ABSTRACT
A virtual buildable area of 60 60 feet is left over when required building setbacks are subtracted from the 75 100 feet sites, allowing the basic elements of the dwelling to be configured identically on sites with different orientations. Three types of plants also occupy the site. The roof of each element collects rainwater, which is stored in a cistern and used to sustain a specific portion of the vegetation surrounding the house. The quantity and type of vegetation that each element of the house is able to sustain, as well as the size and configuration of the required cistern, have been determined by analyzing and exploiting data on monthly rainfall and water consumption by different plants. The relationship between roof area and planted area materializes the mathematical relationship between water availability and need. The cistern is needed to resolve a discrepancy between seasons of peak rain availability and seasons of peak water use. The cistern’s dimensions, determined through analysis, materialize this temporal conflict. The house harvests the water to grow plants, which are then positioned for the enjoyment of the inhabitants.
