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MASTER
LAND PLAN

The Future of Happy Castle Art Camp

1. Central Communal Hub

At the heart of Happy Castle lies the central communal hub. This area serves as the primary gathering point for residents and visitors alike, fostering interaction, shared meals, and a sense of belonging. The hub can include:

  • Town Square: A large open space for gatherings, markets, and communal activities.

  • Community Center: A multi-purpose building with rooms for meetings, events, and educational workshops. This will primarily be used by the community-members, but will occasionally be open to guests and visitors for special-events such as wellness retreats or workshops.

  • Kitchen and Dining Hall: A communal kitchen with outdoor dining spaces for residents and guests. While residents will primarily prepare and serve meals to their fellow members, this building will also occasionally serve as a restaurant for campers, visitors, and festival-goers, generating additional income for the commune.

  • Visitor Reception: Entry point with information desks, merchandise sales, and orientation spaces for newcomers. This building will also serve as the Box Office during events.

  • Workshops and Studios: These buildings will be available for guests to practice various artistic, off-grid survival, and village-life skills, most often under the guidance or instruction of residents. They’re meant to serve as the classroom for various workshops offered by the commune, enhance the campground experience for campers, and generate income for the commune.​​

The Master Land Plan for Happy Castle has been designed so that the layout emphasizes harmony between its eco-village, campground, farm, and festival venue while ensuring both the functionality and aesthetics of each. The plan facilitates growth and adaptability, while maintaining an overarching vision that ties each area together. Below is a general framework for this long-term vision:

2. Residential Zone (Eco-Village)

Surrounding the communal hub is the residential zone, where permanent and semi-permanent residents will live. This area will be more private, focusing on the daily life of members and interns, rather than catering to guests and visitors.

  • Eco-Housing Clusters: Superadobe Earthbag dome homes, Earthships, and Hyperadobe dwellings arranged in small clusters or "neighborhoods" that encourage social interaction but preserve privacy. Some of these clusters will be designed with long-term members in mind, while others will focus more on trial-members, interns, and workshop attendees.

  • Community Garden Plots: Small individual or shared plots within the residential areas where members can grow their own vegetables or plants. Besides campsites, residential zones will feature the majority of landscaping plants.

  • Workshops and Studios: Personal workspaces for residents to pursue hobbies, crafts, or creative projects.

​3. Campground and Visitor Area

The campground is a key source of revenue for Happy Castle, catering to short-term visitors who come for retreats, workshops, festivals, and events.

  • Camping Areas: Designated tent and RV camping sites nestled within the landscape. These areas should be spread out to reduce noise pollution and provide a more serene experience for campers.

  • Rentable Structures: A limited number of Superadobe Earthbag Dome homes and yurts available for rent to visitors.

  • Shower and Restroom Facilities: Eco-friendly, composting toilet and solar shower stations. Shower facilities will generate income for the commune while composting toilets generate valuable soil amendments for our permaculture projects.​

  • Firepits: Designated areas for communal firepits and bonfires across the campground that visitors can use. 

4. Festival Grounds

The festival grounds should be designed for large-scale events but remain usable year-round, with art and infrastructure integrated into the campground.

  • Performance Stages: Several large open-air amphitheaters and stages will dot the festival grounds for performances, lectures, and gatherings.

  • Art Installations and Sculptures: Permanent interactive art-installations scattered throughout the campground, with presentation spaces for Ephemeral Art Grant recipients to set up temporary pieces.

  • Campgrounds for Events: Special camping areas designated for VIP festival-goers, like performers or organizers, separate from the daily-use campgrounds to ensure minimal disruption.  

  • Theme Camps: Special areas for interactive theme camps that designated guests can set up at during festivals, contributing to the creative and immersive atmosphere for other attendees. These campsites are generally larger with additional amenities.

  • Food Truck and Vendor Space: A designated area with connections to power for food trucks and pop-up vendors to set up during festivals.​

5. Agricultural Zone

The agricultural section of Happy Castle plays a dual role in providing food for residents and demonstrating sustainable practices.

  • Permaculture Gardens: Divided into rotational zones for growing crops and nurturing the soil. These gardens will feature a combination of native-plants and desert-resilient fruiting trees like Jujubees, Apricots, and Figs. 

  • Hydroponic Greenhouses and Aquaponics: Year-round food production facilities, using aquaponic systems that can support fish and plant life while conserving limited water resources.

