CONTEXT

Arc, a biblical reference, seeks to discover a new way of thinking about self-sustaining architecture. An off-the-grid, zero impact, autonomous housing project. The dependence on harmful fuel sources and the continued Urbain spread has led our society to cripple our environment. The project sets forth two simple ideas:

1) Regenerate nature instead of exhausting it. 2) Conserve the resources of the land by becoming autonomous.

PROJECT

The project is set in the Arizona desert. To respond to the regeneration of nature, the building is designed to be in symbiosis with the environment. This hybridization process helps to conserve nature as well as to nourish it. Designing the building to become a living system itself; consuming the energy around it (sun & wind) while producing vital elements to stimulate the environment (organic human waste, water, and biodiversity).

Arc is built around a palo verde. The spherical form is chosen to reduce air volume inside the house, using less energy to cool it. A minimal impact housing constructed with local renewable resources : wood structure and rammed earth.

To live autonomously the building needs to conserve and filter water by using solar energy. The water is kept in a reservoir and conserved naturally throughout the year as it is being pumped into the house. The water system is conceived to have a clean cycle, for human consumption, and a filter cycle when it goes through the biological filters (plants), before being sent back into the environment.

When the house has served its purpose, the wood will be recycled, the palo verde will have grown and the environment will have benefited from this architectural intervention.