We didn't built towers of bricks anymore. We laid down the scaffolding and planted special vines at the base. The plants grew thick and breathing walls, curving around the windows.
We build mostly from a special kind of fortified glass, after all, why chop down a forest when you can harvest the desert? Those waves of golden sand became our greatest building material, and then, when we'd taken the dunes from the land we resowed forests upon them or used the area for aquaponic agriculture. It gave the rest of the planet a chance to breathe and recover... literally.
My home is an "Earthship," or at least that's what we call it. The name brings to mind an image of our planet like a spaceship, which feels just right. She is floating in space; she is our life support, our only experience of existence. And so they way we live is to honour Earth and nature - to savour this life in our ecosystem. My home is mostly subterranean, with a wall of glass on one side. We catch rain and sunlight just like the plants; we grow food; we live in peace. There are so many ways to build a home... and these sprawling boxes with acres of a grass crop grown for neither man nor beast are truly silly.
Welcome Gabriel, this is the house of the future and it is no "house" at all. Every building we build tall to conserve the land and preserve habitats, yet they are the most fantastic of places to live. For those with children the condo towers have entire floors that are just jungle gyms for different ages and some even have slides that spiral from the top to the bottom floor. They have other floors for indoor nature walks with special lighting to allow the plants to grow, others for heated indoor lagoons or theatres. No matter the weather outside we can meet at the coffee shops, walk our dogs and let the children play. Often times the condos have two levels like the single houses of old, that little bit of separation being good for some. Everyone has a covered balcony - a private place to sit in the sun - and upon the roof is another garden with pergolas and picnic tables. Sound proofing technology has come along so far that these homes are quieter than living on a street used to be. Our apartments use far less energy and last far longer, plus if you wish to be social it's so simple. We walk to the stores, to school, everywhere really. With buildings like ours any city becomes a village.
On scanning her eyeball at the entry the house-lights came on and soft jazz played from the hidden sound system, the same volume in every room. In the kitchen a machine dispensed Baileys and ice into a glass and the heating system reprogrammed for a rise in two degrees. After a six second delay to allow her time to remove her jacket and shoes her dog bounded up to greet her, it's metal paws clunking on the polished concrete floor. It scanned her face and sat down. "You look frustrated, Clarissa. Want to talk about it?" She sighed.
"No thanks Hans, not right now."
"Shall I run you a lavender bath and fetch your drink?"
"Yes, that would be lovely, good dog." Hans wagged his tail and transmitted a message to the bathroom's network. The bath began to fill at her preferred temperature with lavender and bubble bath added. The underfloor heating ticked on, the towel began to warm on it's rail and the ceiling fan whirred silently above. The light dimmed and Hans brought the creamed whisky.
Keep track of your favorite writers on Descriptionari
We won't spam your account. Set your permissions during sign up or at any time afterward.