  • Livestock Areas: A small zone for poultry, goats, or other livestock, designed to minimize environmental impact and fit into the permaculture system.

  • Composting Stations: An area where organic waste is processed for use in the gardens, closing the waste loop.​

6. Art Installations and Exploration Zones

To reflect Happy Castle’s focus on creativity, interaction, and art, designated areas for installations and exploration should be woven into the land plan.

  • The Maze/Labyrinth: An acre-wide maze that encourages exploration and interaction, potentially located on the outer edge of the residential zone.

  • The Pyramid of the Sun: A monumental climbable structure within the festival grounds, designed to be both an artistic centerpiece and a viewing platform.

  • Clonehenge: A Stonehenge-like structure encircling a communal campfire.

  • Interactive Art Garden: An evolving space for permanent and temporary art installations created by residents and visiting artists.​

7. Off-Grid Infrastructure and Sustainability

Supporting the entire plan is the off-grid infrastructure necessary for self-sufficiency.

  • Water Collection and Storage: Rainwater catchment systems and greywater recycling throughout the entire property. Much of the rainwater catchment surface-area will double as shade providing and solar-production space.

  • Renewable Energy Generation: Solar and wind energy facilities, with panels and turbines located strategically to minimize impact on the landscape while maximizing energy capture.

  • Waste Management and Recycling: Central composting and recycling areas, with a goal of achieving zero waste through education and resident participation.​

8. Future Expansion Areas

While the initial development focuses on core elements, the plan should leave room for future growth.

  • Workshops and Business Spaces: Additional buildings for skills training, product manufacturing, or small businesses that can contribute to the commune’s revenue.

  • More Housing Clusters: Space for new residential zones as the community grows. We anticipate eventually housing 100-150 full-time members.

  • Additional Events Infrastructure: Besides our music-festival infrastructure, Happy Castle will host a number of different types of events including Treasure Hunts, Paintball Tournaments, and Motorbike Racing. These types of infrastructure can be built away from main festival areas for maximum convenience and integration. ​

9. Roads and Pathways

  • Main Roads: One main road traverses the entire campground, spiraling across its perimeter towards its center. Several other roads bisect this one from the sides, meeting in the middle, almost like the slices of a pizza. Intersections often terminate in roundabouts.

  • Walking Paths: Footpaths will wind between different zones, promoting pedestrian access and connecting visitors to various areas, installations, and buildings.​

10. Natural Preservation Zones

Preserving and enhancing the surrounding desert landscape is a top priority, with areas set aside for nature conservation and regeneration projects.

  • Wildlife Corridors: Undeveloped portions of land where local fauna can thrive. Happy Castle will continuously plant native species to increase biodiversity and resilience of the ecosystem.

  • Water Rejuvenation Areas: Low-lying zones designated for rainwater harvesting and soil regeneration, allowing the land to rehydrate and support native plant species. These areas will feature swales, amended soil, added plants, irrigation channels, and collection ponds.

 

This master land plan serves as a flexible guide, designed to be implemented over many years as the needs of Happy Castle evolve. Each phase of construction and development should harmonize with the existing landscape, creating a balance between ecological sustainability, community life, and economic opportunity.

HAPPY CASTLE ART CAMP

FARM. FESTIVAL. CAMPGROUND. COMMUNE.

THE ECO-VILLAGE

The Eco-Village at Happy Castle Art Camp is a bold experiment in communal living, blending innovative design with a deep commitment to sustainability and connection. Drawing inspiration from intentional communities and cohousing models, the village reimagines what it means to live and create together, emphasizing shared spaces that foster collaboration and intimacy while minimizing waste and costs. Every aspect of its design is tailored to meet the unique needs and goals of our community, creating an environment where interaction thrives and individuals flourish.

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The village is organized in a circular layout that reflects its values of inclusivity and accessibility. At its heart is a vibrant communal hub, home to essential shared spaces like the kitchen, dining hall, art studios, and workshops—places where residents and visitors naturally come together to share meals, exchange ideas, and create. Radiating outward are clusters of eco-homes, carefully arranged to balance privacy with opportunities for social interaction, while shared gardens and greenhouses weave nature into the daily rhythm of life.

