OT: Net-zero energy home

[rwsaunders]

I visited a friend's house last week near Newport News, VA. I thought that the hippie members of the Forum might enjoy this.

http://projects.inrich.com/spaces/fall07/atriums.html

Stu's next project is a self-sustaining farm for 150 people in the Virginia hills.

[Richard]

Looks very cool, but by all appearances, it is far beyond the "hippy" approach to living.

[rwsaunders]

You have to know Stu, Richard....he is a "why not?" type of guy, who is trying to come up with a plan that addresses the need for human interaction and self-sustenance.

There are six homes clustered in plan that you can't see. They all share communal gardens, wastewater recycling and green space, as the home footprints are quite tight. The way that the gardens have developed, you feel like you are on your own private retreat.

As this was his first run at a communal living idea, his next plan is to have smaller homes, with communal buildings...an inn, workshop, barn, gathering space, etc. The community will be self-sustaining in terms of food and energy needs, with the emphasis on food.

As the first plan was new, he invested more capital than he thought, which made the cost of ownership pricey for that market. They learned a few lessons along the way that he is quite open to sharing with others. He gave up a high-end lifestyle in Georgetown (DC) to make this happen in Newport News, so it will be interesting to see where it goes.

[Karin Kirk]

Very cool. That roof of solar panels is lust-worthy.
I like the idea of plants mingling in the living space.

I also like that the project relies on generating its own green power instead of purchasing offsets. Good stuff!

[ClutchCargo]

I wonder what the total setup costs were for that house?