This morning, the Wall Street Journal ran a story on The Green House of the Future, which featured designs by four architects: William McDonough, Rios Clemente Hale, Cook + Fox, and myself. My design, SmartDwelling I, is pictured above... the next several blog posts will focus on aspects of the house that contribute to its sustainability.

   The Tower of Wind & Water is the central feature in the top image. Here’s a closer view. Rainwater is collected around the entire house in gutters, then runs to either side of the tower where it burbles into conductor heads that channel it into the Rain Pool, celebrating the arrival of new rainwater with sight and sound. The Rain Pool is the boundary between the Hearth Garden from the Kitchen Garden.

   Rainwater is then pulled up as needed out of the Rain Pool to the cistern, which is the round part of the tower. Elevating the cistern allows water to gravity-flow from there to anywhere on the main level, where it can be used for irrigation or other greywater uses.

   The top element of the Tower of Wind & Water is a wind generator that produces electricity. Nobody makes this exact shape of wind generator yet... many of the current generation of generators look as if they were engineered but not designed, leaving them inherently unlovable. This one, on the other hand, does its best to be beautiful while it is generating your electricity. The ground level of the Tower of Wind & Water contains all of the alternative energy equipment for the house.

~ Steve Mouzon