Around the world, innovative homes are redefining how we live. A new book, "Houses That Can Save the World," collects more than 150 examples. Scroll through the gallery to learn more about them.
Author Sean Topham says 3D printing company Icon is "really quite aggressively shaking things up." Its structures are made of "Lavacrete," a quick-drying cement-like mix, and printed using a computer-controlled nozzle that builds up layers vertically. ICON has been awarded a contract by NASA to develop a construction system for the lunar surface. "It's using what's there," says Courtenay Smith, and "a really good application for Earth ... What have we got here that we can use, rather than bringing things from the other side of the world?"
Author Sean Topham says 3D printing company Icon is "really quite aggressively shaking things up." Its structures are made of "Lavacrete," a quick-drying cement-like mix, and printed using a computer-controlled nozzle that builds up layers vertically. ICON has been awarded a contract by NASA to develop a construction system for the lunar surface. "It's using what's there," says Courtenay Smith, and "a really good application for Earth ... What have we got here that we can use, rather than bringing things from the other side of the world?"
Plugin Houses, China, People's Architecture Office (2016-2018) -- In the dense hodgepodge of some of the old urban neighborhoods in Beijing and Shenzhen, houses are being updated with new sections that can be slotted into or around existing and dilapidated structures. The prefabricated panels can be carried through narrow streets, explains Topham, giving a new lease of life to buildings that might otherwise be bulldozed, and keeping families in communities they have lived in for generations.
Buoyant Ecologies Floating Lab, Oakland, California, Architectural Ecologies Lab (2019) -- It may not look like home, but this prototype building is providing insights into the future of marine living. The polymer structure acts as a breakwater to reduce coastal erosion, while its curved and ridged shape is designed to collect rainwater above the surface and provide a habitat for ocean invertebrates on its underside. "I think this is one of my favorite projects in the book," says Topham, who says the concept is being tested further in the Maldives, where it could find application bolstering the islands' shoreline, and also capturing nutrients for mangroves.
Villa Vals, Vals, Switzerland, SeARCH and Christian Müller Architects (2009) -- This cave-like home cut into a Swiss hillside is accessed via an underground tunnel beginning in a nearby barn. Its circular facade allows an abundance of light into the property while having a low impact on the landscape. "What I found so fascinating about it is this idea that links us back to our primeval selves: I need shelter, how do I attain it? Well, I dig myself in," says Smith. "When I spoke to (architect) Christian Müller he said (his) intention was to let nature take the lead. And I found that not only poetic, but also it's a great way of thinking about resources."
Flat House, Cambridgeshire, UK, Practice Architecture (2019) -- The client for this English project makes hemp-based products, and wanted to build using hemp grown on site. Hemp was processed into prefabricated hempcrete blocks, which don't have structural properties, says Topham, but are good at heat insulation and moisture control. The blocks were slotted into a timber frame and the building covered with cladding made from hemp fiber and a sugar-based resin. Hempcrete is biodegradable, so in theory, "once (it's) finished with it can be dismantled, and the material used can be put back into the land," says Topham.
House for Trees, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, Vo Trong Nghia Architects (2014) -- Designed to fit into the dense urban living of Vietnam's largest city, these homes have turned their deep flat roofs into giant containers for flora. "I just love this idea of having a house that is essentially like a massive plant pot," says Topham. Their composition creates internal courtyards, while the green roofs acts as a filter for the city's aerial pollutants. "The planting has to come first," he adds, "rather than doing it as an afterthought."
Mud Shell prototype, London, UK, MuDD Architects (2018) -- The European architecture firm put on a show at the London Design Festival with a simple, quick-to-build structure with a high-tech twist: it was completed by a drone operating a hose covering it in sprayable clay. The delivery method has the potential to find other uses. Architect Stephanie Chaltiel has trialed drones that can carry 220lbs of biomaterial than could be used to treat hard-to-access facades, potentially replacing the need for scaffolding.
Jintai Village Reconstruction, Bazhong, China, Rural Urban Framework (2017) -- Homes in the village had been destroyed by an earthquake in 2008 and then a landslide in 2011. Rural Urban Framework collaborated with the government and non-profits on a replacement 22-house community with many elements to promote self-sufficiency, including garden roofs, water collection, a biogas generator and reedbed waste treatment system. The ground floor level is entirely communal. "All of these homes move away from the idea of consumption to circular architecture," says Smith. "They're a good example of how you can go back to an understanding of yourself and your community as an autonomous system."
Casa Covida, San Luis Valley, Colorado, Emerging Objects (2020) -- A 3D printed house built from adobe, in keeping with the area's vernacular. The wood used in the building is from trees damaged by mountain pine beetle. An inflatable roof protects residents from inclement weather and traps heat.
Building with Earth, Macha, China, Professor Mu Jun and Bridge to China (ongoing) -- A collaboration between academics at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture and a charitable organization, is reintroducing ancient building techniques in rural China. In Macha, Professor Mu and a team of students and craftspeople are educating residents in how to construct and maintain their houses from rammed earth. The buildings are cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter and cheaper to build than typical houses, according to the project. The skills residents are learning can also offer a potential income. "It's this incremental model," says Smith, "that begins to expand outwards as people begin to take their knowledge back into their own hands."
A Guy, a Bulldog, a Vegetable Garden and the Home They Share, Madrid, Spain, Husos Arquitecturas (2018) -- This doctor's apartment conversion was tailored to the needs of his demanding shift work, and his dog. The space was opened up, introducing more light and cooler temperatures, and nooks and surfaces made multifunctional. Graywater from the shower is collected and used in the balcony garden.
Presence in Hormuz 2, Hormuz, Iran, ZAV Architects (2020) -- These colorful buildings are crafted using the SuperAdobe system by non-profit CalEarth. The method for building these domed structures was pioneered by renowned architect Nader Khalili. Sandbags are filled with moist earth, which are arranged in coils and reinforced with barbed wire and sometimes cement, lime or asphalt between layers. The outside is finished with plaster, protecting the structure from erosion. In Hormuz, 200 buildings were made this way to create a holiday village.