Reimmersive Cultivation

Reimmersive Cultivation is the reclaiming of a stretch of land that was once the livelihood of an entire community. The site is located on Douglas Lake in Tennessee, where the Tennessee Valley Authority once flooded communities to build a series of hydropower plants, causing the displacement of thousands of families. The project is a cycling of history and returns to the original purpose of the land the project is embedded into. It is a haven for nomads and migrants seeking refuge from an impending climate emergency. The reclamation of this land is a powerful symbol to new inhabitants that community and stability can be rebuilt and remain steadfast through the use of thoughtful and sustainable design. The project begins with a water research laboratory, and over time begins to populate with refugee cabins along the riverbed. The planned community spans across the length of the three mile site, and through time, over a course of 150 years. The farming and housing infrastructure is designed to take into account the course of time, and slowly unfolds in the form of agrivoltaics, combining farming and a grid of solar panels which provides clean energy and self-sufficiency for the entire stretch of the community. Reimmersive Cultivation is ultimately about returning to the roots of the land, where the original Appalachian inhabitants relied on agriculture as their livelihood, and repopulating the site in a way that both honors those who were displaced and reimagines a healthier way to sustain a community with new methods of farming and energy production. It is meant to invite climate refugees to a haven that will support them through the combined efforts of their new community, so that they may in turn begin to support each other and build connections with their community that will stand the test of time.