $15,000
Visitors, tours 500 $20 $10,000 $5,000
$178,000

Functioning as a first Innovation Center and Spiritual Center the Chan Ká Vergel has a
high degree of attractively. Vital Village University trains, schools and motivates those who
are ready to indulge more deeply in the Mayan culture, spend time in nature, live closer to the
proper Mayan communities and families and help reconstruct a pre-hispanic Mayan village.
Chan Ká Vergel produces organic food for an innovative Mayan kitchen, natural food
supplements and traditional medicines, thus contributing to their organic and sustainable life-
style. There will be abundant water through solar power pumping, partial local self-reliance in
construction materials (on farm) and all other supplies coming from less than 8 km distance. 
Sustainable Technology Trials
Technology Chan Ká Material Total $ USD
Pozo MX$50,000 $2,380.95

Solar panel 3 KW MX$50,000 $2,380.95
Generador MX$50,000 $2,380.95
Sawmill MX$50,000 $2,380.95
Teleférico MX$50,000 $2,380.95
Internet MX$24,000 $1,142.86
Solar pump cerro MX$34,000 $1,619.05
Lighting MX$30,000 $1,428.57
Laboratory kitchen MX$40,000 $1,904.76
Storage & cooling MX$120,000 $5,714.29
Rainwater ponds MX$55,000 $2,619.05
Microorganisms MX$12,000 $571.43
Bathroom work MX$10,000 $476.19
Total MX$575,000 $27,381
Pick-up MX$462,000 $22,000.00
Trailer MX$80,000 $3,809.52
Grand Total MX$1,117,000 $53,190

Financing Proposal
Lab Economy
>>>>>
The Seed Structures

The following excerpts from the Puertas Masterplan describe the Seed Structures,
Innovation and Spiritual Center, to be built in the first phase of Puertas City development to
introduce the sustainability concept and guide the initial development.
It is proposed to merge the formerly discussed proposals for the Holisitc, Shaman or
Ashram centers under the term Spiritual Center, a place concentrating on the conscious
personal and social development of Puertas City’s residents, guests and visitors. Efforts will
be taken to create authenticity and avoid some of the present misuses of these terms. In
present Tulum some superficially spiritual guides sell their services as Shamans and have
never received an according education or initiation. Courses about Mayan spirituality are
offered by people who never before lived in a Mayan community. Mayan are not even invited
to these activities. Yoga and meditation are offered with a wide array of approaches yet no
quality control. A registration and quality control system shall be established for the Spiritual
Center and it shall preferably be participatory, involving the full range of stakeholders in the
process.
The Innovation Center’s role concentrates on the processes and methodologies of

transforming the Puertas City society toward sustainability. It brings together young inventors,
students and entrepreneurs in a co-working space to support their learning and activities
through mutual experience exchange. Specific trainings are offered to guide the establishment
of new projects, initiatives and companies ranging from legal, organizational and financial
advice to personal psychological support.

Innovation HUB
THE INNOVATION CENTER, AN ANCHOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT, PROMOTING NEW IDEAS,
INVENTIONS, AND WAYS OF LIVING. IN EARLY PHASES THE INNOVATION CENTER COULD BE A POP UP
EVENTS SPACE WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY EXPAND INTO A MORE PERMANENT INSTITUTION. THE
INNOVATION CENTER WOULD ACT AS A NEW TYPOLOGY OF A TOWN HALL. A PLACE WHERE OPEN
DISCUSSION AND THE SHARING OF IDEAS GOVERNS THE COMMUNITY. STRATEGICALLY PLACED AT
THE FACE OF THE TOWN SQUARE BETWEEN THE GREEN SCHOOL AND CO-LIVING SPACES, IT WILL
BOTH INFLUENCE AND BE INFLUENCED WITH KNOWLEDGE, TEACHING, AND LIVING.
Green School
THE GREEN SCHOOL, ALSO AN ANCHORING PROGRAM FOR PUERTAS, WILL PROVIDE A
PRICELESS LINK WITH THE LOCAL TULUM INHABITANTS. A NEW PLACE OF LEARNING, GETTING THE
STUDENTS ‘OUT OF THE CLASS’ AND INTO WHAT MAKES THE WORLD AND SELF WHOLE. THE GREEN
SCHOOL WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN BUILDING THE PUERTAS COMMUNITY, LEARNING, TEACHING
AND STARTING UP THE FARMING CULTURE, BAMBOO LIVING, AND RESPECT FOR THE SITE.
Spiritual Center
THE HOLISTIC CENTER LOCATED AT NORTH WEST CORNER OF THE SITE BENEFITS FROM ITS
PROXIMITY TO A MUNICIPAL ROAD, ACTING AS A SECOND DOOR TO THE PUERTAS COMMUNITY.
HERE EMBEDDED IN THE LUSHEST TREE CANOPY OF THE SITE NEAR A CLUSTER OF NATURAL
CENOTES IT IS THE MOST IDEAL TRAN- QUIL SPOT ON THE SITE, A SMALL 2KM PILGRIMAGE FROM
THE BEACH SIDE TOWN CENTER ENTRANCE. THE CENTER WILL TREAT MIND BODY AND SOUL.
THE HOLISTIC CENTER IS ORGANIZED IN A RADIAL FASHION REFERENCING SACRED

GEOMETRIES, PLACING THE LARGEST GATHERING SPACES AT THE CENTER AND THE MORE
INDIVIDUAL ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE EXTENTS. RISING TOWARDS THE CENTER, TO THE MAIN
SPIRITUAL SPACE, THE DENSE FOREST HIDES ONE STRUCTURE FROM ANOTHER CREATING
MAXIMUM TRANQUILITY AND PRIVACY.
THE SPIRITUAL CENTER WILL INVITE THOSE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE WORLD AROUND THEM. HERE A
PLACE FOR MEDITATION AND SPIRITUAL LEARNING, A MIX OF NEW AGE AND ANCIENT MAYAN
PRACTICES WILL BE EXPERIENCED. SPACES FOR GROUP MEDITATION AND YOGA, AS WELL SOLO
INNER REFLECTION PODS WILL OFFER A RANGE OF SPIRITUAL PLACES.
THE WELLNESS CENTER BASED ON THE ECO-TOPIA MODEL WILL PROVIDE A PLACE FOR
HEALING, REHABILITATION, AND MEDICAL TOURISM. INVITING THE WORLDS MOST INNOVATIVE
HEALERS, TULUM WILL BE PUT ON THE MAP OF WORLD HEALING DESTINATIONS. HERE WILL BE
OFFERED A VARIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY, STEM CELL THERAPY, NATURAL MEDICINES, AND SPA
FUNCTIONS. FUNCTIONING IN SYMBIOSIS WITH THE SPIRITUAL CENTER, GUESTS WILL BE ABLE TO
BENEFIT FROM A HOLISTIC HEALING EXPERIENCE OF MIND, BODY, AND SOUL.

The Water Features
The old Maya faced the same task Puertas City faces today. Seemingly, they never
developed at the backlands of Tulum, they did, however, create cities in similar environments.
The emphasis was always on water management. Excavating canals, Big and small, the
accumulated very fertile material for the agriculture fields. Canals and lakes where is used for
bulk transports. The biggest well-documented canal in Yucatán was 50 km long and 12 m
wide, connecting Edzná with Champotón in what is now the State of Campeche.
The cleaning and widening of canals can enhance the ecosystem’s function in is much
the natural underground flows are supported. Increased aeration and underwater plant
growth in the canals contribute to the purification of the water, which is essentially important
today as much of the water flowing into the Tulúm area from the west has already been
contaminated by the garbage dumps and other forms of landscape mismanagement.
Opening more canals enhances the fish population and reduces the occurrence of
mosquitoes.
This site also has eight Cenotes, Dolines, open groundwater lakes with a beautiful
environment around them that are very attractive to people, but can very easily be polluted.
Strict regulations for the use shall be elaborated. Cenotes in the area have already been
destroyed by inadequate uses.
Additional Cenotes may well be found. There may be opportunities to widen their
opening. This has to be seen case by case. the Cenote water can be cleaned by natural floating
vegetation, rafts built for the specific purpose that will add to the stability of the water.
The Mangrove is another sensitive ecosystem that is, however, fully protected by law and
can not be touched. The flood zones in the Mangrove neighborhood need equal protection
and enhancement of their flora and fauna. Bathing sites and boat landing decks shall be
limited to well selected locations.
The water features are to be elaborated once on-site inspection has taken place with the
group’s environmental consultant. An exit topographical study is needed to elaborate the
definite design.

The Gardens
Permaculture is an attitude more than a technique. The old Maya were the perfect
permaculturists and their attitudes have been completely undermined during the past thirty
or forty years, to the degree that most of Yucatán’s permaculture gardens and landscapes
disappeared.
The task is therefore to identify the obstacles to permaculture, re-integrate at least some
of the old Mayan knowledge and experience and re-develop the practice.
There is a lot of enthusiasm about permaculture in the young generation. Most of those
beginning permaculture practices, however, do so without the necessity to live off the
production. Permaculture has, in many cases, become a part of luxurious living, even though,
in practice, it may look like a simple life-style.
Successful permaculture production is not easy to obtain. It involves agro-forestry, the

integration of food crops and trees, be they fruit or timber producing. Such integration takes
time. The process to build real permaculture gardens or environments is long. So, first of all,
the conditions for permanent on site need to be created. Second, an economic perspective to
run the permaculture gardens over long periods of time must be guaranteed, and third, the
appropriate practices need to be learned and experienced to build soils and create the desired
plant communities. Many have tried this in Yucatán, most have failed.
The Innovation Center shall therefore also serve to teach and coordinate permaculture
initiatives. Chan Ká Vergel serves as a reference and training center. Local and regional
universities participate in the effort. In the end, success depends on the deep engagement of
individuals.10
The Masterplan proposes different permaculture zones. This is a theoretical concept.

The zoning fully depends on the the availability and dedication of the people managing
production and landscapes. So far, in Yucatán, the only presently existing example for the
integration of such zones and differentiated practices. 
>>>>> [the following is to be adapted in collaboration with BIG to be part of the MP; all
elements are included in the presented documents]
10Nota bene: the Chinampa Floating Gardens were not Maya but practiced by the Mexica people. The
introductionn of Chinampas to the Mayan regions of Campeche and Tabasco as postulated since the 1980ies
has completely failed. The available literature does not reflect the true background.

PERMACULTURE IS A HOLISTIC APPROACH IN WHICH HUMANS AND THE ECOSYSTEMS THEY
LIVE IN EVOLVE SYMBIOTICALLY, AS PART OF THE SAME SYSTEM OPERATING ACCORDING TO THE
LAWS OF NATURE AND NOT NEW ONES DICTATED BY MEN. PERMACULTURE PROMOTES DIVERSITY,
EFFICIENCY, RESILIENCE AND FEEDBACK.
OBSERVE AND INTERACT: BY TAKING TIME TO ENGAGE WITH NATURE WE CAN DESIGN
SOLUTIONS THAT SUIT OUR PARTICULAR SITUATION.
DESIGN FROM PATTERNS TO DETAILS: BY STEPPING BACK, WE CAN OBSERVE PATTERNS IN

NATURE AND SOCIETY. THESE CAN FORM THE BACKBONE OF OUR DESIGNS, WITH THE DETAILS
FILLED IN AS WE GO.
THE MAYA CIVILIZATION EVOLVED ADOPTING SUCH AN APPROACH, MANAGING THEIR

FOREST IN A FULLY INTEGRAL WAY, FOLLOWING NATURE’S LOGIC AND IMPROVING ITS
PERFORMANCE (NEUGEBAUER, 2016). “PERMACULTURE” WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SUITABLE WORD
TO DESCRIBE THEIR ACTIVITIES, BUT THERE WAS NO NEED TO QUALIFY THE HARMONIOUS
RELATIONSHIP THEY ENTERTAINED WITH NATURE AS IT WAS THEY WAY OF BEING.
OBTAIN A YIELD: ENSURE THAT YOU ARE GETTING TRULY USEFUL REWARDS AS PART OF THE
WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING.
USE SMALL AND SLOW SOLUTIONS: SMALL AND SLOW SYSTEMS ARE EASIER TO MAINTAIN
THAN BIG ONES, MAKING BETTER USE OF LOCAL RESOURCES AND PRODUCING MORE SUSTAINABLE
OUTCOMES.
12 PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES:
USE EDGES & VALUE MARGINAL
OBSERVE & INTERACT
DESIGN FROM PATTERNS TO DETAILS
USE & VALUE
RENEWABLE RESSOURCES
FAIR SHARE
PEOPLE CARE
CREATIVELY USE & RESPOND TO CHANGE
EARTH CARE
PRODUCE NO WASTE
REF: THE RESILIENCY INSTITUTE, 2016
5 PERMACULTURE ZONES:
UNDERSTANDING HOW PERMACULTURE IS BEING IMPLEMENTED TODAY, RESPONDING TO

OUR ERA’S CHALLENGES, IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS UNDERSTANDING HOW THE MAYA CIVILIZATION
LIVED BY ITS RULES.
ZONE 0
THE HOUSE, OR HOME CENTRE. HERE PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES WOULD BE APPLIED IN

TERMS OF AIMING TO REDUCE ENERGY AND WATER NEEDS, HARNESSING NATURAL RESOURCES

SUCH AS SUNLIGHT, AND GENERALLY CREATING A HARMONIOUS, SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT IN
WHICH TO LIVE AND WORK.
ZONE 3
THE AREA WHERE MAIN-CROPS ARE GROWN, BOTH FOR DOMESTIC USE AND FOR TRADE
PURPOSES. AFTER ESTABLISHMENT, CARE AND MAINTENANCE REQUIRED ARE FAIRLY MINIMAL
(PROVIDED MULCHES AND SIMILAR THINGS ARE USED), SUCH AS WATERING OR WEED CONTROL
MAYBE ONCE A WEEK.
AS A BASIC PRINCIPLE, PERMACULTURE ZONES CAN BE APPLIED TO SETTLEMENTS OF

DIFFERENT SCALES, BASED ON A GRADIENT OF MAINTENANCE STARTING AROUND WHERE THE
HUMANS DWELL, ZONE IN WHICH THE LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE IS THE MOST INTENSIVELY
REQUIRED. FURTHER AWAY FROM THE SETTLEMENTS, THE LANDSCAPE BECOMES WILDER AND LESS
HUMAN INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY.
ZONE 1
THE ZONE NEAREST TO THE HOUSE, THE LOCATION FOR THOSE ELEMENTS IN THE SYSTEM
THAT REQUIRE FREQUENT ATTENTION, OR THAT NEED TO BE VISITED OFTEN, SUCH AS SALAD
CROPS, HERB PLANTS, SOFT FRUIT LIKE STRAWBERRIES OR RASPBERRIES, GREENHOUSE AND COLD
FRAMES, PROPAGATION AREA, WORM COMPOST BIN FOR KITCHEN WASTE, ETC. RAISED BEDS ARE
OFTEN USED IN ZONE 1 IN URBAN AREAS.
ZONE 4
A SEMI-WILD AREA. THIS ZONE IS MAINLY USED FOR FORAGE AND COLLECTING WILD FOOD
AS WELL AS PRODUCTION OF TIMBER FOR CONSTRUCTION OR FIREWOOD.
ZONE 0 ZONE 1 ZONE 2
ZONE 3 ZONE 4 ZONE 5
ZONE 2
THIS AREA IS USED FOR SITTING PERENNIAL PLANTS THAT REQUIRE LESS FREQUENT
MAINTENANCE, SUCH AS OCCASIONAL WEED CONTROL OR PRUNING, INCLUDING CURRANT BUSHES
AND ORCHARDS, PUMPKINS, SWEET POTATO, ETC. THIS WOULD ALSO BE A GOOD PLACE FOR
BEEHIVES, LARGER SCALE COMPOSTING BINS, AND SO ON.
ZONE 5
A WILDERNESS AREA. THERE IS NO HUMAN INTERVENTION IN ZONE 5 APART FROM THE

OBSERVATION OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS AND CYCLES.
REF: THE RESILIENCY INSTITUTE, 2016
TOWN CENTER
PERMACULTURE AT DIFFERENT SCALES
AS THE DENSEST SETTLEMENT ON SITE WILL BE THE TOWN CENTER, PERMACULTURE WILL
BE INTENSIFIED AROUND IT, WHICH CO-INSIDES WITH THE AREA OF LAND THAT NEEDS TO BE
RAISED AND RE-FORESTED. THE MORE IN-LAND THE DEVELOPMENT GROWS, THE LEAST ITS
LANDSCAPE HAS TO BE CURATED, PRESERVING THE WILD EXPERIENCE OF ENTERING A ROUGHER
JUNGLE.

