New Houses

It's an uncomfortable truth, but many of our houses are bad for the planet. They're defined by a pattern of consumption, from the raw materials to build them, to the fuel required to sustain them, and the waste generated by them . Despite an improvement in building energy efficiency, 2021 saw carbon emissions from buildings and construction hit an all-time high. But what if a house could nurture the people living inside and the world outside too? What if a house could feed its occupants? Power itself? Boost biodiversity? Bond a community? And at the end of its life, leave no trace? Authored by Courtney Smith and Sean Topham, "Houses That Can Save the World" features over 150 projects from all over the globe. Some repurpose existing spaces, such as the renovated Ensamble Studio's off-grid cave dwelling in Menorca, Spain. Others revive and update ancient construction methods, like ZAV Architects' adobe building community in Hormuz, Iran. Despite their positive outlook, the authors acknowledge that implementing the ideas in their book can be challenging.