Autonomous Housing Developments
Introduction
Autonomous housing describes the notion of making a house energy and water self sufficient. The part of food independence is usually not meant by it, probably because farming and civil engineering are too seperate from each other. An example where all comes together are greenhouses retrofitted for living. Or if definition allows for it traditional farms.
Generally this aim is feasible but there is a delicate relation between construction cost and lifestyle. The higher the demands on the house are the more costly it is. This is the status quo. It could be different if architects, engineers and house builders would know more about the possibilites and the current state of technology. It could also be different if the house builder would alterate his or her definition of lifestyle, or standard of living.
Autonomy must not only be achieved within one house, it can be done in a settlement, too. Autonomy can also consider more sections, or levels of the economy, like a bakery, a wood shop or a variety of professions represented by individuals.
Autonomy can also depict a general input-output balance in which a housing community is part of the surroundings, or national economy by trading in a way that it could still operate independently when the input and output streams come to a halt.
Examples
- Autonomous on energy, water, and waste - including owner-built homes - Hockerton Housing Project
- BedZED
