Conceived as a prototype for sustainable rural communities, the Hill Country House serves as a key example of how a self-sustaining home can survive in rural environments. Designed by Miró Rivera Architects, this sustainable home was built to be completely independent of the municipal water supply and even provides its own heating and cooling through a geothermal system. The Hill Country House receives 61% of its power from solar panels, with additional energy provided via the grid. Other sustainable features include a rainwater collection system, and charcoal and UV water purification filters.
The house itself stretches 5,100 square feet across 46.7 acres in Wimberly, Texas. The home is set in a Wildlife Management zone and the owner maintains a census of the songbirds that migrate through the area.
In order to construct this house, the homeowners initiated a dialogue with community officials and hope to garner further support for a series of similar off-the-grid developments.
Sustainable Rural Homesteads
The Hill Country House Serves as a Model for Sustainable Homes
Trend Themes
1. Sustainable Rural Communities - Creating sustainable rural communities through the use of self-sustaining homes and off-the-grid developments, leading to disruptive innovation opportunities in sustainable construction, renewable energy, and water management industries.
2. Off-the-grid Developments - Increasing demand for off-the-grid developments that are self-sustaining and independent of municipal water supply, leading to disruptive innovation opportunities in sustainable construction, renewable energy, and water management industries.
3. Geothermal and Solar Energy Systems - Rising popularity of geothermal and solar energy systems in self-sustaining homes, leading to disruptive innovation opportunities in renewable energy industry.
Industry Implications
1. Sustainable Construction - Opportunities for innovation in sustainable building materials, design, and construction methods to create self-sustaining homes and sustainable rural communities.
2. Renewable Energy - Opportunities for innovation in geothermal and solar energy systems for self-sustaining homes and off-the-grid developments, and increased use of renewable energy in rural communities.
3. Water Management - Opportunities for innovation in rainwater collection systems, charcoal and UV water purification filters to create self-sustaining homes and sustainable rural communities.