AT THE POD SCALE, PERMACULTURE CAN BE PRACTICED INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE
LOCATION OF THE POD ITSELF. THE AREAS NEEDING THE MOST MAINTENANCE WILL BE
CONCENTRATED TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE POD, IN COMMUNAL AREAS, WHERE
MAINTENANCE TASKS CAN BE MORE EASILY SHARED WITHIN THE MICRO-COMMUNITY.
5 Pilot Homes
Architecture
Engineering
Materials
Technologies
Monitoring

Sustainable Timber Supply
Directive  
Group Council of Elders
Constructors Feedback
External Owners
Input Builders
Users
Conventionally, resource supplies are the owners and builders responsibility, but the
Puertas City sustainability concept uses a different strategy. The selection of resources and
assurance of supplies are a responsibility to all members of the community. The above
scheme is only valid within a sustainable set-up that provides all needed resources within the
region and under the co-responsibility of the Directive Group, supervised by the Council of
Elders.
Introduction
We must relate man with nature and create a new dynamic of socio-economic
development initiating the process through inner work and a new perception of the world in
response to the claims of regeneration, connectedness and health. Resources play a significant
role in the application of these strategies as we need materials to build from. When there was
no long distance transportation, people depended on the materials they found around the
construction site. This was and still is the most sustainable option because the materials

involve no major use of energy or external help to obtain, and are mainly timber, rocks,
sascab, soil, lime, binders & sand.11
Timber refers to usable wood, which means that comes in lengths and widths suitable
for saw milling and industrial transformation. In Yucatán, however, not a single significant
sawmill exists. Before colonization, the northern peninsula used to have big sawmills used to
cut precious Mahogany trees day and night, filling big boats to carry the boards abroad. Not
a single stem was left. When there was not enough wood left to continue running the
sawmills, they were closed and the last stems were loaded on the ships and taken to Colombia
to the nearest big sawmill.
Throughout the world, timber is considered a renewable resource, when in fact it is an

exploitable resource. Only if well kept and tendered can trees provide timber and continue
growing. As shown in the silviculture concept12, there are ways to tend a forest, produce
timber and regenerate oil at the same time. The supply of the first resource depends on
installing silviculture management.
Rocks cover the majority of Yucatán’s ground; the issue is how to collect them in the
most organized way. The old Maya collected rocks for construction and used the cleaned
surface to produce and cultivate soil, or to open the ground and gain access to the water level,
creating a cenote or cave. The rocks themselves were used for construction or burnt to
produce construction lime. There is also a soft limestone called sascab that lies below the
hardened surface throughout the peninsula that is a precious material for road construction
and buildings and can be used in many different ways.
Timber Supply
In the next ten years, Puertas City will need about one hundred thousand cubic-meters
of sustainably produced local construction material. The best and most accessible option is
timber from the area’s vast forests, but the regional forestry has been developed to a very low
degree. The only sustainably producing forest lies in the south of Quintana Roo, about two
hundred and fifty kilometers away, but transport costs for their timber are high.
11Joining Nature and Building: https://dirt.asla.org/2015/11/04/interview-with-janine-benyus-on-how-to-

design-like-nature/
12 Book 1: Puertas City New Deal

The whole peninsula of Yucatán's potential lies in its forests. Underdevelopment in the
Yucatan Peninsula is a result of forest destruction and misguided economic development.
Through the described approach this development may be reversed. Efforts have been taken
to organize several communities in the neighborhood of Tulum to start managing their forests
sustainably, create local construction material supplies and thereby develop their communities
employment and economy.
The Yucatán, tropical forest’s natural productivity is twice as high as in temperate

regions, but both colonial and modern management practices destructively exploited the
existing terrain, and the true natural productivity remained untapped. Much of the region’s
poverty is due to this destructive economic model.
The existing secondary forest is a relic of the once precious Mahogany old growth
stands that were destroyed throughout the past century. The secondary forest contains high
amounts of biomass with potential uses for energy production and soil improvement. Timber
production can begin as soon as local management plans are established. The present
potential harvest volumes are as low as a few cubic-meters per hectare per year. As
interventions are usually realized every five years, between twenty and thirty cubic-meters can
be expected from each harvest cycle.
The reestablishment of valuable Mahogany forests is possible in combination with

harvesting interventions. The first village was started in Chan Ká Vergel, Yucatán to attempt
a forestry vision based on Mayan permaculture, ecological silviculture, and traditional and
modern technologies. Trial rainforest restorations at Chan Ká Vergel have shown the
potential to regrow these Mahogany trees very quickly. Within twenty years, about three
hundred cubic-meters per hectare were grown. Given that half of the regrowth will remain in
the forest, a yearly harvest of eight cubic-meters of each species of precious wood is feasible.
The Puertas City silviculture method, Trees for People, supports a fully professional and
ecologically supportive silviculture and can achieve the Forest Stewardship Council
certification at anytime.13
13 Forest Stewardship Council based silviculture standard: see Annex

Community Forest Management
According to previous negotiations with the community administration, about twenty
thousand hectares stand available:
• 2,000 hectares in Playa del Carmen
• 2,900 hectares thirty minutes inland
• 18,000 hectares one hour inland
• 1,100 hectare property for sale.
Saw timber, wood chips, fruit, honey, organic fertilizers, charcoal and other locally
sourced materials will be locally processed for furniture and house construction
materials. Schools will be set-up to train specialized personnel for the silviculture process.
Modern mobile technologies will offer an effectiveness of transformation previously unknown
and forest restoration in Yucatán will be profitable, both for landowners and investors. Food
and fruit production and processing will complement the silviculture activities to meet the
existing needs and will develop the forests in ecologically sound ways following the old Mayan
example.
Vital Village e.G. relates the resource effectiveness to experiences gathered in European
ecological silviculture adapting them to tropical circumstances, and to productive concepts
inherited from the Maya. The Mayan civilization thrived for thousands of years maintaining
much higher population densities and states of nutrition than presently found in tropical
areas. To achieve this integration in our times, Vital Village e.G. introduces new land property
arrangements, autonomous approaches to soil fertility management, and a social business
development economic concept. Vital Village e.G. establishes an operating base for forest
restoration and management, integrating silviculture, agro-forestry and food production. The
involved companies integrate the complete product chain.
Vital Villages are an organizational platform that evolve from the present rural
communities and apply cooperative business principles for social development and
environmental construction. The Vital Village concept creates work opportunities and
integrates the marginalized rural population, and is set up to be an independent and
autonomous support structure to regional development. The Vital Village business plan shows
high profitability, assuring a high rate of re-investment within the Vital Village cooperative
context. By cooperating with governmental institutions and regional business communities for

mutual support, the construction will absorb carbon bonus payments, create new
infrastructure and align with the international Social Business Development movement.
Strategic Options
Land property prices are presently low and the acquisition of forest grounds is high.
However, under our sustainable oriented strategy, instead of buying the destroyed land, the
interested party will respect the experience and responsibilities of those formerly owning the
land and offer the know-how and capital to develop it accordingly associating themselves with
the landowners and the community. This approach allows previous land owners to stay,
overcomes financial limitations, reduces the overall investment volume, and guarantees the
permanence of the workforce needed to create teams of professional silviculturists.14
Establishing the village based manufacturing of pre-fab house construction elements

including walls, ceilings, roofs, floors, windows, and doors will enhance regional development
and thereby will create a safe background for further investments. The biomass can be used to
produce ecologically sound bio plastics for 3D printing that can repair specialized
construction materials on site.
The Vital Village approach is profoundly different from the usual Central American
reforestation plans that involve teak plantations that suffer from pests and diseases. The
proposed silviculture approach not only successfully overcomes these problems but is more
productive than other plantation concepts. Normal plantations rely on the productivity of one
or very few species only, with little differentiation potential on the world market. The market
price alone determines their profitability. Every pest or disease is a threat and weather
inconsistencies immediately impend the whole plantation.
Trees for People silviculture develops the natural forest’s potential, working with sixty
five tree species of different color, texture, density and technical qualities, and invests in
timber and biomass production, agriculture, agroforestry and the local processing of its
products. Deforestation has produced rainfall and temperature patterns favoring the
development of silviculture activities. Irrigation will be very supportive in safeguarding the re-
14 See the Vital Village concept for Social Business Development.

introduction of Mahogany and solar pumping technologies will make the initial mobile
irrigation economically feasible.15
The old growth forest structures around Tulum included bi trees like Mahogany and
Zapote of over twenty meters high and fifty centimeters in diameter and were well connected to
the underground water reservoirs. The trees constantly pumped water into the forest system
while dew and local rainfall provided water for vegetation. Over the past decade, exploitative
timber extraction was used to build much of the hotel infrastructure in Tulum abolishing the
natural water pumps. Solar irrigation is the one and only possible measure to positively
intervene in the ecosystem re-establishing the old structure.
Timber architecture must avoid using large trees and concentrate on construction with
lesser dimensions drawn from the forest restoration sites. Similar to the Puertas City context,
sustainability is a matter of continuous learning, and the organizational schemes supporting
silviculture must reflect this in the utilization of timber.
Step 1: Pilot Projects & Silviculture Management
Pilot phase projects shall provide the first learning grounds and lead a joint planning
process before an adequate structure for the new management is decided upon. The pilot phase
demonstrates the practical silviculture management aspects of forest appraisal, space making16,
restoration17, care18 and harvest 19. The pilot community will train and select people to engage
in continuous forest management who will become guardians of the forest. This role had
formerly been fulfilled by the local Mayan villagers who divided large patches of land that were
supervised and maintained in a rotation based management process.
15A German company, Lorentz, invented very sturdy and highly effective water pumps specific to the purpose,
running on solar 12 Volts they pump over up to 80 m height and are remotely controlled when needed.
16 The organizing of space and infrastructure for monitoring, mechanical intervention, irrigation and logistics.
17 Mostly tree planting, possibly soil quality interventions.
18 Tree density and shade control, pruning and possibly coppicing, as well as fruit production.
19 Defined as any extractive intervention, be it to create space for restoration or for timber or fruit utilization.

Step 1: Pilot Projects Silviculture Management
These demonstrate the practical silviculture management aspects of forest appraisal,

space-making20, restoration21, care22 and harvest23. The pilot must train and select people to
engage in a continuous forest presence and activities. They must become like guardians of the
forest before taking any management responsibility. This function had formerly been fulfilled by
the local Mayan villagers who divided large patches of land and forest to be supervised and
maintained in a rotation based management process.
Further tails are to be elaborated and presented in corresponding workshops.
Silviculture Projects
FOREST OWNER FOREST 2017 2022 HUANO
AREA PRODUCTION PRODUCTION LEAVES
Ejido Cedral 2,000 4,000 10,000 100,000
Ejido P... 18,000 1,800 36,000 100,000
Ejido Playa del Carmen 6,000 1,200 30,000 0
Private Tzucacab 200 400 1,000 100,000
Private landowners Oxkutzcab 7 350 350 20,000
Ejido Cedral restoration project 900 0 7,200 20,000
Ejido Celestún 300 600 1,500 1,008,000
Private Valerio Cab 1,000 50 2,500 0
SUM TIMBER  
28,407 8,400 88,550 1,348,000
PALM LEAVES
SUM HOUSES BUILT / ROOFS

168 1,771 674
PER YEAR
Pilot Projects Playa del Carmen Ejido Forests
Industrial, commercial, tourist and financial interests will strongly influence the project,
and regional issues must be agreed upon soon as several pilot projects have already been
proposed and discussed with the communities and landowners.
20 The organizing of space and infrastructure for monitoring, mechanical intervention, irrigation and logistics.
21 Mostly tree planting, possibly soil quality interventions.
22 Tree density and shade control, pruning and possibly coppicing, as well as fruit production.
23 Defined as any extractive intervention, be it to create space for restoration or for timber or fruit utilization.

One Ejido is already prepared to finance the implementation of 2,700 hectares with the
following timber production potential. The Playa del Carmen Ejido owns the last and heavily
exploited rainforest reserve in the vicinity of Latin America's most rapidly growing city. It is
feared that the area may soon be overrun by the city's expansion if positive examples are not set
for environmental protection. The case exemplifies the need to link positive economic
perspectives to the environmentally oriented scheme to secure Playa del Carmen’s water
reserves and quality, the beauty of its surroundings and the provision of construction materials.
The following table shows the Playa del Carmen timber production potential.
2,000 10 MX$14,000
AÑO % HAS MCB INGRESOS ANUALES MONTO
2017 10% 200 2,000 Producción MX$28,000,000
2018 20% 400 4,000 Producción MX$56,000,000
2019 50% 1,000 10,000 Producción MX$140,000,000
2020 75% 1,500 15,000 Producción MX$210,000,000
2021 100% 2,000 20,000 Producción MX$280,000,000
2022 100% 2,000 20,000 Producción MX$280,000,000
2023 100% 2,000 20,000 Producción MX$280,000,000
2024 100% 2,000 20,000 Producción MX$280,000,000
2025 100% 2,000 20,000 Producción MX$280,000,000
2026 100% 2,000 20,000 Producción MX$280,000,000
2% Venta / Producción jugos MX$32,000,000
2% Prestación de servicios MX$16,000,000
INGRESO TOTAL MX$2,162,000,000
The yearly potential value of 10 million dollars does not reflect the additional positive
environmental and social effects. Very few currently believe in the positive economic
contribution silviculture can have. In Germany, 14% of the national economy depends on or
relates to timber production in forests, and close to 40% of these forests are communally owned
and managed. They represent the single most important independent source of income for
Germany's cities and communities. A similar situation can be replicated in Quintana Roo
where the natural productivity of forests is even higher.

Investment
The following investments refer to concept development, training, planning, infrastructure

and machinery. Marketing measures will assure demand once the first timber based products
are presented and the overall investment will be equal to one year of future production only.
Investments will be used to finance the acquisition of machines and vehicles for
harvesting, construction of schools and homes, agriculture, and training activities. The expected
returns are 25% per year after ten years.
Pilot Silviculture Ejidos Cost & Return

Egresos restauración Summary
Procesamiento madera
Inversiones
The first ten-year cycle economic scenario shows
Reservas
Utilidad a 26% raw income (21% reserves and 5% profit) and a
Egresos por Manejo
69% labor effective cost (43% restoration work and
13% silviculture management). Sustainable silviculture
development follows an economic logic different

13%
from the industrial administrative norm.
5%
Calculations are based on the conservative
43%
assumption that forest restoration and silviculture
21% operation over ten years establishes a highly
productive forest both in biological and
7% infrastructure terms. Production after ten years

10%
slowly rises until it more or less doubles within a
period of fifteen to twenty five years. A 21%
Forest Restored and Timber Harvested

8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Timber Harvested in 20 cbm Trailer Loads total area restored

financial reserve is created and capital stays within the cooperative system. As the profits grow
year by year, this capital is freed to fund additional forest areas. The following table shows a
model of how the strategy works.
The silviculture start-up community, Playa del Carmen, restores five thousand hectares
ever 5 years supporting the restoration of an additional one thousand hectares in other
communities, growing up to four thousand hectares by the tenth year. This period allows the
installation of a professionally trained silviculture management group to create the first
Sustainable Silviculture Management Administration [A.S.] complex on six thousand hectares
with ten subunits operated by local silviculture patrons.
Ingresos Total Area Restored

Utilities
$100,000,000
$50,000,000
$0
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
The infrastructure created for the first two thousand hectares has the capacity to process
the timber production of six thousand hectares with space for additional communities to join.
The communities will receive training and silviculture services, establish small cottage industries
in their villages, and participate in the cooperative starting with 5 communities.
Organizational Aspects
They communities will be organized in 4 S.A. Districts (Sustainable Silviculture

Management Administration), each with ten, seven, eleven or twelve P. S. units (Patrón
Silvícola) run by professionally trained silviculturists in charge of the concept and organization
of one forest worker per twenty four hectares.
A silviculture business works based on the observation and collaboration with nature. The
Silviculture Patron is the person responsible for maintaining this relationship. Workers are
trained for safe harvesting, pruning, irrigation, maintenance and wildlife management working
in teams of eight under the guidance of a Silviculture Team Leader.
The flowchart above shows the main material flows created by the silviculture scheme. It
does not elaborate in the rural community energy supply possibilities and shows only the flow
of wood based materials. Detailed analysis on site and the investment options available will

determine the sophistication and intensity of the transformation and must apply the following
basic principles:
• Regularly monitored tree growth

• Established fruit tree groves on appropriate sites supporting wildlife
• Retain 50% of the regrowth augmenting the overall volume
• Five year harvesting cycles
• Mobile saws for extracting final raw products only
• Directly sell and process boards and planks
• Fabricate pre-fab construction elements in various cottage industries
• Produce doors, windows and furniture in the second phase
• Partially transform lesser wood to wood chips for energy production
• Minimize transport for timber and fruit processing
• Use the mobile juicing unit to process fruit from the forest and community gardens to
market high quality value added products instead of cheap fruit
The integration of different uses and value adding activities serves as a major incentive to
reforestation allowing people to perceive the real profits of planting and managing trees. Good
management of the process will raise the possible income from trees by about 1,000 percent.
Modern mobile technologies allow improving the process of planting and managing
significantly. Formerly big centralized installations were needed to produce quality products, but
this is no longer the case. The mobile juicing of fruits produces the highest quality of fruit juice
on the market and meets a very high demand supporting biodiversity as no fruit transport or
storage is needed. The structure of the old Mayan forests that contained fruit trees along with
timber producing species can be reestablished. This diversification creates more work
opportunities and a better control of the timber resource through more permanent presence in
the forest.
Conventional rules for efficiency are replaced by new rules for the integration of schools
for forest workers and machine operators. General education shall be provided for the younger
generation to create a new professional image and capacity. Administrative training must
include specifically adapted methods and procedures.
Holzfachschule Biel, the Technical School for Timber Utilization in Biel, Switzerland is one
of the most experienced European schools for timber utilization and is one of the possible

candidates for collaboration. All of Switzerland’s traditional and modern timber processing
experiences and technologies are represented in Holzfachschule Biel and have already begun
efforts in research and experimentation with tropical hardwood and palm wood species.
Carbon copy computer aided machinery allows transferring some of their most modern
proposals to village industries, and practitioners and exchange programs can accompany the
process.
Garmischer Holztage is a yearly timber focused event in Bavaria, Germany where the
European village based industries meet every December. The event is a perfect occasion to
make contacts and discover new developments and allows attendees to apply their knowledge in
a tropical environment that has aspects of sustainable construction, natural acclimatization,
ventilation, and energy management.
3: Pilot Projects New Construction Materials
The pilot projects include not only timber based technologies but also mixed concrete
wood structures, bamboo-crete, sawdust-concrete24, soil and clay options.
3: Pilot Projects New Construction Materials
Model houses are to be built for people to learn what they working for, and to and market
the products. This should start as soon as possible. Most of the techniques and technologies
proposed have never been applied in México or even on the continent.
These pilot projects include not only timber based technologies but also mixed concrete
wood structures, bamboo-crete, sawdust-concrete25, soil and clay options.
Other Materials
Roofing Supply Issues
To guarantee natural roofing supplies, mainly palm leaves, which are getting scarce in
Yucatán, the same concept can be applied to 300 has of community managed palm forests in
24 In which sand and gravel are replaced by either small bamboo chips or sawdust /. small chips.
25 In which sand and gravel are replaced by either small bamboo chips or sawdust /. small chips.

Western Yucatán, providing sufficient roofing material for 1’000 houses yearly on a
sustainable base.
Demand for these materials is progressively growing. The necessary investment has been
included in the silviculture business proposals. Sales with a 25% net profit can start right
away. The following table gives an overview of the available timber production areas for
timber and palm leaves in 8 locations (communities).
Sand, Soil, Rocks, Sascab

Landscaping plans must be developed for the improved extraction of the other natural
construction resources available in Yucatán, namely sand, soil, rocks & sascab. The way they
are presently exploited is is highly destructive.
Sascab is the most versatile natural resource and allows building roads with local
materials, especially when heavy traffic is not allowed. The use of sand is officially forbidden,
even though it is currently being used all over Tulum, and as mentioned before, rocks are
freely available. New technologies should, however, be introduced to improve the quality of
rock cutting and provide a wider range of construction materials. Together, sascab, soil and
clay can be used to form bricks.
The old Mayan extraction concepts followed one basic principle. Extraction was favored
when possibilities existed to use the then available space or cavity for other purposes like the
installation of ponds, canals or underground cisterns. Never was an extraction done without
carefully preparing the perfect conditions for these. The human intervention in in the
landscape was thus minimized.
The contrary happens in México today.
The old Mayan extraction concepts followed a basic principle. Extraction was favored
when the available cavity could be used for other purposes like the installation of ponds,
canals or underground cisterns. An extraction was never done without carefully preparing the
perfect conditions. The old Maya prepared waterways, lakes and caves for diverse purposes,
but mainly for transport reasons. Through canals, they crossed ecologically sensitive zones in
the mangrove or swamps without causing damage. Canals were dug to reach cities up to 50
kilometers inland by boat from the sea and often improved the environmental conditions
through the enhancement of water flows, the creation of reflective water surfaces and
temperature stabilization. Canals were also used to raise fish and other animals.

Today, too much cement is used and can often be replaced by locally prepared lime.
Much of the Puertas environment reacts sensitively to deep foundations. High water tables
favor mold and low-level radiation that represent health hazards. Foundation screws26 are a
viable alternative to avoid this problem and are strong enough for three story buildings to
adapt to ground material, and allow perfect aeration below the first floor, especially when the
floor is constructed of massive timber.
As will be explained in the chapter on climatizing, open underfloor spaces can be used
to create Hypocausts, spaces of air temperature conditioning that help reduce the need for
additional cooling. Hypocausts will be supported by heat or cold transfer pumps that extract
the required temperatures, or rather energy differential, from the ground or ground water.
Their efficiency is 1:4 based on a temperature differential of only 10 degrees Celsius between
the environment and the ground or ground water. One KW energy input will produce 4 KW
hear or cold. They work oppositely to air conditioning where the input of energy is higher
than the real temperature effect received. The heat / cold pump can be designed as a splitter,
meaning a device with the potential to both heat or cool according to need.
Air distribution happens over a large area. Walls and even floors are designed to
distribute the air stream which is not even noticed by the inhabitants.
Through the application of these technologies it has already been possible in Europe
and Japan to construct houses in climatically problematic regions with no external energy
based heating or cooling need at all. They are fully temperature stable.
Roofing Supply Issues

To guarantee natural roofing supplies, mainly palm leaves, which are getting scarce in
Yucatán, the same concept can be applied to 300 has of community managed palm forests in
Western Yucatán, providing sufficient roofing material for 1’000 houses yearly on a
sustainable base.
Demand for these materials is progressively growing. The necessary investment has been
included in the silviculture business proposals. Sales with a 25% net profit can start right
away. The following table gives an overview of the available timber production areas for
timber and palm leaves in 8 locations (communities).
26 German patent, screws are available in some 65 variations for sand, rock, swampy areas et..

