The Rain Catcher is a 3D-printed house that’s off-the-grid and designed specifically to meet Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 2030 Climate Challenge criteria for electric, heating and water consumption. This eco-house is truly made to harness all the power of nature.
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Designed by the Tactus Design Workshop, the Rain Catcher has huge bay windows, a metal external cover and a simple, elegant look. Made with a 3D-printed shell, the house can be erected on crude earth or mixed compounds. The Rain Catcher is built to be self-sufficient and easy to refurbish. The interior space is divided, thanks to two fixed cores that create up to seven rooms. The rooms can be combined or closed at will to create bigger interior spaces or more private areas.
Related: An entire street of 3D printed homes in Texas are move-in ready
Ideally, the house will be printed on-site with local materials. Clay-based earth and non-cement concrete mixtures will both work well. Using local materials reduces carbon emissions from transporting building materials. Timber panels will be used inside for the flooring and plywood panels create the honeycomb roof structure. The roof is made to collect rainwater, which is filtered and stored in the rainwater tanks, while heat pumps provide warmth.
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Meanwhile, a separate wind turbine will provide the electricity. All the windows are made with fully transparent PV panels to harness electricity from the sunlight. The base design makes it possible to create co-living units, workspaces or anything you can envision.
The Rain Catcher was designed in the UK by a UK-based firm, but clearly it’s a model that can work in many places around the world. With average UK rainfall, the house will collect and provide enough water for six people to live comfortably.
Images via Tactus Design Workshop
Source
Self-sustaining 3D-printed house harnesses the power of nature is written by KC Morgan for inhabitat.com
