100 Houses: An Exploration of Home
The 100 Houses Book is a collection of structures exemplifying qualities and characteristics that could inform a World House. The homes are assessed on the basis of four factors: climate, terrain, economy and culture. These can be further subdivided into twelve systems of the home: air handling, energy, water, spatial, waste, food, construction, mobility, finance, social, communication and identity.
The book outlines each chosen house, its particular innovation in one or more systems, as well as possible drawbacks. A colour wheel is used to evaluate the success of each house within the four quadrants. Homes which fulfill large portions of the colour wheel exemplify a holistic approach to the integration of the individual systems. These homes are well on their way to World House classification. However, as of yet, none of the houses complete all twelve requirements.
The chosen structures cross cultural and topographical borders. They are selected from a broad expanse of space and time, and contain thousands of years of cultural knowledge and experience. A truly successful World House system must pay homage to all of these homes. It must mimic their successes and learn from their failures.