Green Roofs

Key Technologies
Solar Energy
A transformation from a petroleum based energy economy to a fully renewable energy
provision is possible and well on its way. The obstacles to achieving a solar powered world are
financial, but once installed, solar panels deliver energy at no further cost. The initial
investment seems high for people who are used to all power supply investments being covered
by the electric companies. specific financing has been proposed by various institutions and can
easily be applied to Puertas City. 27 The proposals for solar panels currently include pure solar
electric panels and combined solar electric and heat collecting panels that are connected to
the pod grid and hot water piping..
Among the best solar panels worldwide are theE and X series designed for efficiency
and flexibility by SUNPOWER CORP., manufactured in Mexico they received the highest
recognition in terms of sustainability, a Cradle to Cradle SILVER Certificate.
Various good German producers also offer their panels in México, specifically in
Quintana Roo. In sustainability terms their production process should be analyzed, which
has, in the case of SUNPOWER CORP. been done by Cradle to Cradle. Other suppliers can
be asked to refer to the same criteria.
The costs for solar panels have constantly fallen responding to higher efficiency of the
cells and improving manufacturing. The level reached is 1’500 $USD per KW. If a KW is
produced 10 hours a day, that makes for approximately one $USD production per day, 363 $
per year, providing a payback in little more than four years.
Given the energy savings proposed by the sustainability concept, only about 5 KW are
needed per household. The micro grid formed in the pods further reduces the need for
energy as long as good batteries are installed. With a total investment of seven to eight
thousand dollars, a household can be energy sufficient for decades. Long-term observations in
27Special consultancies on the issue are being given by the German based JUST CAPITAL GmbH who are
designing renewable energy financing schemes both for Germany and abroad.

Germany have shown that even after thirty years, solar panels installed in the 1980’s still
provide enough energy. Panel quality has since significantly improved.
The solar tiles proposed by TESLA28 have not yet entered the market, but pose a stiff
competition to solar panels. The advantage seen in solar tiles is the flexibility of installation,
sizes and inclinations, as well as serving a double purpose as roofing material..
Wind Energy
Energy supply needs flexibility, which can be guaranteed by batteries and by additional
energy sources. Wind energy is proposed to be the second most important source.
Wind is proposed to be the second most important natural energy source. Very big
windmills have been installed in Europe and México and contribute to energy production, but
there are several disadvantages. Twenty percent of energy production is usually lost in long
distance transport. The investment is high and without the appropriate financing mechanism,
transformation to wind isn’t feasible. The windmill strategy serves the interest of large power
companies who find themselves in a position to finance them.
Smaller sized windmills have been used for a great deal of time, but are generally of low
quality and quickly deteriorate. Small windmills have therefore been looked upon as futile.
The most reliable models are copies of the traditional Texan water pump windmill that can
easily be repaired in Mérida, the capital of the State of Yucatán.
Through careful screening, we found a small windmill produced for high quality
requirements. The German company SUPERWIND produces a few thousand installations
every year supplying lighthouses, arctic research stations, oil platforms and other demanding
sites with their technology. SUPERWIND mills need no service, no repairs and last through
hurricanes, salt, wind, spray, heat and cold. They are more expensive than the more
widespread Chinese models, but in the long run will save money and time. 29
The SUPERWIND mills cost about five thousand dollars per unit with production of
1.3 KW per hour, that is 20% of an average daily household need in one hour. They provide
28https://electrek.co/2016/11/17/tesla-solar-roof-cost-less-than-regular-roof-even-before-energy-production-
elon-musk/
29 See description in the Annex.

• Theoretically, the windmills will provide 20 KW per day in Tulum.; wind in Tulum is
constantly (24 hours as against 10 hours of sun) between the optimum speed and
speeds providing at least 50% of the nomination value
• The average values determined in long-term studies over many different regions
propose that only about 15 KW per day should be assumed
• On low-wind days the value may drop to below 10 KW, but those days are not
frequent in Tulum and they are always very sunny days and solar cells will be working.
• During hurricanes, solar panels hardly produce electricity while the SUPERWIND
mill produces at a 100% capacity. No damage has ever been reported.
• >>>>>
One SUPERWIND mill per pod is therefore probably just the right supplemental
technology to solar panels. It is proposed to acquire 4 windmills as soon as possible, install
them at different sites throughout the Puertas City and beach area an Duse them to monitor
the real winds. This way a first local electric supply is guaranteed and exact data are
accumulated by monitoring devices to plan the future equipments with exactitude.
Given the energy savings proposed by the sustainability concept only about 5 KW are
needed per household. The micro grid formed in the pods further reduced the need for
energy as long as good batteries are installed. With a total investment of 7’000 $ to 8’000 $
USD a household can be largely energy sufficient for decades.
Given the proposed 20% wind energy energy contribution per household the
investment of 5’000 $ € per windmill can produce 10 KW to 15 KW, or let’s say 12 KW per
day under a conservative scenario, a value of 1.20 $ USD per day. The windmill pays off in 5
to 10 years, depending on the exact winds and further energy integration aspects, providing a
very highly reliable energy supply set-up.30
People are generally quite fascinated by well running windmills. The SUPERWIND mill
may well become an icon of Puertas City.
Financing Needs
Regional timber prices are high when legal and sustainability requirements are met as
much timber from illegal sources are still being sold. The set-up of a well-organized
silviculture system will offer an opportunity to end illegal exploitation.
30 Offer for the pilot phase in the Annex

Prices are presently high enough to justify timber imports from China, South America
and Europe. The need for a growing construction industry has not played a role similar to
what is presently being witnessed in the developed market economies.
High returns are, however, not only achieved through timber sales but by the production
of renewable energy resources as wood chips from second class wood, charcoal elaborated in
modern high efficiency stoves, and gas. These can generate the energy for the saw-milling and
further processing. timber based industries in Yucatán can clearly be self-sufficient in energy
supplies.
Considering all these a business plan was developed for the silviculture development of
2’000 hectare units. In a completely rural setting a 4 Mio € investment is needed to initiate the
process. In the Playa del Carmen city context the investment is 10 Mio € which includes the
described development of a silviculture network and management on an additional 4’000
hectares in other commmunities.
The business plans were elaborated by Vital Village e.G. and audited by the German
auditing agency for cooperatives and by a private auditing company, WLP. Trees for People
S.A. de C.V., Vital Village’s local managing company will receive the needed capital as a loan
from its majority owner Vital Village e.G.. 31 The project’s first phase may start immediately.
Most of the involved forests will become the Trees for People S.A.’s property under the
Vital Village e.G. cooperative rule. Land speculation with these forests will not be possible.
The communal and private forest owners will shareholding members., the shares reflecting
the land’s officially determined value.
Vital Village e.G. will hold more than 50% of for Trees for People S.A. de C.V.’s and all
other directly involved companies shares. All returns which are not bound to be returned to
the lenders will be reinvested in the project or in equivalent regenerative silviculture
companies, promoting social, and cultural village development and schooling measures. - You
will invest in in lively, very safely profit oriented enterprises with immense possibilities for
growth, in natural tropical abundance, and engaged in productive relation.
31 A Vital Village e.G. handbook describes the procedures on some 70 pages. it includes the Trees for People  
Ecological Silviculture Standard and an Ecological Bee-keeping standard for forest bee-keeping and honey
production. For the audit it was written in German and still needs to be translated.

Sustainability Guidance
Leadership
Governance
Puertas City’s governance model is inspired by the basics of the old Mayan social
organization 32. The Mexican legal setting provides a generous background for the proposals
as both the Laws on Cooperative Organization and the Environmental Laws are fully
congruent with Puertas’ proposal. The implementation of both needs an organizational
setting of the size and volume here represented. The mechanisms to make Puertas City a
pilot case for the implementation of these laws are well defined and lack practical
implementation. Puertas not only responds to the urgent needs for environmental, social and
economic transformation, it meets the already established unique Mexican legal requirements
for transformation.
The council advises a Directive Group composed of a Project Manager, an Architect

and two Engineers for all technological issues.33
The Council of Elders’ guidance is to provide the willpower to overcome contradiction,

fear, manipulation, pain and tears. It’s the body for conflict resolution. At least one chief
designer will be part of this council and an expert on material chemistry, able to judge all
potential contamination issues.
The Directive Group supervises the implementation and adjustments of all plans. The
group negatiates between the home owners’ and buyers’ interests and proposals and the
constructor’s role. Their main function lies in assuring two objectives: compliance with the
sustainability guidelines and timely implementation. Budget limits and rules are established by
contract.
The present day routines for construction tend to delegate all the technical
responsibilities and architects are often not even in contact with the future home owners. In
32 as more deeply explained in the Puertas New Deal chapters on Maya Heritage & Presence and Chan Ká Vergel.
33 The following paragraphs are also in Book 2: Guide to Sustainability

Puertas City a different dynamic is needed involving a much higher degree of communication
about materials, technologies and design details, and even involving the future owner’s
participation in the construction process.
The empowerment of the future Puertas City community member starts with the
buyer’s empowerment. The process needs an awareness of all the involved people’s interests
and quite a deep knowledge of who they are and who they wish to become. Only then can
the future community be expected to materialize Puertas City’s vision of a fully sustainable
community. There must be a true will to transform, build, create and combine our efforts for
the purpose.
This is not as far from normal as it may seem. Humans are social beings and our
foremost need lies in the mutual recognition of who we are and what we do. The deepest
satisfaction then comes from doing, performing, creating and being memorized. We all love to
materialize things, all people basically love building something new and special.
Sustainable City Management

Sustainable Management is a highly demanding professional facilitation process.
In corporate management facilitation is mostly perceived as a time-consuming process

of internal participation, additional to the ‘real’ management tasks. Sustainability demands
an integral management of complexity and can only be implemented as a team effort. It
needs decision making processes that give clear orientation to learning and adaptation in all
related fields, independent of their level of understanding of the issues involved which can be
very practical, or focussed on details, relationships, inventing, learning or training other
project members.

That all demands self consciousness, effective communication and truthful transparent
communication in the company and in the community.34 The patterns for such guidance are
set by the birth of the project. The very founding team of a sustainability oriented project
needs to present and manage it in a way indicating the future internal dynamic facilitation
necessary to be successful.
Such processes can be highly motivational. They focus on creating success instead of
competition and selection. They must provide an economic frame guaranteeing the
undisturbed motivation. The founder of one of Germany’s most successfull sustainably led
companies, DM Market, recently received the international Manager of the Year reward for
his promotion of just this approach. Here are the main pillars for his concept:
DM-Markets grew from one little drugstore to become an 8 billion € drugstore chain. It
has the slimmest administration and management set-up known, one supervisor manages
about 50 drugstores in different cities. Team management processes are the core of the
concept. The conventional BA approaches are not applied. Most importantly, however, all
employees are paid according to their needs rather than to a fixed scale. Following a thorough
selection of candidates in a small series of team workshop the precondition for negotiating a
contract is the decision of the whole working team to integrate the candidate. In a
conversation with the personnel director he or she is then supported to elaborate what it
34Sustainability is an organizational task and needs the management’s full commitment. Dr. Holger Hoppe, Director of
Sustainability Management at Linde [Material Handling], one of Germany’s most advanced Cies., resumes the experiences.
Aus unserer Sicht sind Nachhaltigkeitskriterien in allen Geschäftsaktivitäten entlang der Wertschöpfungskette relevant.
Entsprechend liegt die übergreifende Verantwortung für das Thema bei der Geschäftsführung. Entscheidungen über
Managementsysteme, Kennzahlen oder Ziele werden in einem Steuerungskreis mit der Geschäftsführung getroffen. Darin
vertreten sind die Handlungsfeldverantwortlichen sowie die Nachhaltigkeitsbeauftragten in den Vertriebsregionen. Als Leiter
Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement koordiniere ich die Arbeit des Steuerungskreises.
Im ersten Schritt haben wir ein Managementsystem eingeführt, insbesondere auch, um unsere bisherigen
Nachhaltigkeitsaktivitäten besser erfassen und steuern zu können. Grundlage hierfür war die Festlegung der Handlungsfelder,
die für uns und unsere Stakeholder wichtig sind. Dafür müssen wir wissen: Welche Erwartungen werden von außen an uns
gestellt und welche Risiken und Chancen ergeben sich für uns aus Herausforderungen wie Klimawandel oder Demografie?
Das wiederum war die Basis für die Bestandsaufnahme aller relevanten Kennzahlen und Indikatoren – zusammengefasst in
unserem ersten Nachhaltigkeitsbericht.
Ausgehend von der Bestandsaufnahme haben wir für jedes unserer 14 Handlungsfelder – wie guter Arbeitgeber,
Arbeitssicherheit, Klimaschutz – ein Programm festgelegt, in dem Ziele, Zuständigkeiten, Maßnahmen und Zeitplan
definiert sind. Aufgabe der Verantwortlichen ist es, die Programme in der Organisation umzusetzen, unterstützt durch das
Netzwerk der Nachhaltigkeitskoordinatoren in den Ländern und Fachbereichen. Daneben wollen wir verstärkt die
Mitarbeiter ansprechen, um das Bewusstsein für Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte im Arbeitsalltag zu stärken und so beispielsweise den
Verbrauch von Energie und Papier zu verringern.
Allem voran braucht es das Commitment der Geschäftsführung. Zudem sollten die Maßnahmen des
Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements in die Prozesse der einzelnen Funktionen integriert werden, es gilt, ein unternehmensweites
Netzwerk aufzubauen und – ganz besonders wichtig – intern und extern für Transparenz und damit für ein gemeinsames
Verständnis zu sorgen. Letztlich gilt hier auch wie bei jeder Strategieumsetzung: Was man nicht messen kann, kann man
auch nicht steuern. Insofern ist unser Reporting eine wesentliche Säule für die Umsetzung der Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie.

needs to be able to fulfill the job requirements. According to family status, number of children
or parallel educational activities p.e. The person may then receive a very different salary than
somebody else doing the same job in the team. The approach has been extremely successful
up to date. DM-markets grow by about 1 billion € per year.
DM thereby structures the management requirements expressed by all companies

engaged in industrial sustainability transformation projects. The requirements for
management personnel expressed by LINDE’s Sustainability Director have thus been
implemented in a management structure creating sustainability by its own inner dynamic.
Following the example sustainability can overcome the limitations of present business
administration processes increasing productivity and performance. Through the application
of the same management principles in the city’s cooperations all these factors brought
together may then well become the most efficient tool not for city development alone but for
the improvement of forest management and conservation. Self-governance
Self-governance is the key to sustainability. It needs the appropriate portal and lock to
work with, but without self-governance there is no way to ever integrate the many different
aspects of sustainable management and organization needed to cover the requirements in the
Puertas City New Deal document.
Self-governance implies the people’s involvement to a degree that real local experiences
can be reflected in the rules and projects established to make the city and its communities
work.
Self-governance needs to incorporate a wide diversity of interests, capabilities, capacities

and even conflicts. It needs to be an open concept adoption to ever evolving news needs. It is
the sustainability checks and balances approach needed to overcome the fundamental
problem all legal systems face: their rules rely on older experiences, not on future
requirements.
The needs for self-governance have long been recognized. The Mayan society relied on
a very well balanced combination of top-down laws and locally established rules. The
majority of all Mayan leaders was selected by the people, or rather by the experience of good
leadership and cooperation. The modern representative democracies lacked this self-
governing element and had to carefully introduce its mechanisms were the established legal

mechanisms failed. Regional self-governance schemes are known as Regional Planning
mechanisms or stakeholder involvement processes.
The civil societies’ response to the above mentioned needs resulted in the creation of
civil movements. The first of these were environmental movements created in Germany,
Switzerland, Austria and France. They have since changed the economic and especially the
environmental landscape. Sometimes involved private personal initiatives only, in other cases
cooperating with businesses and industries these movements have successfully solved some of
Europe’s toughest environmental problems, cleaned rivers and lakes, assured pure drinking
water, clean air and reduced many of the excesses of environmental destruction.
One trait was common to all of these movements, though: they were established to
repair existing damages or to stop failed developments. The experience must now serve to
establish a communal organization incorporating the prophylaxis against such damages and
their complete avoidance into the development process itself. That is what the old Mayan
society seems to have achieved over very long periods of time - and not necessarily to one
hundred percent, as the process represents a learning curve involving trial and error. Possible
failures are necessary parts of the proposal, and ealing with such failures must be a major
issue on any self-governance agenda.
The statutes for a residents’ council shall be established accordingly.
Governance Needs
GATHERING A LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY to meet these ends is a task never tackled before.
Above this Puertas City intends to become fully autonomous, LIVING OFF-THE-GRID, PROMOTING the WELLNESS
of its inhabitants & INVOLVING THE local COMMUNITY IN ITS GROWTH and development. The LOCAL
LANDSCAPE is to grow to its full natural potential as it once happened under the old Mayan rule. The WHOLENESS of
society’s functioning is thus to become the overruling objective to all other, be they commercial, personal or political.
The approach demands a new kind of governance. The size and potential impact of the project makes it a showcase
for governance changes happening all over the world. Puertas City has the potential to become a pilot case, A DYNAMIC
AND ADAPTABLE MODEL FOR FUTURE.
There is no way to produce out-of-the box solutions to the quest. Only TRIGGERING & SHARING
INNOVATION can Puertas City evolve to the case it wishes to become. PUERTAS must invite the world’s most advanced
minds and practitioners to DEVELOP ITS UNIQUENESS, BRIDGE THE LOCAL AND THE GLOBAL, CREATE
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE CONNECTIVITY BOTH AT A PHYSICAL AND A SPIRITUAL LEVEL, TO GROW
IN A MUTAULLY INCREMENTAL AND SUSTAINABLE MANNER.
It is a courageous endeavor in a difficult environment. In México governance is far from

being responsive to need and transparently organized, and yet, this very fact possibly permits

transformations that may be unattainable in other settings. None of the world’s more
advanced countries has yet been able to fully meet the requirements of regulating modern life
according to the above indicated rules and objectives.
Many have been trying, the best cases show what is possible: Germany has, over the past
30 years, successfully introduced an energetic reform transforming one of the most energy
demanding industrial countries of the world to already rely on some 20% renewable energy
supplies. Switzerland has abolished all contamination issues related to black water and waste
management. Several countries produce their food organic ally to over 20%, some states have
reached 100%. Russia’s officially reaches for a 100% transformation of its agriculture to
organics. Norway just hit a milestone in electric mobility and has 100’000 electric cars
running in its streets.
The technical possibilities exist to make Puertas City a place without contamination,
noise, and resource depletion. The community can learn to avoid those activities producing
environmental issues, reduce its energy needs adapting to better construction, spatial
organization and a more intelligent selection of technologies. It can become a learning
community, opposite to the present state commercial setting in which marketing overrules
common sense. Here is the main task Puertas City faces, the needle’s ear to be crossed by the
camel called sustainability.
Interface Management
Ecological Interfaces
Securing
CONSTRUCTING ON THE BEACH REDUCED THE WIND’S COOLING EFFECT ON THE LAND. THE
INFLUX FROM TOILETS AND RESTAURANTS FURTHER ENHANCES THIS CHANGE AND SLOWLY
CONTAMINATE THE UNDERGROUNDS. CERTAIN ALGAE START GROWING ON THE SEA SHORE,
REDUCING THE WATER’S REFLECTION AFFECTING ITS TEMPERATURE CAUSING THE
UNDERGROUND DISTRIBUTION OF SWEET AND SALT WATER TO FLUCTUATE TOGETHER WITH ITS
NUTRIENT DYNAMICS, AFFECTING WHAT GROWS OVER IT, THE FOREST.
DUE TO REPETITIVE HURRICANES, THE FORESTS ARE DISTURBED. WITHOUT THE MAYAN
KNOW-HOW TO REHABILITATE THEM, THESE FORESTS HAVE LOST DIVERSITY AND RESILIENCY.
PUERTAS DEVELOPMENT IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, NOT ONLY DIVERSIFY THE LOCAL FLORA
(AND BY DEFAULT THE FAUNA), BUT ALSO TO RESTORE THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE UNDERWORLD
AND WHAT GROWS ABOVE IT. (NEUGEBAUER, 2016)

