Situated between the towns of Athens and Coxsackie in Greene County, the Flint Mine Solar Power Plant will be the largest solar power plant in the eastern U.S. Like many infrastructure projects of that scale, its construction comes into friction with the interests of rural communities. Positioned at the intersection of intentional communities with infrastructural systems, this project explores how large-scale infrastructural projects can be re-appropriated by intentional communities, host public programs, and accommodate spontaneous usage. Informed by a validated agrivoltaic system, the photovoltaic arrays are raised by 20 feet to allow for the co-development of the ground plane according to the quality of its soil. Three lots purchased by Flint Mine Solar are chosen to investigate how the space beneath the photovoltaic arrays and manipulations of its grid can host contemporary versions of intentional-community typologies. The Self-Sufficient Community comprises structures that plug into the existing infrastructure to house temporary H2A migrants and urban tourists working in an apple orchard or cider distillery. The Artist Community includes experimental performing artists that use the terrain and transcend the infrastructural grid to produce housing and exhibitions. The Spiritual Community is defined by deletions, extensions, and placements of solar panels to generate processions and apertures reminiscent of sacred spaces.
