Japan aims for self-sufficient housing (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Chris Hogg
BBC Tokyo correspondent

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Serkan Anilir is working at the University of Tokyo on plans for a new type of home which takes such environmental concerns even further.

He wants to create an "infrastructure-free house" using technology inspired by biology to try to reach the point where it no longer relies on energy or other services from outside.
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The design would be guided by work already in progress on building space stations. The aim is the same - to create a living environment that's totally self-reliant.

"Our first prototype will be for use after disasters," the researcher says.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6150816.stm

Some interesting thoughts in this article -- criticism of the construction industry, the kind of home construction consumer demand is encouraging, and the etymology of the interesting neologism "dinks". Note the typical Japanese home averages a sybaritic 94 m^2 (~1011 ft^2) in area.