AREAS OF EXISTING WOODLAND REGENERATION & ENHANCEMENT
EVERY SPECIES IN THIS FOREST PLAYS A DIFFERENT ROLE IN A WELL HARMONIZED CONCERT
OF INGENIOUSLY THRIVING TRANSFORMATION. SOME TREES CRACK THE ROCK, SOME CREATE
ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF NUTRIENTS AND BIOMASS TO MAKE SOIL, WHILE OTHERS PROVIDE BEDS
FOR THE SOIL. SOME CONTRIBUTE TO FERTILITY WHILE OTHERS PUMP WATER FROM DOWN UNDER
AND SHARE IT WITH THEIR NEIGHBORING TREES. FOR THE MAYA 4 TREE SPECIES WERE OF SPECIAL
IMPORTANCE. THE CEIBA TREE, YAAXCHÉ, WHICH THEY CALL THE TREE OF LIFE, THE ZAPOTE TREE
WHICH GROWS OLDER THAN ANY OTHER AND PROVIDES NOT ONLY RUBBER BUT THE LONGEST
LASTING TIMBER KNOWN, AND THE MAHOGANY TREE. ADDITIONALLY, THE RAMÓN TREE PROVIDES
FOOD AND FODDER (NEUGEBAUER, 2016).
Public Infrastructure
HOLISTIC HOTEL AND CO-LIVING: ACCOMMODATION IN THE HOLISTIC CENTER PROVIDES A
FULL RETREAT EXPERIENCE, WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE FACILITIES GUESTS WILL BE
IMMERSED IN NATURE, WITH ACCESS TO SPA AND RELAXATION FACILITIES, PROMOTING HEALTHY
LIVING.
THE SITE WILL BE INTERTWINED WITH MEANDERING PATHS, MEDICINAL HERB GARDENS,
AND MEDITATION/ YOGA PLATFORMS, A SETTING FOR A CALM AND PEACEFUL RETREAT.
THE SITE’S VEHICULAR NETWORK DISCOURAGES INHABITANTS AND VISITORS TO USE FOSSIL
FUEL-POWERED VESSELS WITHIN PUERTAS. 3 THRESHOLD ZONES, VEGETATED PARKING POCKETS
(P), ARE DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE VISITORS TO LEAVE THEIR TRADITIONAL VEHICLE AT ONE OF
THEE 3 ENTRANCES AND SWITCH FOR AN ACTIVE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION LIKE BIKING,
CANOEING, WALKING OR HOPPING ON ONE OF THE COMMUNITY SHARED ELECTRICAL VEHICLE.
SHARED AND PRIVATE ELECTRICAL VEHICLES CAN BE PARKED IN SMALL POCKETS

BORDERING THE SECONDARY ROADS OR AT CHARGING STATIONS (BLUE DOTS). AS BIOFUEL WILL BE
PRODUCED LOCALLY OUT OF THE WASTE MANAGEMENT PROCESS, A BIOFUEL STATION (RED DOT) IS
LOCATED AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE ECOCENTER.
Presently available vehicles make it feasible to replace all combustion engine run cars
and trucks with electric vehicles to allow a 100% non-contamination policy for Puertas City.
Bicycles, both with and without electric support, canoes, small electric trucks (street
scooters and trailers), electric cargo tricycles are available for the purpose.
Walking, especially barefoot walking, will be encouraged throughout the area. Ground
textures will be provided to create a healing and awakening experience through walking as
already done in some of Europe’s most advanced recreational towns.
TEXTURED PATCHES ON SIDEWALKS TEXTURED GRADIENT AT THE EDGE OF PATHS PLAYFUL

STEPPING STONES.

Social Interfaces
The project is in its formative phase. To open the portals we must link the investment
required with civil activity and the institutional framework in completely innovative ways. We
need to hear and call authentic, independent and active initiatives, co-creating the joint
project.
Surveys and documentations were therefore prepared to support the elaboration of the
sustainability concept with the experience sun existing actors. Many people and even
companies have already started working with singular isses. Some try to leave a lesser
footprint on earth, reducing waste, avoiding contamination, reconciling broken social
relationships. All agree, however, that this will, at best, reduce the speed of destruction. Our
resources will then be consumed a little later, the mountains of waste may grow slower.
A true turnaround, however, is different. It changes the approach to consumption

altogether and eradicates the root of the problem at the community level, which is why some
seventy civil organizations in Tulum are interested in joining the Puertas City effort. In the
first joint meetings they have recognized Puertas City as he potential focus and pilot case for
their efforts.
Stakeholder involvement is, therefore, a synergistic instrument. It can attribute real local
knowledge and experience to the process of building Puertas City, and it can win the support
of existing initiatives providing them with a platforms and tools which they, by themselves, are
not able to create.35
Presently a working group composed by these initiatives prepares to participate in the

final making Tulum PDU Plan de Desarrollo Urbano with the intention to incorporate
Puertas City proposals into the PDU.
Mexican cities and communities have yet to realize that civil involvement can become
an important additions to the formal political and economic agenda. True sustainability is
only guaranteed by the people. It is the art of active responsible living and the outcome of a
trusting, not a fearful attitude to life. The pace towards these aims has already been set on a
35the documentation of some 70 Tulum environmental and social iniciatives comprises interviews, documents
and videos of the founders.

national level. Well functioning. examples are need. Puertas City can become a valid pilot
case in this respect also.
>>>>>
Local involvement and pro-active initiates are crucial to the describes processes.
Supportive activities to the local civil movements shall therefore be maintained. A stakeholder
participation in the PDU process is to be supported and will serve the Puertas City interest.
The residents’ council will be representative for all inhabitants.
Tulum & Puertas City

Tulum lives a crucial moment. Its magnificent waters, landscapes and natural wealth
have become one of the most important tourist attractions worldwide. Tulum lives glorious
times. At the same time the very same tourism causes a saturation of unmet needs and loss of
control in nature conservation. The current development of Tulum grievously endanger the
sustainability of its own splendor making it urgent to resolve the case. This is the pain of
Tulum.
The villages and guardians in the vast rainforest areas around Tulum reflect this
contradiction. The local Maya peoples were an independent and stable people considering
themselves rich and blessed. But the local people have only been involved working as servants
for hotels and restaurants without ever contributing their own knowledge and experience.
The loss of cultural identity deepens day by day as tourists progressively dominate the town’s
reality.
Environmental and social destructiveness thus occurs due to a deep lack of

communication. Many dream of the opportunity to create a truly sustainable project to
Tulum and its surroundings and there is growing awareness of this disengagement but no
valid approach to change. Both Tulum's situation and the the role of its surrounding
communities are confusing and difficult to understand. Pollution may still be revertible, young
creative people from many different parts of the world are willing to contribute to change.
Tulum lacks a script to engage these intentions and capabilities.
The challenge is then create a culture of sustainable life and economic activity. This can
not happen by scientific or moral appeals. Innovation can only be the result of practical
action to develop sustainable lifestyles. These initiatives exist, yet it is not easy to land and
implement the many initiatives needed to change the reality of Tulum. The most valid

initiatives are to be found in Tulum's civil society. Exemplary initiatives, responsible
entrepreneurship, creative schools, citizens' groups and student movements demonstrate the
cultural potential for transformation. The people themselves need to begin and live the
transformation before expecting any governmental agency or institutional support it.
We know how difficult it is for these initiatives find public acceptance or conditions
enabling them to grow and mature. Each initiative working in their own field of action also
needs a different kind of social, ecological and cultural integration to succeed. The
PUERTAS project "PORTALS" offers connecting, integrating and funding such initiatives
dedicated to a sound and sustainable community development, focusing on those areas that
protect the most fragile and damaged areas of the municipality. We need to join our efforts to
achieve it.
Sustainability Leadership
Puertas City started as a personal initiative by hotel owners and investors concerned
with Tulum’s future. Realizing that a complex new design was needed to create a sustainable
approach to Tulum’s development they persuaded the now participating landowners to
provide the space and motivated two key partners to join the effort establishing the Puertas
scheme: the BIG Bjarke Ingels Architecture Group took the Design lead to establishing a
Masterplan. John and Elora Hardy from Bali joined to design and build a Tulum Green
School. Further Advisors included Atelier One from London, Stefan Sagmeister for Branding
and Design, two permaculture consultants and legal advice.
With further discussions and analysis a work structure was established to finish the
Masterplanning phase including a sustainability concept to guarantee Puertas fully positive
integration with the environment and Mayan setting. To that purpose Bernd Neugebauer was
selected to coordinate a sustainability work group and elaborate the corresponding
sustainability concepts based on his 38 experience living with Mayan communities and
restoring both Yucatec rainforests and old village structures.
As the concept is entering it’s final phase of discussion and decision making a leadership
structure for the implementation of Puertas City development is needed.
A key issue for Puertas’ future is where the responsibility for the implementation of all
sustainability measures resides. Sustainability is a sensitive matter, it will have to be

understood and respected by all, in any kind of decision. It implies much teaching, learning,
analysis, constant discussion.
The successful experience of an already built major size sustainable object in Holland
helped devising the above proposal: for the implementation a construction lead team of two
technicians and one architect with a responsible project manager has proven to work well over
a time span of 5 years. It is proposed to add a consulting function to this team, similar to the
financial control function, and, at the same time in a communicating position towards the
owners’ group.
The actual lead team would thus be composed of five people, of which one, the
Director of Sustainability, would not be representing a direct responsibility for construction
but advise for the integration of all activities. The Director of Sustainability will have a veto
right over the lead team. A veto has to be considered and responded to by the team, with the
lead team taking the final unanimous decisions.

Technology Catalogue
Imagine a building like a tree. A building that cleans water and the air, makes oxygen,
generates soil and nutrients.
Many positive beneficial characteristics of trees can be translated into the design of
buildings, increasing the quality of life for humans and our environment. With this approach
we are able to transform today’s universal architecture into a far better quality for buildings.
The built environment is our created habitat and an expression of our culture and the
values of our society. Many great intentions are embodied in traditional buildings, and it’s
time to include the intention of being beneficial, in terms of our longer term impact.
The Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Design integrates economic, ecological and social benefits
in products and buildings. The starting point is that everything is designed to be a nutrient for
something else.
Buildings are able to function as healthy material banks, where materials maintain their
status as resources which can be used over and over again.
A Cradle to Cradle building celebrates innovation by defining materials as part of

biological and technical cycles to actively improve the quality of biodiversity, air, and water,
all while being energy positive.
The exhibition explores beneficial architecture, and the exact meaning of “buildings like
trees, cities like forests”. An abstract visualization of our battle as the confrontation of two
buildings symbolises the frontline between conventional and C2C architecture, which
celebrates our beneficial human footprint.36
Available Timber
In the local rain-forests wood grows at the following overall biomass growth rates37
• old growth forest > 45 cubic-meters per hectare = 35 tons of wood > 3” diameter; 
of these up to 50% can be sawn timber quality, 50% cannot be cut at length; 
36 From A Building Like a Tree – A City Like a Forest. Today’s Universal Architecture. Cradle to Cradle, EPEA
exhibition at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2016.
37 Data based on local experience over time. Some research was done on these % in the early 1980ies, no reliable
statistical data exists, which is why nobody has made the case for a differentiated use of the available wood.

of the sawn timber 50% can be expected to be of prime quality; 
The other 50% of the sawn timber is irregular, curved or otherwise non-standard.
• 20 year growth > 25 cubic-meters per hectare = 18 tons of wood > 2” diameter 
of these up to 40% can be sawn timber quality, 60% cannot be cut at length.
• 10 year growth > 5 cubic-meters per hectare = 3 tons of wood > 1” diameter 
nome of these are of sawn timber quality and cannot cannot be cut at length.
Some 20 to 30 tons of wood per hectare are therefore available that can be used as short
pieces, blocks or bricks.
Some 5 to 10 cubic-meters per hectare can become available for sawn timber uses.
A similar quantity or more can become available for the production of solid timber
elements, which can be used for massive walls, both vertically and horizontally arranged
board based assemblies that may be nailed or wood-bolt connected.
These technologies presently revolutionize the European construction industry. They

are already spreading to the North American Continent and to Australia, both for their
quality and low price.
Village based small industries can be set-up to produce these elements. They are pure
timber, contamination free and statically safer than steel-concrete. In Japan they are being
used for hurricane proof construction works. In Europe they are used in temperature stable
buildings with no heating systems (!) reliable even at temperatures below -40º C. They can
strongly contribute to the construction of air-condition free homes.
The solid timber wall technology basically doubles the income from silviculture
management. Additionally it creates village industries which again double the overall income
from timber harvests. The overall productivity of a silviculturally managed forest will thus
reach values around 5’000 $ per hectare and year, allowing a rural family to live far above the
present standards from the management of one hectare only. A family can, however, easily
manage 5 to 10 hectare without major external support once the practices are well trained.38 
38 Further details on timber technologies are compiled in the last chapter: Technical details.

Materials
Solid Timber
The research and innovation unit Vision Wood stands for the visionary handling of
wood as a natural resource in the building industry. The housing unit demonstrates that it is
possible to combine the trusty old material with pioneering solutions for ecological
construction and attractive design.
Vision Wood is home to a wealth of timber-based innovations. The unit was developed
by the Department of Applied Wood Materials at Empa and in collaboration with ETH
Zurich. It combines the latest developments in wood research with expertise in modern wood
construction to broaden the range of applications for the renewable resource. The researchers
give wood completely new functions and improve the properties of wood-based materials.39
39Contact: Enrico Marchesi, Innovation Manager NEST, Partners Empa, ETH Zürich, Renggli AG,
Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU, EgoKiefer AG, Fagus Jura SA, Glaeser Wogg AG, Rehau, Ruum Architekten,
Sauter AG, Taconova AG, Wesco AG, The Innovative Objects in the Vision Wood Unit Binder-reduced Wood-
Fibre

!
By using natural enzymes, researchers from Empa have succeeded in producing high-
quality wood-fiber insulation plates. Thanks to laccase-catalyzed reactions, the synthetic
binding agent (styrene butadiene copolymer) can be replaced fully by sustainable,
environmentally friendly biopolymers (lignin compounds, modified starch). This method
satisfies the demands for sustainability and answers consumer calls for healthy living and
energy efficiency.40
Nanofibrillated cellulose is used as a component in a novel surface coating for outdoor

wood to increase its durability significantly compared to conventional coatings. It is especially
expected to improve UV protection, waterproofing, resistance to wear and tear, and the
prevention of cracks and microorganism infestations.41
40 Partners: Empa, Pavatex: Surface Coating with Nanofibrillated Cellulose

41 Partners: Empa: Antimicrobial Wood Surfaces

!
An enzymatic method patented by Empa enables bacteriostatic iodine in the wood

structure to be sequestered without causing any washouts. The result is a wood surface that
offers lasting protection from infestations by unwelcome microorganisms and thus increases
the hygiene of wooden products significantly in bathrooms or kitchens.42
In a two-step process, waterproof monomers on the cell walls of the wood structure are
polymerized in situ without damaging the wood lumen. This results in a waterproof property
right down to the deeper layers while preserving the look of the untreated wood. 43
42 Partners: Empa: Hydrophobic Wood

43 Partners: Empa, ETH Zurich: Magnetic Wood

By inserting iron oxide nanoparticles in the wood structure, magnets are able to stick to
the wood. Unlike a conventional magnetic material, the hierarchical structure of wood is used
to induce direction-dependent magnetic behavior (anisotropy) in the novel hybrid material
(wood/metal). As for its application, it is possible to configure wood elements in such a way
that they can be directed selectively or reoriented as required when a magnetic field is
applied. 44
Using the methods developed, it is possible to embed minerals deep inside the wooden
structure. Their storage can be controlled and takes place either in the cell walls of the wood
or in the cell lumen. As a result, the treated wood achieves greater flame resistance, which
makes it just the ticket for use in areas where flame-retardant properties are required. 45
A new composite material has been produced using bamboo fibers and a bio-based
resin. Similar in strength to steel, the material is extremely robust and, thanks to its weather
44 Partners: Empa, ETH Zurich, Mineralized Wood
45
Partners: Empa, ETH Zurich, Schilliger Holz Industrie AG, Hess & Co AG, Pavatex, Composite Bamboo
Material for Decking

resistance, just the ticket for use outdoors. Moreover, the material boasts a low gross density
and thermal expansion. 46
Nanocellulose fibers are used as thickening agents in sanitary silicone for sealing
purposes. Here, the natural nanofibers substitute the conventional, inorganic and poorly
degradable thickeners, and improve the mechanical properties of the silicone.47
Halogen-free, flame-retardant additives for polyurethane (PU) foams based on sulfur

and nitrogen compounds have been produced. This development enables conventional, toxic
additives to be replaced while offering the same, if not better, protection for the material.
Possible applications are especially envisaged for furniture, such as armchairs, sofas and
beds. 48
46 Partners: Empa, ETH Future City Lab, Rehau, Functionalized Cellulose in Silicone
47 Partners: Empa, Falcone, Sustainable and Flame-retardant PU Foams
48 Partners: Empa. Beech Plywood as a Material for Modular Construction

!
Beech grows in abundance in Europe’s forests and, despite its high degree of
mechanical strength, is bare-ly used in construction. Instead, it is primarily used as fuel. Fagus
Jura intends to change this by producing plywood panels made of beech for timber structures.
The considerable strength of these panels enables a particularly slender structure in modular
timber construction. 49
A small ventilation unit assigned to the window and integrated in the façade supplies the
room in question with fresh air and recovers heat from the exhaust air. As the ventilation
function is connected to the window opening and the quality of the air in the room via
sensors, the mechanical ventilation only kicks in when it is really needed.50
49 Partners: Empa, Fagus Jura, Bundesamt für Umwelt BAFU, Decentralized Individual Room Ventilation
50 Partners: Ego Kiefer, Combined Home and Kitchen Ventilation

