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zeroHouse Self-Sufficient In Power, Water
zeroHouse is a cool design for a completely self-sufficient house from New York architecture firm Specht Harpman. It uses solar panels to collect enough electricity for household use; rainwater is diverted into a 2700 gallon cistern for use. Plumbing fixtures are gravity-feed only, eliminating pumps.
(zeroHouse exterior view)
Organic waste is processed in a "digester unit" beneath the house; dry compost is removed twice per year. All of the functions of the house are automated; a "house brain" computer monitors sensors and provides household functions based on lifestyle choices of the occupants.
(zeroHouse interior view)
The Zerohouse strongly reminded me of the golden age of humanity brought forth by the Overlords in Arthur C. Clarke's classic novel Childhood's End. In the story, you could put a self-sufficient house down anywhere you wanted.
Most people had two homes, in widely separated parts of the world. Now that the polar regions had been opened up, a considerable fraction of the human race oscillated from Arctic to Antarctic at six-monthly intervals, seeking the long, nightless polar summer. Others had gone into the deserts, up the mountains, or even into the sea. There was nowhere on the planet where science and technology could not provide one with a comfortable home...
Read more about the zeroHouse.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/23/2007)
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