These self-reliant communities are about to take a leap into the future by living fully off-grid, yet surrounded by the latest technology.
Text by Isabelle Pinto |
Photography by EFFEKT Architects & ReGen Villages Holding, B.V.
In many rural areas in the world including the Western world, self-sustaining communities that live off-thegrid (independent from centralised supply of power, water and food) have been in existence since the last few thousand years. This idyllic and romantic lifestyle (save for the occasional battles and raids), will soon be staging a comeback – but with a techno twist. Technology in the form of apps and the latest gadgetry will be integrated into this ‘ecovillage’ to make this a modern utopian residence.
A pilot community of 100 eco-homes named ReGen Villages will be erected in Almere, the Netherlands this year which will test the viability of this modern adaptation of our ancestors’ living conditions. The rationale is simply to use less from the Earth due to the increasing scarcity of resources.
“10 billion people are expected to be on the planet by 2050,” says ReGen Villages CEO James Ehrlich, alluding to the huge upcoming demand for resources. Dutchman Ehrlich came up with the idea of the ReGen Villages which aims to be fully self-sustainable and off-grid.
Residents of ReGen Villages will produce its own organic produce including livestock and vegetables, and use rain harvesting method for its water supply while electricity will be generated from solar power. Hence, a total nonreliance on external sources; albeit with some dependence on technology. Ehrlich has enlisted Danish architects EFFEKT to help with the design of the homes which will initially see pilot projects being implemented on sites across Northern Europe in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany.
Eventually, the eco-innovator hopes to develop these ecovillages in Asia including China, India and Malaysia, as well as the UAE and parts of Africa.
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ECO-LIVING AT ITS CORE
Focusing on the concept of eco-living, the development would feature facilities such as greenhouses to grow food and recycle waste, vertical aquaponic farms, outdoor seasonal gardens and electric car-charging stations. According to ReGen, with aquaponic farming systems, residents would be able to enjoy 100% organic food with the capacity to produce 10 times the yield when compared to traditional farming. This will reduce land use by 98% and save water consumption by 90%.
Each housing unit within the community would be equipped with its own greenhouse where residents can grow their own fruits and vegetables, and obtain them right from their doorsteps. As for energy and water supply, built-in solar energy and water collection systems would do the trick.
Integrating regenerative systems where the outputs of one system are the inputs of another, the mechanics of resource production and waste management at a ReGen Village are simply amazing. Household wastes are composted to become food for livestock and soldier flies. Soldier flies are a sustainable food source for the fishes. Wastes from the fishes and livestock are then used to fertilize the indoor plants and outdoor seasonal gardens respectively. As a result, not a single resource goes to waste.
‘REDEFINING’ RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
According to Ehrlich, the project was mainly inspired by a research paper at Stanford University which was coauthored by himself and partly from his visit to France in 2014 where he witnessed an off-grid neighbourhood of 20 energy-positive homes.
Realising that off-grid homes were indeed a possibility, he was also inspired to integrate his own knowledge in organic food – as well as renewable energy sources so as to “redefine residential real estate development.”
“The main idea really is to provide affordable homes for the growing middle class in the world to make them more selfreliant,” says Ehrlich.
Co-founder of EFFEKT Sinus Lynge believes that “the big potential for ReGen lies in developing countries, where billions are moving away from rural communities in search of better living conditions.” The homes are also anticipated to generate long-term cost savings which could eventually start to pay off residents’ mortgages.
Claimed to be the “Tesla of ecovillages”, ReGen Villages does indeed draw some parallells from the well-renowned electric automotive brand when it comes to sustainable living. ”We’re really trying to capture people’s imagination that this is the next generation of how we want to live,” asserts Ehrlich.
”If Tesla Motors is how we want to drive, and the Tesla power roll is how we want to stay powered, then this ”Tesla of ecovillages” is how we want to live in a community with food, water, energy, and waste management all integrated,” Ehrlich told Asian Property Review in a Skype interview.
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