!
Wesco’s solution has revolutionized domestic ventilation. The ventilator in the kitchen
now doubles up as the central extractor for exhaust air in the apartment and regulates the
amount of waste air in coordination with the bathroom and WC ventilators, which are also
integrated in the system. Fresh air is supplied by a decentralized system installed near the
façade, which helps maintain the air balance in the apartment at all times.51
To optimize the energy efficiency, the lighting, sunshade, heating, ventilation and air
conditioning controls are integrated in a regulator in the room automation. The room
controller ecos504 by SAUTER regulates the lighting of the rooms via the DALI interface so
that only as much energy is consumed as actually required.
The research character of the housing units enables regulation strategies and algorithms
for the optimization of energy efficiency to be tested in the field. Consequently, direct results
for changes to the programming are channeled into improving the regulation concepts.52
51 Partners: Wesco,Optimized Energy Efficiency for the Perfect Indoor Climate

52 Partners: Sauter, Testing New Regulation Concepts

Wood used in completely new ways
The doors and door handles, too, have entirely new properties. Thanks to lime stored in
the wood, the doors are more re resistant, while the wooden door handles kill germs from
unwashed hands thanks to antibacterial iodine integrated in the structure of the wood.
Another highlight is the magnetic wooden notice board that magnets stick to because of iron
oxide particles on the inside. Even the unit’s silicone seals include the wood component
cellulose as a thickening agent.
Further innovations are being tested on the exterior. Firstly, the wooden façade will be
more weather and UV resistant thanks to coatings using micro brillated cellulose as
reinforcing and carrier material for active substances. This means that fewer cracks will form
and the façade will be protected from microorganisms. Secondly, a new and highly resistant
bamboo composite material will be used for the patio. Thanks to an ecofriendly resin, the
bamboo will also be watertight and weathertight. The patio furniture is also made from the

same material. Because it has especially good tensile strength, it is possible to create
particularly ligree structures. The “Vision Wood” unit is proof that wood can be used to
marry attrac tive design, comfort and sustainability in perfect harmony with each other.
Modular construction
One remarkable aspect of the Vision Wood unit is the particularly high number of
prefabri cated individual components. This is not by chance, but part of the research project.
The seven modules that make up the three housing units are manufactured by the project
part ner Renggli AG and delivered by atbed truck. A mobile crane was used to slot the
modules into NEST’s middle platform on April 26.
The company’s CEO, Max Renggli, has steadily been gearing his rm towards this kind
of production. “Modular construction has a future,” says Renggli. “It ties in with the modern
production means we have at our disposal today. Using a 3D technique, we can plan the
modules way in advance before assembling them in our production halls and delivering them
to the building site just in time. This enables us to achieve a clean process operation and
minimize the construction phases that take place outside our control.” For Renggli, the
installation of the modules is a kind of test run, on the back of which he wants to optimize
synergies with other sectors. “NEST could be a springboard for a new building culture with
more precise planning, more networked thinking and more diligence on the path towards the
end product.”
Lightweight Roof Construction
At around 70 mm thickness, the HiLo roof is extremely light and thin. The large
surface area of the concrete shell is used for heat transfer using a hydronic low-temperature

heating and cooling system. The roof is also fitted with high-efficiency thin-film photovoltaic
cells to increase the solar energy yield.53
Thanks to a vaulted rib structure, the lightweight construction uses more than 70 per
cent less material compared to conventional concrete flooring. The floor elements can be
prefabricated in modules and simply installed on site. The hollow spaces enable the efficient
integration of ventilation, cooling and low-temperature heating.54
The lightweight roof construction will make use of a reusable shell made from a cable-
net and formwork system. The system allows the realization of the double-curved roof shell
without the high labour and resource costs typically associated with this construction. The
formwork system offers a large degree of control over the shape, such that it can be optimized
for various criteria.55
The Adaptive Solar Façade (ASF) is a dynamic façade of thin-film photovoltaic modules
with soft, pneumatic actuators for solar tracking and daylight control. The elements provide
solar energy generation and shading, and control the transparency of the façade. The
53 Partner: ETH Zurich, Lightweight Floor Construction

54 Partner: ETH Zurich, Lightweight Construction Shell
55 Partner: ETH Zurich, Adaptive Solar Façade

elements can rotate to respond to changes in the outside environment and the requirements
from inside. The modules are controlled based on sensors as well as on input by the persons
inside the building. Adaptive learning algorithms facilitate the continuous improvement of the
behavior and thus the adaptation of the modules to their users and environment.
Lighting
Carus: erste und einzige LED-Lampe mit Blauem Engel ist "Made in Germany"
LED-Lampen sparen Geld und schützen die Umwelt – und das einzige LED-
Leuchtmittel, das derzeit einen Blauen Engel vorweisen kann, kommt von Carus und ist
„Made in Germany“.
Für sich genommen ist ein LED-Leuchtmittel schon ein Muss für Umweltbewusste und
die beste Entscheidung für den Geldbeutel, denn eine Ersparnis von fast 90 Prozent beim
Strom spricht eigentlich für sich. Doch Lampe ist nicht gleich Lampe, das Angebot wächst
und damit wachsen auch die Unterschiede bei Preis, Qualität und Nachhaltigkeit. Gute
News: Die derzeit umweltfreundlichsten Birnen kommen aus Hessen.
Carus: E27-LED-Lampe mit Umweltsiegel
Carus LED-Lampe (Foto © Carus)
Die erste und einzige LED-Lampe mit Blauem

Umweltengel baut der deutsche Hersteller Carus. Die Retrofit-
Leuchtmittel verbinden lange Lebensdauer und hohe
Schaltfestigkeit mit solider Energieeffizienz (A+) sowie guter
Farbwiedergabe. Die Lampe enthält kein Quecksilber und
produziert nur geringe UV-Strahlung sowie
kaum elektromagnetische Felder. Durch völligen Verzicht auf
Klebstoffe und Reduktion auf nur wenige Materialien wurde außerdem die Recyclebarkeit
deutlich erhöht.
Die Leuchtmittel des Marburger Unternehmens werden ausschließlich in Deutschland

hergestellt. Dadurch entfallen lange, klimaschädliche Seetransporte aus fernen
Produktionsländern. Dank lokaler Herstellung spart Carus laut eigener Aussage jährlich 400

Containerlieferungen aus Fernost ein – das entspreche einer CO2-Menge von über einer
halben Million Tonnen pro Jahr.
Carus hat mit besonders dünnwandigen Aluminium- und Kunststoffkomponenten den

Materialeinsatz bei der Produktion um 60 Prozent verringert. Damit spart das hessische
Unternehmen nach eigenen Angaben pro Jahr 260 Tonnen Aluminium ein, außerdem 40
Tonnen Kupfer, 20 Tonnen Zinn und 10 Tonnen Kunst- und Klebstoffe. Die Lampe ist daher
mit 66 Gramm auch recht leicht.
Wegen ihrer umweltschonenden Herstellungsweise wird Carus vom Bundesministerium

für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit gefördert. Nicht alle Lampen des
Anbieters haben einen Blauen Engel, sondern bislang eben nur die eine. Doch das
Unternehmen hat verschiedene interessante, auch dimmbare Leuchtmittel im Angebot, teils
auch mit Zusatzfunktionen wie Fernsteuerung oder Dimmbarkeit ohne eigenen Dimmer.
Die dimmbare LED-Lampe mit dem Blauen Engel liefert 600 Lumen (entspricht etwas
weniger als 60 Watt), verbraucht 8,6 Watt, hat eine Farbtemperatur von 2700 K und einen
Farbwiedergabeindex >90. Preis: ca. 9 bis 10 Euro (Datenblatt: PDF).56
Timber bricks
Short pieces of wood, curved logs and thick branches can be turned into
• timber bricks 3” by 3” by 5”
• timber bricks 3” by 5” by 8”
Timber bricks can make beautiful solid walls, floors and even tables. They can be glued
or wood nailed. Their use is not only a valuable addition to the silviculture management, but,
at the same time, a very peculiar and highly attractive design element. Some 60 different
varieties of precious timber provide hitherto unknown structures and colors.
Wood Chip Concrete

Lesser wood dimension can be chipped to be used wood chip concrete.
56 Das Umweltsiegel Blauer Engel zeichnet Produkte aus, die in ihrer Kategorie im Vergleich
umweltfreundlicher sind als ähnliche Produkte. Damit ist die LED-Lampe von Carus mit ihren 600 Lumen eine
klare Empfehlung für alle, die einen Ersatz für typische E27-Glühbirnen mit 60 Watt suchen. Sie erfüllt die
strengen Kriterien des Blauen Engel für Lampen (RAL-UZ 151). Dazu zählen neben hoher Energieeffizienz und
guter Lichtqualität auch eine hohe und lange Leuchtkraft sowie das Einhalten geringer elektromagnetischer
Felder. Alle Angaben zu den Lampen müssen beim Blauen Engel durch Messungen verlässlich nachgewiesen
werden.

Saw Dust concrete
Some 5% of the above mentioned volumes turns into sawdust that can be used for
sawdust concrete reducing the use of gravel. The superb quality of sawdust concrete showed
in its temperature stability, sound proof quality and light weight, resulting in strongly reduced
production costs
Social Timber
Timber and wood webs, nailed vertical boards and similar technologies
>>>>>
Material, das für Frieden steht
Sozial verwendbar
wie das Holz So der Mensch
Unglaubliche Vernetztheit
Da ist eine Idee dahinter
Sie betrifft auch uns
In der Stadt brauchen wir es am meisten
Energieautark, selbstkühlend
Mobilien:
Baukastenhäuser
Vollholz
Ameisenhaufen temperaturstabil
Thermodynamik
1 kg Holz speichert 2.5 mal mehr Energie als Stein
Holztemperatur verändert sich sehr langsam
Hochfrequenzbereich, Mobilfunk Holz ist strahlungsfest

Holz kann Arbeitsplätze und Wertschöpfung schaffen
Abfallfrei
Enkelkindertauglich
Energiewende
Ohne solar
Ohne Lüfttungseinheiten
Glas !!?!?!?!?? Intelligentes Verhältnis von Glas und Holz, Stein als Kurzzeitspeicher
Sascha Scheer CH) Sonnenfallen
Vollholzhülle
Holzdübel guter U Wert
Feine Luftschichten mit kleinen Rinnen
Mondholz Julius César, Todesstrafe wenn nicht
Aus Mondholz Alle Hochkulturen

Bamboo
Bamboo can be used equivalent to all the above except boards. Specific technologies
exist but need to be adapted to village conditions to become locally available.
Resourc Brand People Timefr Product Vol. $MX p Return

e ame p.y. ton
Astilla Hueyta Private Roman Mayo Eco- 100 MX$3,000 MX$90,000 30%
bambucreto malco 2017 concrete
Barras San Bamboo San July Constructi 1,000 MX$200 MX$80,000 40%
preparadas Ricardo Logic Ricardo 2017 on mater.
team
Cubos San San San August Rooms 20 MX$200,000
MX$1,600,000 40%
Ricardo Ricardo ? Ricardo 2017
team
Geodésicas Trees Bamboo USB D.P. Sep Spaces 10 MX$150,000MX$750,000 50%
for Logic 2017
People
Casas Trees Bamboo ? Nov Houses 5 MX$1,000,000

MX$1,250,000 25%
for Logic 2017
People
Astilla Hueyta Trees for Noë Dec Diesel 29,200MX$2,000 MX$8,760,000 15%
Biodiesel malco People Flores 2016
Roof Trees Trees for Mexico 2017 Vital 20 MX$50,000MX$300,000 30%

gardens for People City team Living
People
Carbón Trees Bamboo USB 2017 Carbon 1,460 MX$5,500 MX$1,606,000 20%
for Logic
People
Return in MX$14,436,000
MX Pesos
Return in $806,480
USD
Plastic Conglomerates
Sascab with lime and enzymes pressed at high temperatures
Soil based call boards (see German technology)

Soil Bricks
Some areas in Yucatán - certainly not in Tulum - count on very deep red clay soils
deplete of any organic matter. These soils are the perfect material for soil bricks fabrication.
Soil bricks can be hardened to reach qualities very similar to the presently used cement
blocks. Hardening is, however, not always necessary. For many purposes sun-dried bricks are
fully sufficient. The energy demand for their fabrication thus sinks.
The usual composition is indicated above. The red Yucatec soil contains 20% clay
Gravel can be replaced by wood chips or saw dust. When appropriate sascab is found it can
replace both the sand and the silt. Topsoil and organic soils must not be used. Identifying the
exact properties of a soil is essential to perform, at the end, good quality bricks of different
characteristics. Very few laboratories can identify soils for building purposes, but some simple
sensitive analysis can be performed after a short training of the participating people.

The main points to examine are:
• Grain size distribution, to know the quantity of each grain size

• Plasticity characteristics, to know the quality and properties of the sascab binder
• Compressibility, to know the optimum moisture content, which will require the
minimum of compaction energy for the maximum density
• Cohesion, to know how the binders bind the inert grains
Soil bricks have excellent insulating qualities and are superior to concrete blocks in
terms of in-room biology, temperature stability and moisture regulation.
In terms of sustainability the soil bricks are a much preferable alternative to the
common concrete blocks. Energy wise they compare the following way:57
• Concrete blocks: 40-60 kg/cm2 strength @ 235 MJ energy consumption/square-meter

• Soil bricks: 75-100 kg/cm2 strength @ 110 MJ energy consumption/square-meter
Lime Plaster
Yucatán is lime stone country. Lime stone can be found in many varieties, some are
excellent for construction lime production. Traditionally most if not all construction was done
with lime. Burnt lime. can be used as a binding material for mortars. It can also be used to
produce one of the finest plasters and surface covers in construction,
Tadelakt.
Tadelakt is an old Arab technique also called fake
marble. It consists of soaking high quality lime
producing so-called swamp-lime, then applying it
directly to the wall (on rock, brick or even timber
surfaces, in the latter case using a plastering net. The
lime is then polished and pressed several times until
the surface is stable and reaches the density defined
by its future purpose. Tadelakt walls can be
absolutely water proof and beautifully colored.
57 Source: Auroville construction manuals, India.

Soil & Clay Based Plasters
Adobe walls and plasters are traditional construction elements throughout México.
They can be fabricated in many qualities and colors. Again, they have have excellent
insulating qualities and are superior to concrete blocks in terms of in-room biology,
temperature stability and moisture regulation. Local limestone and zeolite can be used
improving the clay mixtures. Both have excellent biological characteristics.
A most efficient way to produce Adobe like wall surfaces is the industrial production of  
Adobe boards, then used to cover any wall independent of the material. In Central Europe
some 80 different varieties of such boards are industrially produced and well accepted by
home owners and constructors. In timber construction they are nicely contrasting materials to
the timber elements. They allow covering minor quality timber with good constructive
qualities but non-aesthetic surfaces.
The mixes can easily be produced in village industries and further the sustainable
relationships between Tulum and its surrounding communities. Soil & clay based plaster
corresponds to modern design color requirements.

Enzyme Roads
With the use of enzymes it is possible to construct natural roads that will stand up to
extreme climate conditions, heavy road traffic, reduce environmental impact and extremely
reduce the cost of road building and maintenance. 58
Enzyme road construction utilizes the vast resource of soil in the given area to construct
a sub base and natural road that will not endanger the environment and cut the costs
associated with conventional road building and maintenance.
Construction Cost Reduction is up to 30% to 40% cost savings over equivalent

traditional paved roads. Roads (1 Km) are constructed in 1-3 days depending on conditions.
Roads are drivable with light traffic after construction in 24 hours. Maintenance Cost
Reduction is 40% to 50% of all production roads. A minimum of special equipment is
needed: grader, water truck, and compactor.
Cthe enzymes catalytically bond soil particles like cement producing a dense permanent
road sub-base, base & surface resisting water penetration, weathering and wear. It can be
applied in wide weather ranges with a long life span.
58 OTP International, Inc. was formed in 1997 and has ten years of product use and experience with enzyme
soil stabilization. They have constructed over 1000 KM of roads in thirty-six different countries and have
participated with World Bank in Paraguay. With fifty full-time employees and hundreds of contracted
engineers they have built over 500 KM in Brazil, 150 KM in Paraguay, and over 200 KM in Mexico.

Steel Concrete
The usage of steel concrete con be strongly reduced applying timber and soil brick
construction techniques in combination. Buildings up to 6 stories high can be built without
steel even. Architects and constructors are to be trained for those technologies.
Summary Construction Materials

Material Home Biology Energy Saving Transport Saving Integrated Product
Solid Timber
Timber Bricks
Wood Chip
Concrete
Saw Dust
Concrete
Bambo
Plastic
Conglomerates
Soil Bricks
Lime Mortar
Soil & Clay

based Plasters
Tadelakt
Summing up
The overall cost of a transformation in construction materials can only be estimated.

Most of the products do no exist on the local and regional markets yet. In general terms a
significant cost reduction can be expected. But more important is the contribution to regional
economic integration: all the above products will be produced with local labor and the returns
stay in the region contributing to a more balanced economic and social development for all.
Additional to the mentioned ones the following crafts can develop along with the
mentioned practices: Pottery, textiles, wooden and bamboo based cutlery, bioplastics
fabrication, plastics up-cycling, rock- and recycled paper.

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Water Bodies & Flow
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Leche materna de mujeres mayas, con plaguicidas

Paul Antoine Matos / La Jornada Maya | lunes, 12 oct 2015 15:50
Anillo de cenotes que se presume están contaminados. Imagen: La Jornada Maya
Plaguicidas organoclorados, metales pesados y esteroles fecales están presentes

en las aguas del anillo de cenotes de Yucatán, por lo que representan un peligro
para la salud de los habitantes y el medio ambiente de la península, declaró el
candidato a doctor, Ángel Polanco Rodríguez, científico de la Unidad de Ciencias
Biomédicas, del Centro de Investigaciones Regionales “Dr. Hideyo Noguchi”, de la
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY). 
 
Esto ha sido ocasionado por el hombre, de las cuales la industria ganadera es la
que más contamina debido a que se vierte al subsuelo agua sin tratar, la cual
permea con facilidad el manto freático, afirmó. 
 
La contaminación acuífera en la entidad ha generado un problema de salud pública,
debido a que se ha registrado cáncer en mujeres que utilizan el agua sin
tratamiento; mientras que la degradación del medio ambiente podría estar presente
en la marea roja yucateca y el sargazo en la costa maya, afirmó el investigador
durante la mesa panel “Perspectivas del acuífero en Yucatán, México”, en el marco
del 40 aniversario del “Hideyo Noguchi”. 
 

La doctora Flor Árcega Cabrera, de la Unidad de Química Sisal de la Universidad
Autónoma de México (UNAM), reveló que el agua en algunos sitios del anillo de
cenotes presentan metales como plomo, cadmio y cobre, en niveles que pueden
estar dañando a los organismos que habitan el agua desde las fases tempranas de
su desarrollo. 
 
“Se pensaría que los metales se liberan sólo por la minería –explicó- pero estos
elementos están presentes en nuestra vida diaria, en alimentos ya sea como
conservadores, colorantes o aditivos, pilas, medicinas, lámparas ahorradoras,
contenedores de todos tipos, etc., y son liberados al ambiente con el mal manejo
de los desechos. Así también, es probable que los principales aportadores de
metales al ambiente sean la industria pecuaria y la agrícola, principalmente por el
uso de alimentos balanceados y pesticidas”.  
 
