home improvements of the future

Zero house
Designed by Scott Specht, the futuristic-looking “Zero House” is self-sufficient, meaning that it “generates its own electric power, with the help of the high-efficiency solar panels, which is then stored in a battery backup. A real environmental home improvement.

• Generates its own electricity using solar panels and can operate for a week with no sunlight
• Collects and purifies its own water
• Gravity fed plumbing, cutting down on power consumption
• Processes its own waste products using an underground “digester”
• All functions are automatic and customised through a laptop.

Glass house
This glass house is one of six futuristic houses created for the Year of the Built Environment and showcases the latest in glass engineering and nanotechnology from around the world.

• Anti “greenhouse effect” glass which makes the inside cooler than the outside
• Pilkington Activ self cleaning glass
• laminated glass to provide safety, noise reduction and fading control
• The structure is internally lit by a water-filled light sculpture

The micro compact home - $32,000
The m-ch measures 266cm x 266cm x 266cm. The ceiling height is 198cm and the door width is 60cm. The unit weighs 2.2 tonnes.

• two compact double beds, each measuring 198cm x 107cm
• a sliding table measuring 105cm x 65cm, for dining for up to five people
• flat screen television in the living/dining space
• a shower and toilet cubicle
• a kitchen area, including a double hob, sink and extending tap, microwave, fridge and freezer units, three compartment waste unit, storage shelves, cutlery drawers with gentle return sprung slides and double level work surfaces
• thermostat controlled ducted warm air heating, air conditioning, water heating
• fire alarm and smoke detectors

Cradle to Cradle House
The winner of the Buckminster Fuller Institute’s independent Cradle-to-Cradle competition

• photosynthetic and phototropic “skin” made with spinach protein which powers the whole house
• Insulated with organic Soy-foam
• House is interconnected to neighbors, “networking” resources
• House produces more energy than a single family’s needs allowing the excess to be distributed to neighbors

UFO house

This weird looking building is the brainchild of Robert Bruno. It sits on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the lake. Bruno has been working on this house for almost 3 decades, and it is almost complete. It is made up of 110 tons of steel, and when finished it will have about 3,000 sq. ft. of living space.

admin @ November 14, 2007