The Productive Infrastructure for Off-Grid Communities

Abstract

Climate change and rising energy poverty reclaim the urgency for a new connection between design and energy. Energy justice for vulnerable communities highlights the structural inequalities in energy provision worldwide.

Therefore, this research investigates how to develop energy and water self-sufficient community housing solutions, and the research-by-design methodology is based on a comparative analysis of case studies in the field of self-sufficiency, water reusing cycle and energy production systems in realised housing projects. Furthermore, the research focuses on an integrated design approach towards architectural solutions conceived as infrastructural devices to produce, stock, collect and share energy and water in response to local community needs. This also has the aim of improving the environmental performance of the housing in different ways to maximise the inhabitant's human comfort and minimise energy and water consumption. With a collective approach, the community becomes more responsible, shares resources, and self-produces their energy, shifting from energy and water consumers to producers.

Keywords: energy and water sufficient housing, off-grid community, energy justice