La mayor concentración de metales se encuentra en los extremos este (Dzilám de
Bravo) y oeste (Celestún) del Anillo de Cenotes; pero no todos los cenotes
presentan metales debido a la ausencia de fuentes locales y al intricado sistema
kárstico. Por ello menciona que es de vital importancia identificar la fuente del agua
en cada sitio para poder determinar la fuente de contaminación, pero es necesario
que el Gobierno del estado apoye este tipo de investigaciones. 
 
La doctora Árcega Cabrera declaró que, principalmente, en la zona de Dzilám de
Bravo, hay presencia de materia fecal de origen animal y humano, la cual es
transportada desde el centro de la península durante la época de lluvias, a través
del subsuelo acuífero que interconecta el anillo de cenotes con la zona costera.  
 
Reconoció que la zona costera está expuesta a metales potencialmente tóxicos así
como a aportes de materia fecal constantes cuyo efecto en el tiempo puede ser de
graves consecuencias. 
 
Agroindustria, cancerígena 
 
Ángel Polanco Rodríguez afirmó que la ganadería y la agricultura han ocasionado
un incremento en las tasas de mortalidad de cáncer cérvicouterino y cáncer de
mama en mujeres de comunidades mayas.  
 
Los estudios revelaron que el 81 por ciento de las muestras de leche materna
realizadas dieron positivo en la presencia de plaguicidas organoclorados, los cuales
provienen de hidrocarburos y son utilizados en las actividades ganaderas, indicó. A
nivel mundial, 220 mil muertes y 3 millones de intoxicaciones severas son
ocasionadas por estos químicos anualmente, agregó. 
 
Expresó que las mujeres mayas no perciben los riesgos de usar plaguicidas en las
actividades de agricultura, ganadería y producción de traspatio, por lo que
desconocen los efectos sobre la salud. Carecen de capacitación, equipo especial
para fumigación y aplican plaguicidas a las cosechas almacenadas, apuntó.  
 
En el acuífero está contaminado con plaguicidas organoclorados altamente tóxicos
en 32 municipios yucatecos, los cuales afectan el sistema reproductivo y están

catalogados como cancerígenos por las instancias internacionales, manifestó.
Además, el 30 por ciento de la población maya bebe agua de pozos y cenotes
contaminados, agregó.  
 
Señaló que la contaminación acuífera causa, además de cáncer, daños
neurotóxicos, muerte fetal y defunciones prematuras en los niños; éstas últimas
están relacionadas con los plaguicidas. 
 
Expresó que, al ser Yucatán el primer lugar en producción porcícola a nivel
nacional, los vertidos de la industria permean el subsuelo. Las empresas de cerdos
han impedido el acceso a científicos para verificar que sus sistemas de tratamiento
de aguas residuales, los cuales la ley obliga a tener, estén en funcionamiento, reveló
el investigador. 
 
“El escenario yucateco y mexicano es altamente vulnerable, donde las condiciones
de pobreza, el bajo nivel educativo y la falta de regulación para el uso de
agroquímicos mantienen ciclos multifactoriales sociales y ambientales para la
degradación del medio ambiente, ocasionando alto impacto para la salud pública”,
consideró. 
 
Sin embargo, la misma población ha jugado un papel importante para la
contaminación. Según Mónica Chávez Guzmán, investigadora de la Unidad de
Ciencias Sociales del “Hideyo Noguchi”, la cultura ambiental entre la población
maya se ha modificado. “Cuando hace décadas era inconcebible que tiraran basura
a sus cenotes, hoy es una práctica común”. 
 
Reconoció que se ha perdido la educación y la conciencia de las consecuencias de
tirar desechos a cenotes, porque esa contaminación la adquirirán a través del agua
en el pozo. 
 
Marea roja y sargazo, ¿efectos bioquímicos? 
 
Durante el verano, la península fue afectada por dos fenómenos ambientales: la alta
proliferación de sargazo en las playas de Quintana Roo, la cual tuvo efectos sobre
el turismo, y la presencia de una mancha de marea roja frente a las costas de
Yucatán. Polanco Rodríguez consideró que el origen de ambos pudo haber sido los
contaminantes que desembocan en la costa. 
 
Un exceso de materia orgánica fecal con nutrientes obtenidos a través de los
fertilizantes genera la proliferación de microalgas de organismos dinoflagelados,
explicó.  
 
La doctora Árcega Cabrera reconoció que la hipótesis manejada por diversos
científicos es que el sistema se desbalancea con los nutrientes de la materia fecal,
los cuales son adquiridos por organismos “oportunistas”, algunos de ellos dañinos,
que pueden afectar a las poblaciones residentes. Esos nutrientes, continuó,
provienen en su mayoría de la ganadería, la agricultura y los asentamientos
humanos que no cuentan con tratamiento de aguas residuales. 
 

En el estado, por cada persona hay aproximadamente cinco puercos y 12 pollos, y
sus residuos terminan en la costa, mencionó. 
 
De igual forma, los pesticidas y metales dañan a los microorganismos, incluso a
niveles genéticos pudiendo desarrollar daños en las siguientes generaciones
promoviendo una mayor vulnerabilidad en el sistema, expuso. 
 
El gobierno debe escuchar a científicos 
 
“Las autoridades ya son conscientes de los problemas ocasionados por los
agroquímicos”, expresó Polanco Rodríguez. Hace un par de meses, el titular de la
Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Medio Ambiente (Seduma), Eduardo Batllori
Sampedro, reconoció la problemática con los pesticidas en el manto acuífero y
aseguró que será atendida. 
 
Polanco Rodríguez enfatizó en la urgencia de que el gobierno tome en cuenta los
estudios científico para diseñar políticas públicas que atiendan el desarrollo social,
natural y económico de la región. “El modelo de desarrollo económico nacional no
contempla la conservación de los recursos naturales o el medio ambiente, a pesar
de que el tema salud-medio ambiente debe ser parte del desarrollo y evitar los altos
impactos en la salud pública, tal como lo hacen en países de primer mundo”,
declaró. 
 
El investigador apuntó que para continuar con las investigaciones es necesario
establecer un programa de monitoreo acuífero, en conjunto con la Comisión
Nacional de Agua y la Secretaría de Salud de Yucatán; establecer programas de
monitoreo para biomarcadores; talleres de promoción para la salud y prevención de
cáncer, así como talleres para alternativas agroecológicas; y un análisis espacial de
distribución de contaminantes.  
 
La doctora Chávez Guzmán coincidió con el investigador y exhortó a que se
apliquen multas severas a aquellas empresas que contaminen, ya que si se
continúa esperando para actuar, la península se habrá contaminado de “manera
drástica”.  
 
Mientras que la doctora Árcega Cabrera exhortó al gobierno a apoyar a proyectos
funcionales. Es urgente que las autoridades aporten recursos a los científicos que
están realizando investigaciones de química y monitoreo ambiental, que permitirán
localizar las fuentes de los contaminantes del acuífero, manifestó, de esta forma se
podrá asegurar un control eficiente de la contaminación para un desarrollo
sustentable en Yucatán.
Water flow design

Water
Tulum's water
There are and were other civilizations in this world with
Ponds & Canals

Zum Kerngeschäft der Gottkönige gehörte auch die Wasserversorgung. Auf den ersten Blick
mag überraschen, dass es in der immerfeuchten Dschungelregion an Wasser mangeln konnte;
im Maya-Tiefland fällt pro Quadratmeter doppelt so viel Regen wie in Deutschland. Doch 80
Prozent davon spendet der Himmel zwischen Mai und November. Und die Geologie Yucatans
sorgt dafür, dass der Regen in den Trockenmonaten nicht verfügbar bleibt. Der kalkige Karst
ist extrem durchlässig, fast alles Wasser versickert. Aus diesem Grund finden sich auf der
mexikanischen Halbinsel kaum Flüsse oder Seen.
Trotzdem schafften es die Maya, saisonale Schwankungen auszugleichen. In Uxul stieß der
Forscher Nicolaus Seefeld auf ein System aus Kanälen, Dämmen und hydraulischen Anlagen.
Diese verbanden versiegelte Flächen mit natürlichen und künstlichen Wasserspeichern.
Plätze, in Tikal sogar die Stuckböden der Innenhöfe, waren mit leichter Neigung angelegt,
sodass der Regen, der darauf landete, in Reservoirs abfließen konnte. In einer 100 mal 100
Meter großen Mulde, die ansonsten nur bis zum Beginn der Trockenzeit Wasser führte, hatten
die Bauherren den Untergrund mit Steinplatten und Tonscherben ausgelegt und die Fugen
verstopft. Sogar an die Kläranlage hatten die frühen Ingenieure gedacht: Eine Mauer reinigte
als mechanischer Filter das Regenwasser von groben Schmutzpartikeln.
Solche Versorgungssysteme erforderten langfristige Planung und eine aufwendige

Instandhaltung. Insofern waren nur mächtige Könige in der Lage, sie bauen und betreiben zu
lassen. Indem sie der Bevölkerung das Überleben sicherten, legitimierten die Herrscher ihre
Macht. Als Minister für Wasserbau und Gebieter von Gottes Gnaden waren sie unangreifbar –
zumindest in ihrem direkten Einflussgebiet.
Der Grund, warum die Dürren ab dem 8. Jahrhundert nach Christus der Maya-Kultur den
Garaus machen konnten, lag darin, dass dieses lange so stabile System zusammengebrochen
war. Die Wartung der Anlagen wurde vernachlässigt, es fehlten die einstigen Autoritäten als
Garanten der Kontinuität. Was war passiert?
We all know that harvesting and storing rainwater is a huge part of designing a garden,
and while swales are super functional and a fantastic way to hydrate a landscape, I—like
many others—dream of an area replete with ponds. I want those permanent water features to
attract wildlife, to swim in, and to use for irrigation if and when that’s necessary.
Consequently, in daydreaming of some day soon owning a property, ponds have been on my
mind for some time.

The dream to which I’ve held tight is that my ponds would be all natural, lined with clay
rather than the more often used plastic liners. More than any concern over cost, though pond
liners are notoriously expensive, I simply want to keep plastics out of my system. And, I
certainly don’t want to buy into the industry if it isn’t necessary. Unfortunately, clay-lined
ponds, I’ve learned, are not always to best option. Luckily, I’ve come up with some other
interesting choices to ease the pain.
POND SPECIFICS IN THEORY
Firstly, we should probably establish that I’m envisioning relatively small ponds, the kind
found on a less-than-a-hectare of designed property. This is an important distinction because
it’s not exactly the same as creating a pond that is a hectare itself. The ponds I’m talking
about are something found in Zone 1 and Zone 2 gardens and would serve to both be
functional (wildlife, swimming, irrigation) but also for certain aesthetic measures.
World's Most Beautiful Backyard Ponds
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World’s Most Beautiful Backyard Ponds
I hope to be able to attach some to swale systems, using the overflow water to hydrate
the landscape, and I envision the ponds being feed via roof runoff scenarios. I picture water

catchment tanks filling and overflowing into the pond, which then overflows and fills into
swales, which then overflow into more ponds and swales, perhaps some solar-powered pumps
keeping the ponds oxygenated with nice waterfalls. This, of course, is all without seeing the
piece of land just yet.
But, in essence, I’m hoping for one pond that, at the most, is a couple meters deep and,
say four, meters across, something good for taking a dip. The rest would be significantly
smaller. Obviously, I would be willing to create dams if the landscape allowed for it, but in
general, my earthworks have been of the shovel and hoe variety rather than machinery, and
I’d like to stay along those lines if possible.
THE CLAY LINED POND
How to Know If You Need Plastic Liner for Your Ponds

class="submessage"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzYT4XQDNsY"
How to Know If You Need Plastic Liner for Ponds
I’ve hoped my ponds could be clay-lined, but I know for smaller ponds this can create
some challenges. What I’ve learned is that a clay bottom needs to be a slow slope, no steeper
than a two to one ratio, which means to get down to two meters deep would take at least eight
meters across (four for each sloped side). But, even if this spacing issue is acceptable (and I
could live with the above dimensions), there then comes the issue of clay.

Not all soils are particularly well suited for making a pond. Something sandy or loamy
will just be too permeable to work for steady water retention. So, the soil will either have to
have an adequate clay content or clay shipped in, something that isn’t ideal. Without an
actual site just yet from which to test the soil, I’m trying consider the fact that high quality
clay might not be the variety with which I find myself.
Clay soil or no, a clay liner still has to be formed. This generally requires about thirty
centimeters’ worth of compacted clay. That, of course, means digging out an extra foot’s
worth of hole, everywhere. The compacting process, especially if done by hand, would
require putting the liner together in layers of about 10 centimeters at a time. Suffice it to say,
the clay way adds a lot of work, but that hasn’t dissuaded me. And, I’m not alone in that.
WIldlife Clay Lined Pond Project

class="submessage"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO0IEso7LHE"
Wildlife Clay Lined Pond Project
Enhanced soil liners, using bentonite clay, are another option, and for large ponds, this
is known as a pretty cost effective method. However, this requires someone who really knows
what they are doing and/or a chemical product known ESS13 (Environmental Soil Sealant).
The beauty, though, of both enhanced soil and natural clay liners is that they last many

lifetimes, and they aren’t a worry with regards to being damaged by hooves or claws or sticks
or machinery.
THE PLASTIC LINER OPTION
On the other hand, there are lots of plastic and rubber pond liner options on the
market. RPE (reinforced polyethylene) is commonly used these days. EPDM rubber is another
popular option, the upside being that it folds and fits well, the downside that it is a little more
susceptible to puncturing and more expensive. Either way it goes, these liners tend to have a
lifespan of about ten to twenty years, in the best of cases.
Pond Liner Comparison - Ask T.P.D. #30

class="submessage"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQAX36RD-vQ"
Pond Liner Comparison (This Soundtrack Is Hilarious)
Obviously, for a very large pond, the lifespan would be a huge issue. It’s a lot of money
to invest, which would push me much more in the direction of a natural clay bottom, even if
the clay needed to be brought in. For the small ponds that I’m talking about, however, it’s a
little more digestible to replace the liners every so often. Still, the thought of using new plastic
and creating all that waste irks me, as does the idea of it breaking down slowly into the water.
Another method I’ve seen has been to use reclaimed billboard signs, which are much
thinner than the aforementioned pond liners, but they are built to be durable and withstand

lots of sun and weather. Plus, it’s taking something that’s trash and reusing it rather than
adding it to the petroleum demand and taking precious space in the landfill. Also, ponds using
plastic liners usually require a protective, soft liner beneath them, and I’ve seen reclaimed
carpet used for this task. It’s an option that perhaps feels a little greener.
DIY koi pond using recycled billboard tarp

class="submessage"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5EcunDF6lA"
DIY koi pond using recycled billboard tarp
I realize that the billboard ponds would still add an unwanted and long-term trash
element to a piece of property, much like when tires are used to build Earthships However, in
the instance that a plastic liner was going to be the choice anyway, perhaps this is a more
thoughtful and economic way of doing it.
PREMATURE CONCLUSIONS
Like many projects I undertake—an earthen oven, gardening without chemicals,

repairing soil with yard wastes—people seem to constantly be telling me that this one won’t
work. Clay-lined ponds, the nay-saying consensus seems to think, just won’t hold water. That
thought feels counterintuitive to me: Ponds were around long before plastic and there is lots
of evidence showing they still can happen that way. Having read and researched quite a bit

now, I wonder if perhaps the plastic method is simply what is more common commercially,
perhaps a bit faster and easier and, thus, more comfortable.
For my purposes, with the ponds being on the smaller side, the stakes aren’t so great as
someone making one huge water feature. I’ve got time to experiment and try to make it work.
I am happy to have stumbled upon the reclaimed materials method for pond building, but the
ultimate plan is to give the natural clay lining a go if I can, perhaps even if importing quality
clay is the only possibility. There are even shallow ponds, under two-feet deep, that in the
right soil don’t require any liner at all.
Anybody out there have some good pond advice?
Wastewater & Nutrient flows

Higiene prehispánica
https://www.facebook.com/eli.siliceo/posts/10157533926980181
Toilets & bathrooms
Can Recirculation Aquaculture Systems be Organic?

IFOAM – Organics International is pleased to announce the start of a
global consultation on organic aquaculture systems. Supported by the
IFOAM Aquaculture Working Group
Toilet odors
I recently traveled to Switzerland to take a giant whiff of pit latrine odor. What I
inhaled was a strong kick to the nostrils, a potent combination of sewage stink,
barnyard sweat, and bitter ammonia topped off with vomit (or was it Parmesan
cheese?). The stench was foul and made me wince.
Fortunately, I also got to smell something much fresher and more pleasing during
my trip. I took the first sniffs of a future of odor-free toilets and better sanitation for
all.
These olfactory revelations occurred during my tour of Firmenich, a family-owned

fragrance and flavor company based in Geneva. The 120-year-old firm is known for
crafting some of the world’s best-known fragrances and enhancing the flavors of
beverages and foods. But it is also one of our foundation’s newest partners in the
effort to improve sanitation in the world’s poorest countries.
I’ve written before about the world’s sanitation challenge. The numbers are
staggering. One billion people have no access to toilets so they defecate out in the

open. Three billion more have toilets, but their waste is dumped untreated, seeping
into water and food supplies. About 800,000 children under age 5 die each year
from diarrhea, pneumonia, and other common infections caused by unsafe water
and sanitation. Beyond the tremendous human suffering, it’s a problem that slows
economic development. In India alone, poor sanitation costs nearly $55 billion each
year—more than 6 percent of GDP.
So how could a perfume company help?
Because smell matters.
Smells of Success
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Millions of new toilets are being built around the world to help end open defecation,
including in India where a massive new toilet construction program is currently
underway. This is great news. Unfortunately, many of these new toilets, especially
the pit latrines, don’t get used because they smell bad and people continue to
relieve themselves in the open where the air is fresher. This is a worrying trend that
threatens to undermine the progress that’s been achieved in global sanitation.
A few years ago our foundation organized a “smell summit” to discuss ways to
address this problem. Representatives from Firmenich were among the attendees
and they thought they might be able to help.
With more than a century of experience creating perfumes and flavors, Firmenich
has developed sophisticated approaches to analyzing odors and breaking them
down to their chemical components. They started their work with the foundation’s
sanitation team by asking a basic question: why do toilets smell so bad?
The answer may seem obvious. But toilet odors are actually quite complex. They
consist of more than 200 different chemical compounds arising from feces and
urine that change over time and vary depending on the health and diet. Firmenich
researchers wanted to know which ones were responsible for the terrible smell.
They isolated four chemical culprits: indole, p-cresol, dimethyl trisulfide, and butyric
acid. Then, they asked their scientists to try to recreate the odor using synthetic
compounds. In other words, they made a fragrance that smelled like fecal matter
and stale urine. A poop perfume!
To make sure they got the offensive odor just right, Firmenich asked people in
Switzerland, India, and Africa which fragrances most closely mimicked a stinky
toilet. The result of their efforts? The fragrance I breathed in during my visit. I put my
nose up to a glass sniffing tube in Firmenich’s research facility and I was hit by a
blast of foul-smelling odors. As I described (perhaps too vividly) above, it smelled as
bad as the worst toilets I’ve ever visited.
With the poop perfume in hand, Firmenich’s researchers could use it to experiment
with various other fragrances, exploring how to effectively mask the offensive odors.

