Space House for Earth

104-0466_IMG_space_house_pc_LThe European Space Agency is designing a terrestrial house based on technology like ultra-light carbon fiber-reinforced plastic developed for space-based structures.
"The (house) design that engineers and designers came up with is a sphere-like structure - one of the most stable self-sustained shapes. As it stands on legs it is isolated from any movements underneath it as it basically glides on top of the Earth. In its current design the SpaceHouse can withstand vibrations from earthquakes of up to 7 on the Richter scale, wind speeds of up to 220 km/h and up to 3 metres of flooding – specifications that came out of discussions with the insurance industry for a typical European location. The house is designed to be autonomous. It uses energy-efficient solar power as well as advanced systems for recycling and cleaning water. Another idea, now on the drawing board, is to include a system to remove pathogenic particles in the sub-micron range from the air."
The bummer is that you'll need to make quite a move if you want to live in SpaceHouse. The model home will likely be occupied by German scientists at the Neumayer Antarctic Research Station. In the meantime, maybe the Taschens might consider selling their ultra-spacey Chemosphere house in Los Angeles. Link