La Cuentista

Albequerque, New Mexico - 1997

La Cuentista is a proposed community which is winning the unprecedented support of both City officials and the public alike for its planning and organization aimed at optimizing site and material resources.  Set in a magnificent 250 acres tract of land overlooking the city, this neighborhood of 500 single family residences will be constructed of earth and other local materials, and designed to be climate responsive, water and resource conserving, and supportive of interactive community life.

Organized in compounds of four to eight s around a shared car court, each will have private courtyards in the manner of traditional Spanish dwellings of the region and will adjoin community open space and view corridors with bike and pedestrian pathways.  These commons will be irrigated by the constructed wetlands used to process and recycle domestic waste water.  Building integrated photovoltaics will convert sunlight to electricity and solar collectors will be used for domestic hot water and radiant space heating.

La Cuentista is intended as an example of ecological design in service of resourceful, beautiful and healthy human environment that will serve as a template for future residential developments in the region.