In the long history of battling disagreeable odors, from sweaty armpits to wet dogs,
the world has largely relied on one solution to the problem. We use pleasant
fragrances to cover over the malodors we want to hide—the olfactory equivalent of
sweeping dirt under a rug.
Firmenich wanted to try a different, more innovative approach to this age-old

challenge. They wanted to attack the problem on a molecular level at the
connection between our noses and our brains.
Our noses have 350 olfactory receptors, each one awakening us to new sensations
from the smell of a rose to stinky feet. Just a handful of them allow us to smell
repulsive odors. Firmenich researchers used this knowledge to develop fragrances
that block certain receptors in our noses, making us unable to register certain
malodors.
The approach is similar to noise-canceling headphones which many people use to

block out jet engine noise on flights. Electronics in the headsets create a sound
wave that is 180 degrees out of phase with the ambient noise that needs to be
blocked. This wave cancels unpleasant sounds and allows you to enjoy peace and
quiet. Likewise, the ingredients in the fragrances developed by Firmenich inhibit the
activation of the olfactory receptors sensitive to malodors. By blocking the
receptors, our brains do not perceive the bad smells.
I had an opportunity to experience the odor-blocking fragrances in action. I was

invited to push my nose into a glass sniffing tube and breathe in a mixture of the
poop perfume I had just experienced and one of the new odor-blocking fragrances.
It smelled pretty good. There was no evidence of repulsive odor I had experienced
earlier. Instead of stinky sewage, sweat, and ripe cheese, I sniffed a pleasant floral
scent.
The question now is whether this technology is good enough to make a difference
in communities with poor sanitation. That’s why Firmenich is launching pilot projects
in communities across India and Africa to understand whether the fragrances will
make toilets and pit latrines more inviting for users. They also need to determine if
it’s better to distribute the fragrance as a spray, a powder, or something else. The
ultimate goal is to make the product affordable and easy-to-use.
I continue to be amazed by the innovation that’s underway in the field of sanitation.

Until recently, sanitation was a taboo subject. It didn’t attract many resources or
interest from researchers. Now, dozens of researchers, technologists, and decision-
makers from both the private and public sectors are partners in the effort. Together,
we are working to identify and develop solutions that people value and that will
improve the health and dignity of urban slums and other densely populated
communities where the need for better sanitation is greatest.
I was excited to see Firmenich contributing its expertise and creativity to solving this
challenge and look forward to updates on the progress they’re making.
It had been a busy day in Geneva for my nose and my 350 olfactory receptors. But
one scent continues to linger. It’s the smell of success—the kind that happens when
people put their talents together to make the world a better place.
This was originally published at gatesnotes.com.
Cleaning

Mosquitoes
Plastics: Westliches Mittelmeer erstickt im Plastikmüll
Does it produce abundance? 

There is one exception. Abundance
A garden
A windmill
Solar heat
Solar electricity
Recycling
Upcycling
Beekeeping
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Intelligence
A house built by a family of five.
Select the technology
Finance time off
Cost reduced to one eight
Joy and true ownership
The standard even higher than all the neighbors
>>>>>>>>>>>>
PUERTAS .
Spaces created : Water
Secret number one: living spaces created to follow the flow of water
Resources used : Soil

Secret number two: resources managed to always build more soil
Conscious people : Spirit
Secret number three: people cooperating to become one strong organism.
>>>>>>>>>
Water Management
Mosquito Management
Neem trees
Aromatic herbs
Microorganisms
Water Flow Management
Energy Supply
Energy design
solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy and wave/tidal power
Wind Energy
Solar Electricity
Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are the least efficient proposed renewable energies. They can, however, replace
battery functions and produce energy when both wind and sun fail to do so. Fuel cells are low
efficiency and the cost for their raw material, hydrogen, is high. Methods have been proposed

to produce hydrogen naturally at little cost, but these methods need to be developed further, a
task for the Innovation Center. Solar Heat
Biomass Energy Sources
Regulation
Climatization
The Living Environment
Insulation
Ventilation
Cooling
NATURAL Cooling diagrams:
Hypocaust
Zebra effect
Patio circulation
Cool Water Pump
Wind canal
interactive
Solar Cooling
Transpiration
Evaporation
Non Heating;
1. Description of the Prínciple
2. design Scheme

3.
Identify air cooling capacities (canals, undergound caves)
Cold Storage
Regulation
Household Technology
Technology is the use of non living material arrangements or constructions for a
specific purpose. We usually relate technologies to machines, yet they are more. Let's consider
them structures acting by themselves or supporting human action with the objective to
enhance the human capacity manyfold.
The use of material resources thus becomes part of the problem solving effort that lies
behind any technological development. To understand the impact of technology we therefore
look at the life cycles and and material flows of these resources.
Modern American cities use air-conditioning in all 'standard' homes. Half of the house's
energy consumption is used to cool the inside. The technology used warms the outside
equivalently. Stress are becoming hotter and some cities reportedly suffer from temperature
increase of 5 to 10 degrees Celsius. Black pavements contribute to the heating, the very
buildings hinder the city's air flow and produce a upward spiral of heat increasing the use of
the air conditioning that is the cause for its use. It's a vicious circle.
Technology not necessarily involves a machine. In many traditional buildings in the

Arab countries, in Asia, Spain, Italy the very architecture provided slow steady air flows that
kept the temperatures stable inside and contributed to an improved atmosphere outside the
building. Structurally steered airflows can exchange a building's air volume within 20 minutes
producing just the perception of freshness instead of cooling. The concept avoids the use of
insulation as the air has no time to either warm up in the building or cool down. Heat levels
are controlled providing conditions for the inflowing air to settle at just the temperature

needed. Hypocausts are built for that purpose picking up the coolness of the soil or
underground water. Air conditioning can thus be fully avoided and the building's inner
climate improves beyond any state known. It may seem unreal, but with a reduction of 50%
in a home's energy bills you can actually solve the temperature issues better than before.
Air & Temperature

Technology was, during the past 100 years, mainly perceived as something to produce,
sell and break. An air conditioner needs maintenance, creates noise and heating problems,
becomes a source of contamination and eventually breaks. The business lies in replacing it,
selling the next model and bringing it to the dump. A 100 kg air conditioner uses up some
2'000 to 4'000 kilos of raw materials being produced. These are the quantities regularity
wasted for the purpose of solving an issue on the short run.
The hypercaust and air flow architecture can both be built with local materials, the old
Romans already used the techniques in their cities. Construction methods may be applied
that reduced the amount of resources to what is needed to create the building anyhow. All its
elements can be recycled or reused, they are long lasting or part of the biological cycles.
Economically the approach does not support a thriving machine building industry but the
services people want.
Positive footprints
Cleanliness
About Water Liberty

The mission of Water Liberty is to
spread cutting edge research on
water science and to bring life
changing water technologies to
everyone. Here at Water Liberty, a
team of researchers are passionate
about offering educational
information through Ebooks, videos,
blogs and social media. With an
understanding of water’s healing
properties, we believe this
translates into actions to cleanse,
purify and transform water to its
pristine state.
Our main and most exciting product
– Adya Clarity – offers the freedom
for individuals to conveniently and
easily purify and enhance water
themselves. This means protecting
ourselves from the dangers which
are lurking in our drinking water.
Our Purpose

• Bring wellness and joy into
people’s lives through better health
and sustainable living. We believe
that in order to have a liberated,
peaceful, and healthy civilization,
access to clean and healing water is
essential.
• Leave a better world for our
future generations, and bring health
benefits to them and their families.
• Promote technologies that
solve pressing and challenging
water, environment and health
problems – including contamination,
dehydration, and mineral deficiency.
How We Achieve Our Mission
At Water Liberty, we continue to be
on the lookout for break-through
technologies – that are affordable
and effective. We also share years

of research that we have
accumulated about dirty water and
environment crisis that we all face
today.
We reveal powerful information and
life-changing technology in the area
of healing water. Most of them are
breakthrough research and buried
technologies that are not in the
mainstream market.
What We Wish to Accomplish
Together with You…
Healing all of our planet’s water;
bringing it back to its primordial
clean and pristine state and have it
available to everyone on this planet;
ultimately, wiping out all diseases
linked to toxicity, dehydration, and
mineral deficiency.
Our Relationship With You…

We want you to feel that we are not
only in the water or technology
business, but most importantly that
we are in the relationship building
business. This means building a
long lasting relationship with you.
We want to see us as a friend, a
valuable resource and a trusted
advisor – someone who’s truly
looking out for their well-being.
What Makes Our Products
Unique…
We carry effective and safe
products that are patented,
licensed, certified as well as
approved by Health Canada. We
believe in scientific and clinical
excellence by conducting clinical
trials and lab tests to

supportevidence based product and
health claims.
A Revolutionary Piece Of Fabric

That Replaces Expensive Paper
Towels And Toxic Chemical
Cleaners
Your Paper Towel is Poisoning Our

Environment…
.et_pb_text
The paper towels that are sitting on the kitchen counter,
in your washroom cabinet or even at your workplace
may seem to be a normal necessity in your everyday
life. But do you know that those very same paper towels
you’re using regularly do a massive damage to you and
to our environment?
.et_pb_text
To make one ton of paper towels…

A large variety of natural cleaning substances exist and will be made available in the
Puertas City shops. There is no need to use any of the presently sold largely toxic cleaning
substances. Except for natural soap all of these should be avoided to keep households toxin
free. Insect killers are to be fully avoided.
The various toxins present in the cheap industrial cleaning substances sold in town are
detrimental to the waste water and composting, to the aquifers and cenotes. The use of these

in Puertas City environment would slowly but surely destroy its bounty and beauty. Much
care must be taken for their avoidance.
Among the substances used for natural cleaning are effective microorganisms produced
in Chan Ká Vergel. They not only clean but create a balanced micro environment in which
pests can not proliferate. Some insects will, however, always be present in the house and
environment. With good care most, if not all of those seen are beneficial and do, all by
themselves, control the noxious cucarachas, cockroaches, and various types of mosquitos.
Murciélagos
Mosquitos
Waste
The best recycling is in house up-cycling. Waste leaving the household shall be
separated. Organic kitchen wastes, all small plant residues, shall be treated with effective
microorganisms in a ready to use kitchen container, to then be used in various ways. Training
workshops for waste management and instruction leaflets will be offered for people to learn
these. The Green School trains children in the appropriate practices.
Animal waste shall be incorporated to compost piles set-up for the purpose. 
Meat residues shall be fed to cats and dogs.
Puertas City is meant to be plastic free. Any plastics occurring in the households shall be
separated and delivered to the plastic waste yard. Metal waste, batteries, old household
appliances are separated and delivered accordingly.
Timber waste, wooden leftovers and the like should be prepared as firewood as long as
they do not contain any poisonous additives (again, this is a training workshop topic)
Sanitation
Cleaning

Mosquitos
Environmental management
Neem trees
Aromatic Herbs
Essential Oils
microorganisms
inhouse bats
No poisons
Natural repellents
Murciélagos
Mosquitos
Neem
Household Energy
Wind electricity
Solar electricity
Solar heat
Biomass heat
Biodiesel
Furniture
DIY & Local Crafts

Waste
Puertas City is to become a plastic and waste free community.
Waste Definition
Waste is any material without practical use for within the household producing it. Waste
derives mainly from packaging materials, paper, cardboard, plastics, metals and styrofoam
which are presently impossible to keep out of Puertas City as anything and everything comes
packaged with them.
Organic waste are kitchen leftovers and gardening surpluses of different kinds. Puertas
City residents are instructed and trained to process them locally in the pods.
Most of the waste that is of no practical use to the household itself can be transformed
to usable materials. The process is called re-cycling. The re-cycling process can be an up-
cycling process to more valuable materials or a down-cycling process to less valuable yet safe
or inert materials. In most cases up-cycling possibilities exist. The materials on the existing
waste dumps can thus be transformed into a source of income and practical work
opportunities. The overall volume of non-usable waste can be reduced to less than 5%, a
value well proven by many communities around the world.
The pre-condition for re-cycling is waste separation. As much waste separation as

possible as possible should occur in the households themselves. This saves transport costs and
material losses. Only in the households can dangerous, poisonous and toxic wastes easily be
separated: pharmaceutic medications, batteries, paints and complex chemical materials. They
will be taken to the Puertas City waste yard to be professionally disposed of. To assure the
perfect separation of these wastes the owner shall receive an official recognition of his / her
selection effort.59
Plastics, metals and styrofoam are separated and taken to the waste yard and deposited
in closed containers. The quantities per household will be registered. Every home owner signs
a binding contract guaranteeing waste separation and waste yard delivery. The responsibility
for the waste management until delivery to the waste yard resides with the home owner.
59 Premiums are to be defined for waste separation and re-collection efforts, especially for children to engage in
the effort.

Paper & Cardboard
Paper & cardboard are separated and tied to bundles. A paper making village industry
will be created at one of the villages producing cardboard and paper based construction
materials for furniture. With the use of impermeable additive materials the toxins present in
the print colors and coatings will be immobilized until the furniture is recycled.
Research: waste paper and lime can make good quality paper. Possibilities to create
small village based paper industries shall be investigated.
Plastic Waste
Collected plastics of different kinds will be mill ground, chopped up and mixed with
charcoal to be permanently stabilized. Plastics don’t rot. At some time they will however be
reduced to carbon. Combined with charcoal the chemical substance present in them, boa and
colors mainly, will be absorbed by the carbon. Leaching can be avoided to a very high degree
if not completely. The material is inert, the effect on the landscape is reduced to <> zero.
Monitoring shall be done to prove the point
The mix can be melted into moulds for roof-tiles, windows, doors, sinks or bricks.In
Chan Ká Vergel they are being used to fabricate canal doors for the irrigation canals
Research: the village based production of filaments for 3D printing shall be investigated.
Plastic Separation
Styrofoam Waste
Styrofoam shall be ground and mixed with concrete for permanent flooring. It can be
completely stabilized and disappear from the environment. The insulating characteristics of
styrofoam concrete are superior to normal concrete and help climatize the buildings.

Metal Waste
Metal waste shall be separated into different qualities. Heavy solid iron will be sold for
its further industrial use. High quality steel will be separated for tool production. Small village
workshops will be set-up to produce the tools (machetes, lobchés, corbas60, hammers, bolts,
knives, chisels, …)
Light weight iron shall be put to oxidate to produce iron oxide used in timber
preservation. It is one of the very best agents to make timber ever lasting. To improve the
effectiveness of the process the iron oxide can be mixed with Alumbre, a Mexican natural
mineral.
Other Solid Waste

Other solid Waste is thus reduced to an estimated 5% of the original waste volume and
will be taken to the charcoal stoves run by silviculture communities. Burnt and charcoaled at
very high temperatures the treatment may not be the world’s best but toxic gases are expected
to reduce by over 90% in comparison for the normal burning on dumps. As the overall
volume of the waste is reduced by 95%, an overall reduction in contamination to less
than 0.25% of the original values is expected. Monitoring will have to prove the point
once the system is in place. No groundwater contamination occurs.
Waste Transport
Special containers for the waste transport shall be designed. As there are many options
this is a task for the residents’ council.
Exteriors & Interiors
Mobility
60 a classic Maya tools for agri-culture, gardening and silviculture

Mobility
Tulum's traffic chaos
Individual cars are not the solution
Electric vehicles
Continuous flow and permanent stops
Rails?
Electric transport
Fully equipped service cars
Personal Mobility Issues
Street Scooter
Electric Bikes
Transport Alternatives
IDTechEx Bericht "Industrial and Commercial Electric Vehicles 2017-2027
www.freie-lastenradler.de
München

Energizing Mobility
Bernardo del Monte, Chan Ká Vergel and Tulum in Jan 2017

Annex To Book 2
Technological Details
Timber technologies
Do it yourself
Timber preservation

Superwind Description
superwind GmbH proudly announces the launch of their

new 1250 W Superwind 1250.
Similar to the smaller Superwind 350 which is famous in

the industry since years for its extreme reliability, the
bigger Superwind 1250 comprises all the features
professional users expect today – maximum performance
and uncompromising quality. Owing to its innovative pitch
control system the Superwind 1250 easily copes with all
wind and weather conditions.
At high wind speed or excessive rotor speed its fail safe

mechanical controller automatically feathers the
rotorblades in order to limit the power output and to keep
the rotor speed within the design limits.
The superwind is a real stand-alone wind generator for

autonomous and unattended operation. It is designed for a
wide range of applications and can easily be integrated
into wind/PV hybrid systems.
The state of the art aerodynamic layout with comparatively

low rotor speed and the pitch controlled feathering blades
reduce any noise emission to a very low level.
All superwind generators are entirely made of high grade

materials like saltwater proof aluminium, stainless
chromium steel and glass- and carbon-fiber reinforced
plastics.
Typical applications are: big sailing yachts, charging of

electric boats, navigational aids, traffic information
systems, measurement and transmitting systems, cathodic
protection, cottages, mountain lodges, rural electrification.
Technical Data
rated power: 1250 W

rated wind speed: 11.5 m/s
cut-in wind speed: 3.5 m/s
cut-out wind speed: none
rotor diameter: 2.4 m

number of blades: 3
rotorblade material: CRP/ GRP
rotor speed: 300 – 600 rpm
generator: permanent magnet

Neodymium magnets
voltage: 24VDC / 48 VDC
connection: charge controller
speed control: passive pitch control

power limitation: passive pitch control
main brake: electro dynamic
second brake: disc brake
nacelle weight: 45 kg
superwind GmbH Am Rankewerk 2-4 D-50321 Brühl / Germany

Tel: +49 (0) 22 32 – 577357 power@superwind.com
Fax: +49 (0) 22 32 – 577368 www.superwind.com

Beekeeping Standards
1. Principios generales
La apicultura es una actividad importante que contribuye a la protección del medio ambiente
y a la producción agro-forestal mediante la acción polinizadora de las abejas.
La condición de los productos apícolas como procedentes de producción ecológica está

estrechamente vinculada tanto con las características del tratamiento de las colmenas como
con la calidad del medio ambiente. Esta condición depende también de las condiciones de
extracción, elaboración y almacenamiento de los productos apícolas.
Cuando un productor explote varias unidades apícolas en la misma zona, todas las
unidades deberán cumplir los requisitos del presente Reglamento. No obstante este
principio, un productor podrá explotar unidades que no cumplan lo dispuesto en el presente
Reglamento siempre que se cumplan todos sus requisitos excepto las disposiciones
establecidas en el punto 4.2 para la ubicación de los colmenares. En dicho caso, el
producto no podrá venderse con referencia a métodos de producción ecológicos.
APICULTURA Y PRODUCTOS DE LA APICULTURA
1. Principios generales
1.1. La apicultura es una actividad importante que contribuye a la protección del medio
ambiente y a la producción agroforestal mediante la acción polinizadora de las abejas.
1.2. La condición de los productos apícolas como procedentes de producción ecológica

está estrechamente vinculada tanto con las características del tratamiento de las
colmenas como con la calidad del medio ambiente. Esta condición depende también
de las condiciones de extracción, elaboración y almacenamiento de los productos
apícolas.
1.3. Cuando un productor explote varias unidades apícolas en la misma zona, todas las
unidades deberán cumplir los requisitos del presente Reglamento. No obstante este
principio, un productor podrá explotar unidades que no cumplan lo dispuesto en el
presente Reglamento siempre que se cumplan todos sus requisitos excepto las
disposiciones establecidas en el punto 45.2 para la ubicación de los colmenares. En
dicho caso, el producto no podrá venderse con referencia a métodos de producción
ecológicos.