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On the village's outer edges are the larger, functional structures that sustain the community and support its broader mission. Warehouses and greenhouses provide resources for sustainable living, while visitor-facing buildings like merchandise shops and box offices welcome newcomers and festivalgoers. This seamless integration of communal infrastructure and intentional design creates a village that isn’t just a place to live, but a dynamic space for connection, creativity, and collective effort.

THE CAMPGROUND and Festival grounds

The Campground at Happy Castle Art Camp is a sprawling, immersive space that invites visitors to connect with the desert landscape, vibrant art, and one another. Covering the land beyond the Eco-Village, this dynamic area is both a haven for adventurers seeking solitude under the stars and a communal gathering ground for creativity and connection. It serves as the heartbeat of Happy Castle during festivals and events, transforming into a lively, interactive art and performance venue.

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The campground is dotted with open camping spaces and designated sites featuring power hookups, RV dumping stations, and rainwater-fed showers, offering a balance of off-grid simplicity and modern convenience. Massive earthworks, sculptural art installations, and attractions like the labyrinth, pyramid, amphitheaters, and stages are woven into the landscape, inviting exploration and interaction. Communal spaces like bonfire pits, shaded pavilions, and playgrounds provide places for guests to gather, share stories, and build connections.

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During events, the campground doubles as the festival grounds, hosting performances, workshops, and celebrations. Amphitheaters and stages come alive with music, storytelling, and dance, while the natural beauty of the desert forms a breathtaking backdrop. Whether you're here to camp, create, or collaborate, the Happy Castle Campground is more than a place to stay—it's a space to belong.

At Happy Castle, art is the lifeblood of our vision, and the entire campground serves as an evolving canvas for large-scale, interactive, and permanent art installations. Each piece is designed to inspire awe, spark curiosity, and foster connection between visitors, residents, and the desert itself. From monumental sculptures to intricate paintings, art will shape every corner of our landscape, turning the campground into a living, breathing art garden.

 

While iconic projects like the Pyramid of the Sun and the Labyrinth already have designated sites, the majority of future installations will be placed as their designs evolve, ensuring that they harmonize with the surrounding environment and integrate seamlessly with campsites and festival grounds. Art at Happy Castle is not an afterthought but an intrinsic part of the campground's identity, interwoven into communal spaces, pathways, and gathering areas. Visitors will sleep, explore, and celebrate among these creations, making every stay a truly immersive experience.

Art installations 

PERMACULTURE

The Permaculture and Regeneration efforts at Happy Castle Art Camp are a cornerstone of our vision to heal the land and restore the delicate desert ecosystem. For over a century, the land has endured severe degradation from overgrazing, leaving the soil dry, compacted, and stripped of its natural vitality. Our mission is to reverse this damage, using permaculture principles and regenerative design to transform the campground into a thriving oasis of life and biodiversity.

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The entirety of the campground will be shaped with earthworks such as swales, terraces, and retention ponds, strategically placed to capture rainwater and slow its flow across the land. By rehydrating the soil, these features will reduce erosion, replenish groundwater, and create microclimates where plant life can flourish.

We are beginning a large-scale planting effort to introduce native, drought-tolerant species that are well-adapted to the harsh desert climate. These plants not only stabilize the soil but also provide shade, habitat, and food for wildlife, helping to rebuild the ecological balance. Over time, we aim to foster a resilient, self-sustaining landscape that supports both human activity and natural processes.

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Through these efforts, Happy Castle is not just regenerating its land—it’s becoming a model for sustainable living in arid environments. By harmonizing with nature, we are proving that even the most degraded landscapes can be brought back to life with vision, effort, and respect for the earth.

Permaculture Map Snip_edited_edited

Power and Water Infrastructure

At Happy Castle, our power and water infrastructure is designed to exemplify self-sufficiency and sustainability. Vast shaded areas throughout the property will not only provide comfort and respite from the harsh desert sun, but also serve as rainwater catchment systems, capturing precious desert rainfall and channeling it into millions of gallons of storage capacity. This ensures a steady water supply for our residents, gardens, and visitors, even in the driest months.

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Our energy plan focuses on significant overproduction of solar power. By installing a robust solar array, we aim to generate more electricity than we need, allowing us to sell the excess back to the grid, creating a sustainable income source for the community. These systems will not only meet the needs of our residents and guests but also demonstrate the viability of renewable energy and water solutions in arid environments.

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