Competition Entry · Arid Climate · Fully Self-Sufficient
Microhome in the Desert: 25 m², No Municipal Connections. Water from Fog. Energy from Sun and Wind.
A compact modular dwelling that generates its own water and energy from natural sources, fog collection modelled on the Namib Beetle, solar panels, and a bladeless wind turbine. Fibonacci geometry for structural efficiency. Fully prefabricated, fully reversible.
Type
Competition
Location
Desert (arid / extreme climate)
Area
25 m²
Infrastructure
Fully off-grid, no municipal connections
Key Innovation
Namib Beetle exoskeleton fog water collection system
Geometry
Fibonacci sequence
Tools
Grasshopper · Rhino · V-Ray
The Brief
How can a 25 m² home survive off-grid in the desert, with no external water supply?
This is a project for a compact, self-sufficient modular dwelling. The constraint: 25 m² total floor area, fully self-sufficient, no municipal infrastructure. The structure follows a Fibonacci sequence geometry. The critical innovation is a dual-function wind catcher modelled after the Namib Beetle's exoskeleton, an insect that collects water from fog through micro-bumps on its shell.
The Approach
Natural Precedents. Parametric Form. Off-Grid Performance.
The dwelling's form follows a Fibonacci spiral: a sequence of nested frames, each scaled and rotated from the last according to the golden ratio, generated in Grasshopper through horizontal and vertical graph mapper vector moves along the main curve. This produces a shell structure like a nautilus, wrapped in a bamboo lattice, structure bamboo culm, bamboo panels, and bamboo wall sticks, that forms the building's primary envelope.
Two independent systems harvest water from this envelope: the Namib Beetle's exoskeleton micro-bump structure was translated into the body of the wind catcher itself, directing condensed fog droplets down its surface into a collection channel, while a separate fog net set into the envelope condenses fog through direct contact. Both systems feed a shared water collector at the base of the dwelling. Solar panels over the terrace and the bladeless wind turbine supply the dwelling's electrical load. Every component is modular, prefabricated, and reversibly assembled: the dwelling can be installed, relocated, or disassembled without permanent ground disturbance.
Outcome
The Result
A 25 m² dwelling achieving full off-grid performance through a fog net water collection system, solar panel terrace, bladeless wind energy, and passive bioclimatic strategies. The fog collection system restores local water cycles and supports regreening of degraded desert land: water generation, not just water conservation. Every component is modular, prefabricated, and reversibly assembled.