2. Período de conversión
2.1. Los productos de la apicultura sólo podrán venderse con referencias a métodos de
producción ecológicos cuando se hayan cumplido las disposiciones del presente
Reglamento durante por lo menos un año. Durante el período de conversión la cera
deberá sustituirse de acuerdo con los requisitos que establece el punto
3. Origen de las abejas
3.1. En la selección de las razas deben tenerse en cuenta su capacidad de adaptación a

las condiciones locales, su vitalidad y su resistencia a las enfermedades. Se dará
preferencia a la utilización de razas europeas de la Apis mellifera y a sus ecotipos
locales.
3.2. Los colmenares deberán constituirse mediante la división de colonias y la compra de

enjambres o colmenas procedentes de unidades que se ajusten a lo dispuesto en el
presente Reglamento.
3.3. Como primera excepción, y previa autorización de la autoridad u organismo de

control, los colmenares existentes en la unidad de producción que no cumplan con las
disposiciones del presente Reglamento podrán ser objeto de conversión.
3.4. Como segunda excepción, se podrán adquirir enjambres sueltos no producidos de

conformidad con el presente Reglamento durante un período transitorio que expirará
el 24 de agosto de 2002, con sujeción al período de conversión.
3.5. Como tercera excepción, en caso de gran mortandad de animales por enfermedad o
catástrofe, la autoridad u organismo de control podrán, cuando no haya colmenares
que cumplan lo dispuesto en el presente Reglamento disponibles, autorizar la
reconstitución de los colmenares, con sujeción al período de conversión.
3.6. Como cuarta excepción, para la renovación anual de los colmenares, podrá
incorporarse a la unidad de producción ecológica cada año un 10 % de abejas reinas
y enjambres que no cumplan el presente Reglamento, siempre que las abejas reinas y
enjambres sean colocados en colmenas con panales o láminas de cera procedentes
de unidades de producción ecológica. En dicho caso, no se aplica el período de
conversión.

4. Ubicación de los colmenares
4.1. Los Estados miembros podrán designar regiones o zonas donde no se pueda
practicar la apicultura que cumpla lo dispuesto en el presente Reglamento. El apicultor
facilitará a la autoridad u organismo de control un inventario cartográfico a la escala
adecuada de la ubicación de las colmenas tal como dispone el primer guión de la
sección 2 de la parte A1 del anexo III. Cuando esas zonas no estén identificadas, el
apicultor deberá presentar a la autoridad u organismo de control la documentación y
pruebas oportunas, incluidos, en caso necesario, los análisis convenientes, de que las
áreas accesibles para sus colonias cumplen los requisitos del presente Reglamento.
4.2. La ubicación de los colmenares deberá:
a) contar con suficientes fuentes de néctar natural, mielada y polen para las abejas, así
como el acceso al agua;
b) elegirse de forma que, en un radio de 3 kilómetros, las fuentes de néctar o de polen

sean fundamentalmente cultivos producidos ecológicamente y/o vegetación silvestre
de conformidad con lo dispuesto en el artículo 6 y en el anexo I del presente
Reglamento y cultivos que, a pesar de no entrar en el ßmbito de aplicación del
presente Reglamento estén tratados según métodos de bajo impacto medioambiental
como, por ejemplo, los descritos en los programas desarrollados a partir del
Reglamento (CEE) no 2078/92(5) que no puedan alterar significativamente la
condición de la producción apícola como ecológica;
c) mantener una distancia suficiente de cualquier fuente de producción no agrícola que

pueda dar lugar a contaminación, como, por ejemplo, centros urbanos, autopistas,
zonas industriales, vertederos, plantas incineradoras, etc. Las autoridades u
organismos de control tomarán medidas para garantizar este requisito.
Los requisitos arriba enunciados no se aplicarán a las zonas donde no haya floración
o cuando las colmenas estén en reposo.
5. Alimentación
5.1. Al final de la estación productiva deberán dejarse en las colmenas reservas de miel y
de polen suficientemente abundantes para pasar el invierno.
5.2. La alimentación artificial de las colonias estará autorizada cuando se encuentre en

peligro la supervivencia de la colonia a causa de condiciones climáticas extremas. La
alimentación artificial deberá hacerse con miel ecológica, preferentemente de la
misma unidad ecológica.

5.3. Como primera excepción al punto 5.2, las autoridades competentes de los Estados
miembros podrán autorizar la utilización de jarabe de azúcar producido
ecológicamente o de melaza de azúcar producida ecológicamente, en lugar de miel
producida ecológicamente, en la alimentación artificial, cuando así lo requieran unas
condiciones climáticas que provoquen la cristalización de la miel.
5.4. Como segunda excepción, la autoridad u organismo de control podrá permitir la

utilización de jarabe de azúcar, melaza de azúcar y miel no incluidos en el ámbito del
presente Reglamento para la alimentación artificial durante un período transitorio que
finalizará el 24 de agosto de 2002.
5.5. En el registro de las colmenas deberá consignarse la siguiente información relativa al

empleo de alimentación artificial: tipo de producto, fechas, cantidades y colmenas en
las que se emplea.
5.6. No podrán utilizarse en la apicultura que cumpla lo dispuesto en el presente

Reglamento productos distintos de los indicados en los puntos 5.1 a 5.5.
5.7. Únicamente se podrá emplear la alimentación artificial entre la última recolección de

miel y los quince días anteriores al siguiente período de afluencia de néctar y de
mielada.
6. Profilaxis y tratamientos veterinarios
6.1. En apicultura, la profilaxis se basará en los siguientes principios:
a) la elección de las poblaciones resistentes;
b) la aplicación de determinadas prácticas destinadas a fomentar la resistencia ante

enfermedades y a prevenir las infecciones, como podrán ser: la renovación periódica
de las abejas reinas, la inspección sistemática de las colmenas para detectar a tiempo
las situaciones sanitarias anómalas, el control de los zánganos en las colmenas
(deriva y pillaje), la desinfección periódica de materiales e instrumentos, la destrucción
del material y fuentes contaminados, la renovación periódica de la cera y el suministro
a las colmenas de provisiones suficientes de miel y de polen.
6.2. Si a pesar de todas esas medidas preventivas las colonias enfermaran o quedaran
infectadas, deberán ser tratadas inmediatamente y, cuando sea necesario,
trasladadas a colmenares de aislamiento.
6.3. La utilización de medicamentos veterinarios en la apicultura que cumpla lo dispuesto

en el presente Reglamento deberá ajustarse a los siguientes principios:

a) podrán usarse en la medida en que el uso correspondiente esté autorizado en el
Estado miembro, de conformidad con las correspondientes disposiciones comunitarias
o disposiciones nacionales conformes al Derecho comunitario;
b) se usarán preferentemente productos fitoterapéuticos y homeopáticos más que

productos químicos sintéticos alopáticos, siempre que sus efectos terapéuticos
resulten eficaces para la patología a la que va dirigida el tratamiento;
c) si el empleo de los productos arriba mencionados resultara poco eficaz o tuviera

muchas probabilidades de no ser eficaz para erradicar una patología o infestación que
amenazara con destruir las colonias, se podrán utilizar medicamentos alopáticos de
síntesis bajo la responsabilidad de un veterinario o de otras personas autorizadas por
el Estado miembro, sin perjuicio de los principios expuestos en las letras a) y b);
d) queda prohibida la utilización de medicamentos alopáticos de síntesis química como

tratamiento preventivo;
e) sin perjuicio de la letra a), podrán utilizarse el ácido fórmico, el ácido láctico, el ácido
acético y el ácido oxálico y las siguientes sustancias: mentol, thymol, eucalyptol o
alcánfor en los casos de infestación por Varroa jacobsoni.
6.4. Además de los principios anteriormente expuestos, podrán autorizarse los

tratamientos veterinarios o tratamientos de las colmenas, panales, etc., obligatorios
con arreglo a la legislación nacional o comunitaria.
6.5. Mientras se aplique un tratamiento con productos químicos alopáticos de síntesis,

deberán trasladarse las colonias tratadas a colmenares de aislamiento, y toda la cera
deberá sustituirse por cera que cumpla las condiciones fijadas en el presente
Reglamento. Posteriormente, a esas colonias se les impondrá un período de
conversión de un año.
6.6. Los requisitos establecidos en el párrafo anterior no se aplicarán a los productos

mencionados en la letra e) del punto 6.3.
6.7. Siempre que deban emplearse medicamentos veterinarios, y antes de que los
productos se comercialicen como ecológicos, habrá que registrar claramente y
declarar al organismo o autoridad de control el tipo de producto (indicando entre otras
cosas su principio activo) junto con información sobre el diagnóstico, la posología, el
método de administración, la duración del tratamiento y el tiempo de espera legal.

7. Métodos de gestión zootécnica e identificación
7.1. Queda prohibida la destrucción de las abejas en los panales como método asociado a
la recolección de los productos de la colmena.
7.2. Quedan prohibidas las mutilaciones como cortar la punta de las alas de las abejas
reinas.
7.3. Se admitirá la sustitución de la abeja reina mediante la eliminación de la antigua reina.
7.4. Únicamente se admitirá la práctica de la eliminación de las crías machos como medio
de contener la infección por Varroa jacobsoni.
7.5. Queda prohibido el uso de repelentes químicos sintéticos durante las operaciones de
recolección de la miel.
7.6. Deberá registrarse la ubicación de los colmenares y la identificación de las colmenas.

Deberá informarse al organismo o autoridad de control del traslado de los colmenares
en un plazo acordado con el organismo o autoridad de control.
7.7. Se pondrá especial cuidado en garantizar una extracción, una elaboración y un

almacenamiento adecuados de los productos apícolas. Se registrarán todas las
medidas destinadas a cumplir estos requisitos.
7.8. En el registro de los colmenares deberá constar toda retirada de la parte superior de
las colmenas y las operaciones de extracción de la miel.
8. Características de las colmenas y de los materiales utilizados
8.1. Las colmenas deberán estar hechas fundamentalmente con materiales naturales que
no comporten riesgos de contaminación para el medio ambiente ni para los productos
de la apicultura.
8.2. Dentro de las colmenas sólo podrán usarse sustancias naturales, como el propoleo, la
cera y los aceites vegetales, con excepción de los productos mencionados en la letra
e) del punto 6.3.
8.3. La cera de los nuevos cuadros deberá proceder de unidades de producción ecológica.
No obstante, la autoridad u órgano de control podrá autorizar el uso de cera de abeja
que no proceda de dichas unidades, en particular en el caso de nuevas instalaciones
o durante el período de conversión, en circunstancias excepcionales en que no sea
posible obtener cera ecológica en el mercado y siempre que aquélla sea de
opérculos.
8.4. Queda prohibida la recolección de miel en panales que contengan crías.

8.5. Para la protección de los materiales (marcos, colmenas, panales), en particular de las
plagas, únicamente se admitirá el uso de los productos que figuran en la sección 2 de
la parte B del anexo II.
8.6. Se admiten los tratamientos físicos como la aplicación de vapor o llama directa.
8.7. Para limpiar y desinfectar los materiales, locales, equipo, utensilios o productos
utilizados en la apicultura, únicamente se admitirá el uso de las sustancias adecuadas
que figuran en la parte E del anexo II."

Structures in Chan Ká Vergel
Structures in Xla Ká Vergel

Agrology Training Poster
Agrology training
in ChanKaVergel@me.com
Chan Ká Vergel
This is all you need
Carbon produced by Organic matter
integrated silviculture ramial wood and  
practices all organic matter
Nitrogen from plant Activators

& animal sources microorganisms & more

Obra sqm cub
Chan Ká Vergel 1 Oficina 30
Chan Ká Vergel 1 Oficina Internet 1
Chan Ká Vergel 2 Casa Bernardo 25
Chan Ká Vergel 3 Sala de baño 15
Chan Ká Vergel 4 Baño seco 5
Chan Ká Vergel 5 Cocina 12
Chan Ká Vergel 6 Cisterna 3 0.7
Chan Ká Vergel 6 Cisterna bomba solar
Chan Ká Vergel 7 Cisterna Grande 0 11
Chan Ká Vergel 8 Casa cisterna 12
Chan Ká Vergel 9 Gallinero 5
Chan Ká Vergel 9 Gallinero cerco 80
Chan Ká Vergel 10 Chiquero 4
Chan Ká Vergel 11 Laboratorio 20
Chan Ká Vergel 12 Casa de miel 84
Chan Ká Vergel 12 Tanques de miel 3
Chan Ká Vergel 13 Casa de herramientas 12
Chan Ká Vergel 14 Sala de procesos con lavadero y almacen 96
Chan Ká Vergel 14 Tanques de agua 4
Chan Ká Vergel 15 Casa del elixir 40
Chan Ká Vergel 15 Tanques de Elíxires 3
Chan Ká Vergel 16 Galerones 1 2 3 y 4 76
Chan Ká Vergel 16 Galones de vidrio (610) 0
Chan Ká Vergel 16 Galones de polycarbonate (400) 0
Chan Ká Vergel 17 Horno 8
Chan Ká Vergel 18 Casa de los aluxes 23
Chan Ká Vergel 18 Vivero 120
Chan Ká Vergel 19 Sala de baño y baño seco 9
Chan Ká Vergel 20 Secadores 36
Chan Ká Vergel 20 Secadores 36
Chan Ká Vergel 21 Boulevard de los abonos 45
Chan Ká Vergel 22 Casa Y’ax Ché 20
Chan Ká Vergel 23 Taller de carpinteria 24
Chan Ká Vergel 24 Letrero en el crucero 1
Chan Ká Vergel 24 Portón 1
Chan Ká Vergel 25 Laguna 13, fábrica ladrillos kancab 80
Chan Ká Vergel 26 Camino principal 840
Chan Ká Vergel 27 Camino milpa y APIARIOS 460
Chan Ká Vergel 28 Lindera 0
Chan Ká Vergel 29 Bosques de cedro y caoba 0
Chan Ká Vergel 30 Lineas de riego 160
Chan Ká Vergel 40 Apiario 400

Inventory Jan 1st, 2017-1
Obra sqm cub
Xla'ka Vergel 1 Temazcal 16.8
Xla'ka Vergel 1 Temazcal 2
Xla'ka Vergel 1 Temazcal 12
Xla'ka Vergel 2 Canal principal 20
Xla'ka Vergel 2 Chultun del temazcal 2.8 1.2
Xla'ka Vergel 2 Chultun del temazcal 2.8 1.2
Xla'ka Vergel 2 Chultun nuevo 8.6 2.5
Xla'ka Vergel 3 Plataforma ceremonial (Gran Aula) 87
Xla'ka Vergel 3 Altar 2.4
Xla'ka Vergel 3 Altar 9.6
Xla'ka Vergel 4 La casa del águila 16
Xla'ka Vergel 4 Terraza del águila 38
Xla'ka Vergel 4 3 pila del águila 2.4 2.4
Xla'ka Vergel 4 Baño del Aguilar 1.8
Xla'ka Vergel 5 Baño seco Pantera 3.6
Xla'ka Vergel 5 Baños secos 30
Xla'ka Vergel 5 Baño seco Pantera 8
Xla'ka Vergel 6 Cisterna central (4 metros de profundidad) 0 10.7
Xla'ka Vergel 6 Pila tortuga 0 2
Xla'ka Vergel 7 Torre de agua (Con sala de baño, escalera y pila) 18 10
Xla'ka Vergel 7 Torre de agua 1
Xla'ka Vergel 8 Catedral 5.2
Xla'ka Vergel 8 Catedral 72

Inventory Jan 1st, 2017-1-1
Xla'ka Vergel 9 Comedor 13.4
Xla'ka Vergel 10 La pantera (Casa) 42
Xla'ka Vergel 11 La casa del búho 0 18
Xla'ka Vergel 11 La casa del búho 12
Xla'ka Vergel 12 Terrazas centrales [253 m] 0
Xla'ka Vergel 12 Terrazas centrales [2,200 m] 0
Xla'ka Vergel 12 Terrazas centrales 90
Xla'ka Vergel 12 Terrazas centrales. [200 m] 0
Xla'ka Vergel 13 Terraza mayor [1,500m} 0
Xla'ka Vergel 13 Casa mayor 220 660
Xla'ka Vergel 13 Terraza mayor 35
Xla'ka Vergel 14 Laguna principal 0
Xla'ka Vergel 14 Laguna principal 0 200
Xla'ka Vergel 14 Laguna de los animales 0
Xla'ka Vergel 14 Laguna de los animales 0 60
Xla'ka Vergel 14 Laguna principal 1
Xla'ka Vergel 15 Sistema de potabilización de agua (Valor único) 80
Xla'ka Vergel 16 Campo de pelota 0
Xla'ka Vergel 16 Senderos 3 0

Puertas Tulum - Guide To Sustainability

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Puertas Tulum - Guide To Sustainability

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City Development ................................................................................................................. 26

Sustainability Standards ...................................................................................................... 39

First Crucial Steps ................................................................................................................ 44

The Seed Structures ............................................................................................................. 55

Interface Management ......................................................................................................... 86

Available Timber ................................................................................................................... 92

Water Bodies & Flow ..........................................................................................................116

Energy Supply ..................................................................................................................... 130

Fuel Cells ............................................................................................................................. 130

Climatization ....................................................................................................................... 131

Household Technology........................................................................................................ 132

Waste .................................................................................................................................... 141

Technological Details .......................................................................................................... 147

A Guide to the Sustainable City

Bernardo del Monte

Dec 31, 2016

1 see Book One, Cities make People.

Environmental and social destructiveness occurs due to a deep lack of communication.

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !10

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !11

The Architectural Habitus

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !12

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !13

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !14

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !15

Puertas community members leave the

Empowerment is to become profitable, more profitable than centralization and war.

Microorganisms help reduce the number of mosquitos significantly, restore polluted

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !16

In a series of workshops the architectural and the operational interpretation of the

• the philosophy and concept of a sustainability oriented relationship

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !17

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !18

• it will be easier to control

1. Set basic criteria

• Lead times from receipt of your order to delivery

3 Examples and references: https://www.ceres.org/resources/reports/supplier-self-assessment-questionnaire-

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !19

2. Define the process

3. Call for bids.

4. Evaluate the bid submissions.

- Name of the initiative / organisation / - size of organisation (directly involved people)

- name of contact person and phone number - any current support

- references available - current CSR criteria / sustainable policy

- unique selling proposal - certification if any

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !20

Compare potential suppliers

Household & Office Guideline

Presently no regulations for toxic substances in detergents and other commercial

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !21

A guideline will therefore be elaborated in 3 steps:

1. A general short guideline for interested buyers.

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !22

Landscape Management Guideline

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !23

Mankind is effectively ruining the bees introducing chemicals, artificial foundation

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !24

Tropical organic bee keeping was started in

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !25

An integrated diverse community, especially if it is to incorporate local Mayans, needs

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABILITY !26

In any case, according to peoples needs, to live in privacy or in a micro-community,

I II III IV V pod types and their social characteristics. These five

17% The aim is an even distribution of these 5 groups by

of individuals shown in the left diagram.

Dec 31, 2016 

• the philosophy and concept of a sustainability oriented relationship  

Feb - July experiment construction  

> resource local & regional raw materials  

> May - June > invite & train architects, constructors  

> exhibit new technologies, water, wind, energy, soil, trees  

> measure, monitor environmental parameters & effects  

> prepare community participation  