Architecture - An insight into a new way of thinking.

When it comes to designing houses in Australia, the aesthetic appeal of the structure plays an enormous part in selling the building, if it looks good it will sell. Other factors including the effects on the environment and sustainability often get over looked or in many cases thrown out the window. If fact however these should be the main ideas architects should be designing around to ensure the environment we all live in exists for future generations.

An architect by the name of Michael Reynolds is someone we should all be inspired by. His take on saving the environment and sustainability is incredible. His designs are based around a home that provides its own water, heats itself, grows its own food, recycles its own waste and has its own power source.

Although his designs are based in other parts of the world including Mexico, USA and India all of which have different climates to each other, some of these ideals surely could be experimented with in housing designs in Australia.

One of my favourite designs of his is the concept of the 'Earthship': built from used car tyres rammed with earth, it recycles rainwater and sewage and it is a solar powered home which has a minimal cost to keep it running all year round. The inital concept was not the most attractive building I've ever seen, however the latest model fits in with the surrounding environment extremely well. I do have to question though, if aesthetics are really that important when compared to the environment and sustainability.

Other ideas for building materials included the use of cans filled with water and also glass bottles.

His dream of changing the world might just be a distant dream at present but surely future generations all over the world will have to change there dependency on declining supplies of water, gas and oil and think about other means of supplying these.

For more information see:

http://www.garbagewarrior.com/

http://earthship.org/