Self-Sustaining Houses

The challenge is enormous

Architects have been exploring the viability of self-sustaining houses in various ways as a method to build more eco-conscious buildings that answer to the depletion of natural resources worldwide as a result of climate change. One recent example comes from the architectural practice Archiopteryx which built The People Tree House in Noida, India. The building was designed as a home "for medical entrepreneurs." It is located above a clinic and it features a spiral staircase, an elevator, and a roof-top swimming pool.

There are various features that make this building a self-sustaining house. A curved ramp on the roof was designed by Archiopteryx to collect rainwater and recycle it to irrigate planted areas. In the same location, five solar panels generate energy for the building.

Image Credit: Andre J. Fanthome of Studio Noughts & Crosses