Eco Factor: Modular home generates solar and wind electricity, harvests rainwater.

Designed by Michael Jantzen, the Homestead House is a design for alternative housing that explores the potential use of renewable energy generating systems and recyclable materials to reduce the carbon footprint of its owners. The modular house is to be made from recyclable steel sheets, which are to be bolted together for easy disassembly. This allows the homeowner to construct it with ease and in minimum time and with minimum cost.

Being easy to disassemble, the house can also be reconstructed at any preferred location without spending too much on the entire process. Once the steel arches are bolted together, they don’t require any additional material to hold the house together.

However, an additional structure made from lightweight gauge material is erected inside of the outer shell and cellulosic insulation made by grinding newspapers is inserted between the two structures to provide an adequate level of insulation.

The Homestead House is designed to function off-the-grid, where photovoltaic cells and a small vertical axis wind turbine generate the required amount of electricity to power the home. Other than on-site energy generating systems, the Homestead House harvests rainwater through the roof arches and directs it to water storage tanks that can be placed underground. Passive solar techniques are used to heat and cool the interiors according to seasons and the requirements of the homeowners.

Thanks: [Michael Jantzen]463726