The COVID-19 pandemic forced Burning Man to cancel their annual desert gathering in Black Rock City, Nevada back in 2020. 2021’s event fate is up in the air, too (though we’d bet that it won’t happen, or at least in an official sense). The event’s future as a pop-up city remains undetermined, but its organizers – the Burning Man Project – are taking matters into their own hands, and into a new space.
The Burning Man Project purchased Fly Ranch, a 3,800-acre ranch just a handful of miles from Black Rock City, back in 2016. Its original intention was to create a year-round space for Burning Man culture and creativity. This has been a loose concept since then – and this week, we saw the actionable, definitive ideas that have come forth for its usage.
Fly Ranch as a sustainable project space
BMP teamed up with the Land Art Generator Initiative to create the LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch design challenge, which invited creators to submit proposals for regenerative projects that could exist at the ranch. Ultimately, the challenge chose 10 top designs from hundreds of submissions, and those teams will be given grants to build prototypes at Fly Ranch.
LAGI explained:
“Teams were asked to integrate sustainable systems for energy, water, food, shelter, and waste management into works of art in the landscape. The objective is to build the foundational infrastructure for Fly Ranch, support Burning Man Project’s 2030 sustainability goals, and engage a global audience to work together towards systemic transformation, and serve as an inspiration for the developing field of regenerative design.”
A look at the winning projects
A few of the top projects chosen from the LAGI challenge include:
NEXUS, which plans to utilize Ferrock – a sustainable alternative to concrete
Solar Mountain, which uses recycled and solar photovoltaic materials to create electricity and spaces for both exercise and enjoyment
Ripple, a bioceramic dome made of electrochromic glass that interworks drip irrigation, composting toilets, seed banks, cisterns, native restoration plans and more. It aims to provide food, shelter, water, and more.
What’s next
It’s an intriguing – yet, not surprising – choice by the Burning Man Project to focus their intentions on these forward-thinking sustainability projects. We look forward to seeing the prototypes of these builds, and the long-term impact they can have both on Fly Ranch and the larger world.
You can also learn more about the Fly Ranch x LAGI project here.
H/T Forbes