SOL 2012 survival project

SOL 2012 Survival ProjectThe SOL library in the high mountains of Spain will preserve backups/copies of scientific and cultural achievements important to mankind. SOL will aim to safeguard important world culture and literature from future natural and man-made calamities. In the event of a global crisis, the SOL archivists will be prepared to reintroduce lost knowledge. PROJECT 2012 - SOL 2012 survival projectThe Mataha Foundation calls upon people to become archivist of SOL.
The aim of the archivists is to ensure the continuation of human culture.
The archivists pursue this goal by realizing and preserving SOL in the transition period leading up to and beyond 2012 in a sustainable way. SOL2012 - MISSION STATEMENT - SOL 2012 survival projectSOL is a project organized by the Mataha Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 2009 to support archaeological excavation of the labyrinth of Egypt. The Mataha Foundation’s mission is to ensure the continuation of human culture. The organization contributes to this goal through research, preservation work and the promotion of art, science and spirituality. The Mataha Foundation pursues this goal by realizing and supporting holistic projects that draw on knowledge of the past and present to enhance the prosperity of future generations. To fulfill its mission, the Mataha Foundation is dedicated to realizing the SOL project, a continuously staffed library in the high mountains of southern Spain. To embody a global statement, the SOL research facility will preserve records and copies of scientific and cultural achievements important to mankind. SOL will aim to safeguard important aspects of world culture from future calamities, both natural and man-made. In the event of a world crisis, the SOL station will be prepared to reintroduce lost knowledge, and even help to re-establish and re-found society. SOL will be a long-term and international project: an underground repository where heritage material can be stored safely in optimal conditions, not only before and during, but also after a possible apocalypse. It will seek to record and continuously update the essence of human culture in its many forms. It will in no sense be a time capsule, but will rather be an updated record of life on earth in its broad spectrum of: art, science, technology, spirituality, history, philosophy, and all that constitutes the sum of human culture. The station is being situated in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, and is envisaged to house thousands of books, documents, pictures, and even cultural artifacts from all over the world. It will be built to withstand catastrophes such as earthquakes, abrupt climate change, nuclear war, asteroid strike or potential events such as a pole shift. SOL will offer secure storage in its underground repository to records held by libraries, universities, institutes and philanthropists. The vault will have a more or less infinite life expectancy. The books will be stored as a backup copy in case the original collection is lost for any reason. In other words, the station will act as a safety net, enabling any lost library or collection in the world to rebuild from SOL records.Today there are thousands of libraries around the world; but all are in geographical, environmental or urban locations that may potentially be hazardous. When SOL is built, it will be one of the most isolated and secure libraries on the planet.The archivists, a group of skilled individuals accompanied by their families, will maintain SOL’s monumental archive and daily work. The SOL archivists will function as a sustainable, ecological, off-grid community. They will contribute to the preservation of the environment, and have the capacity to be self-sufficient at times of prolonged upheaval. The SOL facility will stand as a visible and inspiring symbol of our human aspirations, promoting art, science and spirituality by offering research residencies, workshops, courses and training that emphasize environmental awareness as a core theme.SOL2012 - VISION - SOL 2012 survival projectApocalyptic ideas and expectations have shaped the world as we know it in profound and enduring ways. In the Early Modern era, a deeply eschatological set of ideas proved instrumental in enabling people to see their world through prisms other than that of religion. On many occasions in the past, the apocalyptic mindset has proven to be of great value as a catalyst for traditional spiritual, political, social and scientific development, helping to advance humanity’s evolution. The apocalypse underwrote the Reformation in the 16th century, the English Revolution in the 17th century, and the American Revolution in the 18th century; and hopefully will also promote a Green Revolution in the 21st century. Ongoing manifestations of apocalyptic conscience have in the past informed and strongly affected culture, making important breakthroughs possible in both science and art. Most surprisingly, apocalyptic expectations played a catalyzing role in creating secular culture — arguably the signal achievement of the post-medieval West. Apocalyptic visions demonstrably acted as an agent for change in the past, and are probably the only way to really change things today. The apocalyptic idea is the manifestation of our subconscious will to change. Today the apocalyptic topic is with us as never before. When billions of people world-wide are contemplating the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, then we know that change is imminent. We can only survive the future by taking action now. With increasing awareness of the very real threat of a pending climate catastrophe goes a realization that we are not exactly innocent when we consider the causes and effects of such catastrophe. We cannot, therefore, blame divine providence, fate or natural forces. We know that we cannot change the world alone, but this does not mean we can ignore our responsibility as individual human beings. Instead of hiding behind governments or the global capitalist system, we can act now in a way that will allow us to face our own descendants with good conscience. SOL’s vision is that confrontation with the future is the only way to make people aware, to make people care. SOL has no desire to wallow in doom and pessimism, but instead wishes to question our idea of a catastrophe. What is its significance for philosophy, art and science when we shed the light of the future on it, and when we compare it to the shadows of the past? Does this vision paralyze us with fear, or can we see it as a salutary release? Do we have a death wish, or do we simply see pending catastrophe as a great excuse to embrace