The Peak Vernacular

This project explores a typology of building in the post-cheap-oil age in Phoenix, Arizona. A city born at the dawn of the industrial revolution, Phoenix is one of the most oil-dependant metropolitan areas in the nation and will be one of the hardest hit as the world transitions to a new energy regime. This new housing type will take the form of an autonomous house, with decentralized systems of energy and food production and water use. Learning from the ancient Hohokam people who inhabitated this area one thousand years ago, this dwelling is built with earth from the desert floor, utilizes passive systems of temperature control and ventilation, and connects occupants with the surrounding environment and their available resources.