edible architecture

Forget the gingerbread house, too many carbs! How about a house that is better than a Victory Garden in the back? Forget trips to the grocer, hello Edible house! The Wall Street Journal had a feature to find out "The Green House of the Future.” Author Alex Frangos asked four well-known architects to design the house of the future. The future (if you have been living under a passive solar rock) will be energy-efficient and sustainable. The houses had no budget constraints or restraints on how we currently live.

The Incredible Edible House was designed by LA-based Rios Clementi Hale Studios. This is a thorough design for a concept home. The Edible House is constructed out of three prefab containers stacked on top of one another. The mixture of living and prefab is a fantastic combo bringing living home aspects to an attainable realm.

This house is stacked with vertical axis wind turbines mounted along the roof placed in front of an evaporative cooling reservoir. The energy production and cooling system are integrated into the house, reducing energy usage dramatically. This is what one could call a dry metabolism, self sustaining itself. Of course, the house comes with a photovoltaic awning for energy production and shading as well as adjustable doors on the sides of the house for natural cross ventilation.

The hydroponic skin covering the living quarters with a multitude of plant, vegetables and fruits starts to creep towards a wet metabolism. The living wall on the outside of the house reduces heat gain to the house as well as nourishment for the people inside.

This is close to the Edible Estates from Fritz Haeg.