hedonism in the here and now? Does it offer us the illusion of inevitable downfall or does it force us to act and take responsibility before it is too late? SOL is envisaged as the best way to confront the most crucial aspects of the contemporary world. SOL will not only be a medium to preserve, communicate or inform, but also a message to the world; or rather a multiplicity of messages that, in the light of potential apocalypse, will have an intensity and concentration sufficient to make humanity aware of its impact on the future. SOL unequivocally aims to counter materialism and consumerism, and nurture the realm of the spirit.If we want to survive in future we must ultimately decide to take care of ourselves and not count on “the system” to help us. SOL will contribute to this impetus by activating the forces that characterize life itself: cooperation, altruism, beauty, synergy and love. The message of SOL will reflect the scope of human vision.SOL2012 - DESIGN - SOL 2012 survival projectThe SOL station’s design is completely holistic, from the overall SOL project concept to its architectural modularity. A tremendous effort has been made to think of every conceivable incident that SOL and its crew could face in all types of situations. Experimentation with many architectural concepts and geometrical shapes was undertaken before finalizing the SOL station’s design.SOL will basically consist of an above- and below-ground level.
The above-ground building will be a hive of industry, serving the public and daily functioning of the station. It is here that the archivists and residents will live and work, and where workshops, courses and training will take place. The upper part of the facility will be connected by a tunnel to the below-ground center of SOL, where the library will be housed. The lower part of the SOL station will be designed to meet the highest standards for preserving books and providing a living environment for the archivists at critical times.The library will consist of a concrete dome 18 meters (60 feet) in diameter. Throughout history, the dome has been the architectural form of choice wherever emphasis is placed on a structure’s efficiency and strength.
From the simple igloo sheltering Arctic hunters during the ravages of a blinding storm, to the awe-inspiring magnificence of the Pantheon in Rome, the dome has been used in every culture, on every continent, as one of man’s most versatile constructions.The dome will have two air-conditioned floors: one for the library and one for the community. The lowest level will have a sprung floor and double-height shelving, offering space for hundreds of meters of compact bookshelves. The underground repository design will facilitate long-term preservation of organic library materials by integrating a range of environmental controls.
Key environmental factors include temperature, relative humidity, pests, pollutants and light exposure. Particulate and gaseous pollutants such as soot, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can cause dust, soiling, and irreversible molecular damage to materials. Pollutants are exceedingly small and not easily detectable or removable. Special filtration systems in the building’s HVAC will be installed as constant defense for the books and to provide fresh breathing air for the archivists congregating in the dome.The Mataha Foundation’s concerns about the impact of the management of cultural heritage objects on climate change, has prompted its research efforts to integrate alternative climate-control methods and strategies to replace or supplement traditional high-energy consuming HVAC systems, along with passive conservation techniques such as simply going underground.

The book collection will be archived by means of a special card-index library classification system, the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) developed by the Belgian bibliographer Paul Otlet at the end of the 19th century. The documents classified by UDC may be in any form. They can be literature, i.e. written documents, but may also be in other media such as microfilms, video and sound recordings, illustrations, maps, as well as art objects themselves. The advantage of this system is that it can be infinitely extended and enlarged.The floor above the library will be used as study and meditation space. This floor will be able to be transformed as a living environment to accommodate the archivists in times of upheaval. SOL will accordingly be able to operate off-grid and completely independently of any local community services. The dome will be the heart of the SOL station. The circular shape of the library allows to act as true pressure vessel with resistance to high external pressure. The dome will be mechanically connected to the above-ground house by a tunnel. The tunnel connections will have seismic joints to allow movement during ground shock from either earthquake or overpressure from a nuclear blast. The SOL station will have its own power supply and will function solely with renewable energies to limit its carbon footprint as much as possible. To this end, the energy used by the station will be obtained from windmills and solar panels. Its passive heating/cooling and waste-water recycling system, as well as its use of low-energy appliances, will make it a particularly energy-efficient complex.Water distribution at the station will be managed very carefully. It will be distributed and managed frugally, and it will be also reused after treatment. Used water will be naturally recycled at the station. All will after treatment be reused for showers, washing machines, toilets and and irrigation. This will be done by an organic filtering system that treats all the waste-water produced at the station. All solid garbage will be shredded and compacted for storage in metal drums, and taken away during re-supply operations.The berming used over the dome can be easily blended into the natural landscape. All the excavated earth and rocks can be used on the site for landscaping. The earth cover over the dome will be at least 2.5 meters (102 inches) in thickness and will shield the library from solar and nuclear radiation. Giving the crew in the most extreme situations only a radiation dose less than a standard chest X-ray.In order to avoid visitor cars in the neighborhood of the SOL station, a private parking place will be established in the valley or the nearest town. A special SOL truck or all-terrain vehicle will be used to ferry the visitors and their luggage to SOL. This same transporter will also be used to supply provisions and bring garbage to the local recycling facility or a pre-determined garbage pit for organically degradable mass.
