Ted Givens, an architect with Hong Kong's 10Design created this prototype for a tornado-safe home. Hydraulic levers pull the Kevlar-coated house into the ground when high-velocity winds pass by. The high-tech structure's roof then locks so water and wind can't enter. Once the weather clears, the house unfolds and residents resume normal life. |
Flying first class takes on a new meaning with this house, conceived by Switzerland-based designer Timon Sager. Durable cables suspend the living space in the air. With multiple decks, a state-of-the-art entertainment center and a luxury bedroom, the flying house has everything you could want. |
For most, the word “house” conjures images of rectangular dwellings with front porches and chimneys. Front lawns and garages too. But fast forward a few hundred years and the traditional four walls and a roof won’t be standard housing fare, according to urban experts. Climate change, population growth and geo-political shifts are already redefining the way we look at residential spaces of the future.
“The only path forward is to harness solar, wind and water for power and to use the power of computers to design, build and maintain homes,” says Victor Vetterlein, an architect residing in New York City.
Full List: 10 Stunning Homes Of The Future
To this end, Vetterlein conceived of a self-sufficient, eco-friendly dwelling called Reboot. Curvy and smooth on the outside, its futuristic aesthetic includes an elliptical glass elevator encircled by a white stairway with glass handrails, high gloss floors and a change-able floor-plan. Wind turbines and batteries supply the home’s power, taking into account a predicted shortage of fossil fuels. And an in-house water treatment plant is ready for the rain-water that’s collected in a drain above the windows.
But as futuristic as Reboot may look, Vetterlein says it’s not nearly as “out there” as it seems. While its smooth-and-shiny surface and stem-like base may look like something out of Japanese Anime, most of the technology that would make it possible already exists. Vetterlein says Reboot’s main function now is to provoke discussion. “When people love or hate a new idea like Reboot, discourse emerges…and this is the predecessor to real change.”
For Chad Mitchell, architect and founder of Meridian 105 Architecture, a project called Weave Housing came about in order to address housing issues that include energy efficiency in a changing climate, affordability in a struggling economy and quality of craftsmanship in an evolving marketplace. The woven design of the multi-family project creates pockets of shade to keep the building cool, and these pockets double as balconies for residents. And the building can be pre-fabricated elsewhere then transported, after being checked for quality, before being put in place, something that reduces its cost, as well.
Further challenging our ideas about where home architecture is headed is graphic designer Timon Sager. Based in Switzerland, Sager designed a dwelling called Wolke 7 that brings everyday living to new heights—literally. Considering the U.N. says the world population could surpass 10 billion by 2100, living in sky homes could help considerably in combating the overpopulation situation down below. Still, if you’re envisioning an airplane–or an RV with wings–think again. The modern-looking home, which has multiple decks, large walls of glass and a host of luxury living amenities, including a huge entertainment room, actually dangles from heavy cables as two enormous zeppelins escort it through the skies.
So, why did Mr. Sager design such a place? The reasons are more existential than scientific. “It really bothers me that current concepts of home stand for the opposite of freedom,” says Sager. “[Homes] are built on a foundation in a single location and they are all about being static and safe rather than free and adventurous. In my opinion, the home of the future will not be tied to a particular location or country. In other words, your property will be with you, rather than at a fixed address, and being at home will mean being anywhere you want,” he adds.
Full List: 10 Stunning Homes Of The Future
Flying homes, weave houses and Reboots might sound far-fetched now, but as architect Chad Mitchell reminds us, even the most science-fiction seeming homes are “…often grounded in logic and even feasible from a construct-ability standpoint.” Architects and urban planners can’t pinpoint exactly when these concepts will become necessary–it all depends on how economic and geographic factors play out–but they’re confident the most effective ideas will rise to the top. According to Mitchell: “Generally, the best ideas will gain traction and define what is to come.”
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