El Cosmico: Trans-Pecos Kibbutz
El Cosmico is the latest lodging concept from Liz Lambert and her management company, Bunkhouse. Lambert is the creative force behind the popular Hotel San Jose in Austin, as well as the city's landmark coffeehouse, Jo's Hot Coffee. Lambert's first project in Marfa, the Thunderbird Hotel, met with critical acclaim, not only for its clean, crisp aesthetic, but also for its respect for the austere West Texas landscape. Lambert has moved on, ending her business relationship with the Thunderbird Hotel in the fall of 2005. Lambert's work has been featured in numerous magazines, newsweeklies, design books and travel shows."El Cosmico will be a Trans-Pecos kibbutz for the 21st century - part yurt and hammock hotel, part residential living, part art-house, greenhouse, amphitheatre and farmer's market - a community space that fosters artistic and intellectual exchange."
Lambert is working with the architecture firm Lake/Flato and with Jamey Garza of Benton/Garza Design. As part of the overall aim to build community in a creative and sustainable space, twenty to thirty renovated vintage trailers will be sold to make up a small village on the site. Owners will have the option to put their various Vagabond and Spartan trailers into a rental pool when they're not in residence. Over time, Lambert will also add yurts, hammocks and rammed earth buildings to the property to create El Cosmico's unconventional hotel. A large pool and pavilion will lie at the bedouin heart of the village; residents and visitors can cool off in the summer months with a swim, or warm up in the winter in wood-fired hot tubs.
El Cosmico intends to serve the community of Marfa. Lambert plans to build a series of art shacks along the road leading into the village - a silkscreen workshop, a pottery studio, and a darkroom - places for both guests and locals to get their hands dirty. Lambert hopes that El Cosmico will become part of the everyday fabric of Marfa. See it before it's there: El Cosmico is located on Highway 67, just south of Marfa. Come help El Cosmico celebrate its groundbreaking this September 22-24, 2006. El Cosmico blog. [Because it looks like a lot of folks want to comment on this, I've added a thread for discussion here.]
posted by Mark permanent link
9 Comments:
To me this sounds like a hoot! But I wonder if Marfa is ready for this. If we fight about someone adding a second floor addition, or someone keeping a donkey in their yard, how are we going to react to this permanent caravan of funk?
As far as I'm concerned, long live freedom of expression.
Maybe Marfa needs a better zoning ordinace and a masterplan, or extend its City limts to control such development.
This idea sound a little "too fresh." While freedom of expression is a wonderful and sacred right; we still live in communities, and those values have to be reflected as well (hence zoning and planning laws).
I totally agree with the above. Sounds totally self-serving for it's founder and just one more way for MS. Lambert to get her name in print.
Just not what Marfa needs.
An interesting concept but I'm curious as to how this cosmic kibbutz will serve the community of Marfa. Is it really going to be open to all? Or only the hipsters from here and yonder who can afford it?
Good comments. I'm not sure, but I think it is going to be open to all. I know that the Groundbreaking Party is open to all. Eventually, I think people will be able to buy a trailer or locate their trailer on the site. So there will be privately owned portions of El Cosmico. Maybe someone from El Cosmico will come here and shed some light the plans.... For more discussion, I set up this thread: http://www.archibot.com/dcforum/DCForumID20/82.html
Will the Bedouin heart of the village have ample parking for all the Range Rovers, Land Rovers, Mercedes SUV's and other "nomadic" vehicles. A desert playground for priviledged "vagabonds" seems questionable. Using Marfa's limited water resources for a swimming pool and hot tubs - not a great idea - the evaporation rate of an outdoor pool in Marfa will be tremendous.
Definitions
KIBBUTZ -
YOUR DICTIONARY.com - A collective farm or settlement in modern Israel.
Wordnet Dictionary - a collective farm or settlement owned by its members in modern Israel; children are reared collectively
Merriam- Webster Dictionary - a communal farm or settlement in Israel
BEDOUIN
Dictionary.com - One of the nomadic Arabs who live in tents, and are scattered over Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa, esp. in the deserts.
American Heritage Dictionary - An Arab of any of the nomadic tribes of the Arabian, Syrian, Nubian, or Sahara deserts.
World Web Online - A member of a Nomadic tribe of Arabs.
Webster’s Dictionary - One of the nomadic Arabs who live in tents, and are scattered over Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa, esp. in the deserts.
Wow, what a bunch of party poopers! Can't Ms. Lambert be allowed to dream and create an inspired place if she can? How sad it is that it is becoming so Marfa to say, "this is too fresh!", "just not what Marfa needs!" Yikes...
Everything I have seen Liz Lambert do has been extraordinary. She is a woman of incredible vision and generousity. She is an opportunity maker - for others to share in it is what she expects and hopes for. Also, I worked on a kibutz for a year in the Golan Heights and am not at all offended by the use of this word to describe the vision.
I think it sounds like allot of fun. Although at first it sounds like a gypsy camp...think Shady Grove restaurant in funky Austin (next to the old Town Lake trailer park), but with fun newer facilities and a pool. Jet-stream trailors are cool in the summer. If you add a playground, count me in. We need a family friendly place to stay in Marfa. Good work on all the other renovations that no one else could see were gems. You added to our South Congress community with Hotel San Jose.
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