The SOL library will be constructed by experienced contractors; Domos & Bioconstrucción (www.domos.es) & Radius (www.radiusengineering.eu), with the help of volunteers and the SOL crew. The Mataha Foundation will supervise the coordination of the construction works to make sure that the station is realized to the highest possible standards.The SOL library will be constructed by the experienced contractor Domos & Bioconstrucción (www.domos.es), with the help of volunteers and the SOL crew. The Mataha Foundation will supervise the coordination of the construction works to make sure that the station is realized to the highest possible standards. SOL2012 - LOCATION - SOL 2012 survival projectEarly 2010 the Mataha Foundation acquired a high mountain property nearby Trevélez in the Spanish Sierra Nevada. The very remote estate situated at an altitude of 2000 meter above sealevel consists of a big cortijo house and several hectares of terraced farmland. After intense research by a wide range of specialists, the Mataha Foundation decided that the Sierra Nevada is the best location for the construction of SOL.
The Sierra Nevada is an extensive mountain range in the green region of Andalusia in Spain. UNESCO has declared the whole range to be a biosphere reserve, in recognition of its exceptionally diverse plant, bird and animal species. There are over 20 peaks over 3000 meters above sea level, which makes it the second highest mountain range in Europe after the Alps. The area boards the Mediterranean, and is predominantly known for its warm temperatures and abundant sunshine. By its foothills lie the beautiful city of Granada and the ports of Málaga and Almería. Granada has some of the most remarkable architecture from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian past, and is situated where the Sierra Nevada mountains meet the lower fertile plains. The Sierra Nevada range was formed during the geological upheavals that also formed the European Alps to the east and the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa across the Mediterranean to the south. The Sierra as observed today was formed 65 to 1.8 million years ago, during the Tertiary Period, from a collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates.The Mataha Foundation pinpointed this mountain range so as to locate SOL in a remote location at least 2000 meters above sea level. This height will protect SOL from asteroid- and pole-shift-induced floods and mega-tsunamis. The Sierra Nevada is an excellent location for the project due to the absence of volcanoes and nuclear power plants in the close vicinity. However, from a nuclear perspective, Europe remains one of the most critical locations on the planet because of its extensive arsenal of nuclear facilities. Europe fortunately still has areas like southern Spain that are nuclear free yet easily accessible by road, unlike some other safe areas in lesser-developed countries. As regards a potential ice age triggered by weakening of the gulf stream, the Sierra Nevada is positioned at a favorable latitude since it lies at a safe distance from the polar regions. To manage all the related building restrictions and regulations, the Mataha Foundation designers, architects and engineers will blend SOL harmoniously into the mountainous landscape, in architectural harmony with the indigenous culture and ecology of the Sierra Nevada region.SOL2012 - FUNDATION - SOL 2012 survival projectThe wide scope and lengthy timespan of the SOL project will require a corresponding support system, transcending national boundaries and the lifetimes of administrations and political systems. While additional funding from governmental organizations, national institutes or universities is envisaged once the library is fully operational, its core support will come from private sector philanthropy. Once the SOL project is realized, the station will become financially autonomous by generating sustainable income via workshops, courses and training. These profits will be re-invested in SOL, and will serve to cover the archivist’s daily levies. The SOL project is financially coordinated by the Mataha Foundation, which will also support the station’s operational management.The Mataha Foundation is a Belgian non-profit organization founded by the artist Louis De Cordier. The MF’s headquarters are situated in Belgium, at the center of Europe. To facilitate support for its projects from philanthropists and private corporations via tax-deductible donations, the Mataha Foundation will provide solutions that can be tailored to related needs, interests and priorities. Since the Mataha Foundation is a non-profit organisation, donors may claim the maximum tax benefits allowable for their contributions under, for instance, United States tax law. The SOL property and its related assets are incorporated into a common law legal trust, settled by a group of grantors and financially managed by the Mataha Foundation as trustee. The Mataha Foundation chose to establish a trust, seen it provides the world’s highest international asset protection elements, for the settlors and the archivist community with its charitable mission as beneficiary.Ascending a high mountain starts with small steps. In the case of SOL, we began to publicized the idea to attract supporters and collect funds. All funds to realize the project are coming from trust grantors and self-generated income. To generate funds for the SOL project, the Mataha Foundation envisages membership fees, philanthropic donations (tax-deductible), the sale of art (Golden Sun Disk), and volunteering.For more info to make a donation or become a Mataha Foundation member please go to > www.matahafoundation.comPeople willing to become archivist can join by sending us an application.
