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Telos Mount Shasta, Siskiyou County, California USA 
Telos is an interdisciplinary design/research/education facility, planned by architect and author, Eugene Tsui, located at 3500 feet elevation on 170 buildable acres and 350 additional national park acres of alpine desert at the base of Mount Shasta, the highest volcano and the largest volumetric mountain in the USA. It is on the Juniper Valley area of Weed, California approximately 500 meters south from Lake Shastina and 12 kilometers northeast of the city of Mount Shasta, California. The area is bordered by Lava caves, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, small mountains and a nationally recognized ski/snow boarding park, all within 20 minutes drive of Telos. Of note is the nearby 7000 foot elevation Castle Crag Lake--a volcanic lake 650 feet deep surrounded by sheer stone cliffs. From the Telos site, on a clear day, you can see to the ends of the earth in all directions. It is a place seemingly on top of the world. The educational concept of Telos was first conceived and named by Dr. Eugene Tsui in 1985 at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1988, Eugene Tsui completed his interdisciplinary doctorate in architecture and education and wrote his graduating dissertation about the Telos concept. The word, telos, is a Greek term meaning, purposefulness, or, final purpose. Its intention is to bring together the most far-reaching artistic, social and scientific discoveries of humanity as a basis for social change; to create the microcosm of a world governed by a mutually beneficial relationship of humanity and nature; an educative environment that questions the debilitating influences of social and cultural conditioning and institutionalized religion and seeks to design a world based upon the profound intelligence of nature. In 2004 a master plan was first drawn. The first building will begin construction in 2008. A completed campus of buildings is scheduled by 2012. The Telos plan contains the following buildings and special landscape features:
1) Main Residence 1) Swimming and Diving Pool REGIONAL FEATURES: 1) Lake Shastina (1000+ meters distance from Telos) GENERAL STATISTICS: Telos Population: Up to 100 persons, male and female,
minimally 18 years of age. LIFE AT TELOS A TYPICAL DAY SCHEDULE: Open Athletic Facilities: 6:00AM
Hands On Construction POST DAY ACTIVITIES (AFTER 6:00PM): ATHLETIC TRAINING FOR GLOBAL PRACTICALITY: Wing Chun Kung Fu Recording Studio Engineering
The Place Of Civil Disobedience
Film photography STAGE PERFORMANCE Plays
Radio Programs
Spanish TELOS VISION STATEMENT Telos is a environment where individuals from various countries come to gain knowledge, skills and commitment that will enable them to become designers, non-violent and forceful leaders of world change. Design, art, music, athletics, science and creative inquisitiveness are catalysts for social change. The Telos design attitude is deeply rooted in the scientific study of nature as a basis for sensible and beautiful design and as a way of life. Yet, design in itself, is not enough to impart a profound change in human thought and behavior. The human individual must initiate and become a proactive example of leadership that brings lasting change to destroy the heinous injustices of our human world; injustices such as slavery, poverty, corruption, oppression, the exploitation of women, children and the destitute, the destructive consequences of consumerism, racial and governmental coercion and environmental destruction. No single person can be truly successful until every person is successful. This is the fundamental attitude that guides human life at its deepest and highest understanding—and this requires thought, insight and action—action that lies at the fundamental basis for life at Telos.
At Telos, participants learn by direct involvement with current design projects. Learning by doing imparts real responsibilities and understanding of the issues and persons involved in developing a design—from concept through to construction completion. Many persons must be communicated with; the engineer, the soils engineer, environmental protection groups, the surveyor, the builder, the sub-contractors, the energy calculator, the materials representatives, the planning and building departments, building inspectors and neighborhood associations. All of these individuals come together in every project. Academic settings fail to provide such practical, essential learning. Another component of learning is the participation in
constructing buildings. How can aspiring designers gain practical skills
when they have never built anything? Even the professions of architecture
and engineering do not provide such valuable experience. The Telos experience
includes gaining knowledge and skills from constructing buildings. Telos is a culture which, “seeks to live lightly on the planet”. Its electrical energy source is windmills and photovoltaic solar panels. Its sewage treatment is by water plants and marine life contained in a constructed wetlands ponds. Cooking is provided by wood and propane gas. Indigenous materials of the site; rocks and Pine/Juniper/Manzanita wood and loom/soil are used as building material.
The Telos environment promotes and encourages every participant to regularly engage in vigorous physical training and learn to competently play at least one musical instrument. Athletic and musical knowledge and skills are essential to the physical and spiritual health of every human being. These are skills that are life long and crucial to a strong and well informed life. Athletics, music and having diverse skills and knowledge in many fields is also crucial to successfully communicating with others. If the ultimate intention is world change then the ability to navigate through every kind of unknown physical and social terrain is essential to success. These terrains are often hostile and foreboding. One must be able to defend oneself and have creative imagination and resourcefulness both physically and socially. One must also have the verbal skills to communicate in a wide variety of circumstances; from a very intimate few to public crowds of thousands of people. An individual who is not physically, mentally and creatively strong—who has not learned the discipline of physical and creative training—will not likely succeed in times of debilitating difficulty and social duress. The physique and the soul must learn how to harness its power. This comes through regular, disciplined training and experience. It comes through dedication, life long commitment and the applied attainment of personal vision. Creative imagination and the inquisitiveness to experiment is a component of this. True experimentation is rigorous and tedious. It requires never giving up. This is the spirit of Telos. Telos is an environment that helps others to find their personal vision—to find clarity of direction and purpose.
Telos accepts persons 18 years of age or older, from any country and from a variety of backgrounds. Preference is given to college graduates from the allied fields of architecture, engineering, ecology, regional planning, biology, the arts and sciences. The most desirable traits of persons accepted at Telos are: Curiosity, dependability, promptitude, analytical thinking, trainability, unrelenting focus and persistence. Individuals who come to Telos are characterized as having an interest in many subjects, are multi-talented risk-takers with a fascination for challenging the unknown and the untried. They are ready to take on any task to learn more. With this comes patience and the ability to reflect and analyze upon one’s experiences with the intention of personal improvement. Telos does not accept anyone with a history of alcohol drinking, drug use, tobacco and marijuana smoking or criminal offenses. A three month probationary period applies to all Telos candidates for an initial annual stay. |
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