For more info go to > www.sol2012.comOUTLINEThe Mataha Foundation calls upon motivated people to become SOL archivist. The aim of the SOL-project is the continuation of human culture. The archivists will pursue this goal by preserving the SOL library in the transition period leading up to 2012 and beyond. We envisage positive and dynamic persons willing to create an alternative, more natural lifestyle based on pragmatism, and in all respect to the individuality and privacy of every person.SOL’s mission is to plan for the future. Whilst our emphasis is on preserving culture, the archivists will also prepare for the possibility of major earth changes, with a focus on self-sufficiency for surviving and thriving when food, transport, and energy industries suddenly sputter out. The location, design and preparation of SOL will meet the toughest criteria for sustainable off-grid living. The objective is an international archivist community, without need to live on site. While some archivist will live at SOL to maintain the daily functioning of the station and its (agri)cultural activities, other archivists and their families can live on there own property in the proximity of SOL, or in their homeland residency. All under the condition to join efforts preserving SOL in times of upheaval.
ACCOMODATIONThe archivist community will be centered around:the SOL library;
the cortijo with communal facilities;
a collection of habitats, providing the archivist private accommodation.

Library
The underground part of the station, where the library will be housed, will provide a protected living environmment for the archivist at critical times.Habitats
In architectural contrast to the underground library, the accommodation for the archivists will have an ephemeral character. To provide the archivists private roof, the Mataha foundation conceives; high quality manufactured geodesic tents and yurts in the short run; earthbag domes and vernacular houses in the long run.Cortijo
The cortijo will include communal facilities such as the kitchen, the refectory, lounge, bar, lavatory, space for recreation and workshops, and an office complete with computerized communications, satellite TV, and a powerfull radio transceiver. All technological means will be available to keep the archivists updated.
Participant profileThe SOL project is open to all motivated and culture minded people. MF seeks to assemble a coherent group of SOL residents based on respect for differences. We support all aspects of diversity and offer equal participation opportunity to all applicants irrespective of their skills, education, race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability or wealth. We decided money should not be the defining factor in the ability to join the SOL community. However, SOL is a most valuable project and the Mataha Foundation will accordingly only approve very valuable participators. Please be aware that in consequence the project will require a high level of cooperation from every participant, to actively contribute to realization of SOL and to facilitate the station’s daily functioning. The Mataha Foundation chose this approach, to reach as many committed & exceptionally skilled people as possible.
How to participateYou can apply by using the SOL application form on www.sol2012.com;the SOL application form must be completed and send to us, you will be invited to meet us in Spain,this meeting will be followed by approval from the Mataha Foundation, to participate as a member of the archivist community.
SUPPORTThe Mataha Foundation will fund the basic realization of the SOL station and community. To become archivist, applicants will accordingly not be asked any kind of participation fee, nor charged to cover the cost of the project realization and accommodation. We decided money should not be the defining factor in the ability to join the SOL community. Money is required to create the project; however, it’s more important that people are willing to contribute what they have, rather than how much they have. Please be aware that in consequence the project will require a high level of cooperation from every participant to actively contribute to the realization of SOL and to facilitate the station’s daily functioning. The Mataha Foundation chose this approach, to reach as many committed people as possible. Participant contributions will be used to realize overall improvements to the SOL station, and support extra preparedness of the SOL community as a whole.Visa / travel documents - Participants will need to arrange their own travel documents depending on their nationality. Where pre-authorization /invite letters are required, MF will assist in acquiring the same. SOL2012 - CONTACT - SOL 2012 survival projectwww.sol2012.com
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