Homes of the future will incorporate new technologies while being both eco-friendly and energy efficient. Biodegradable, recycled and salvaged materials like discarded tires and old timbers will find their way into our homes. Home designs of tomorrow will reflect our concern for the environment while embracing new technologies. Flexible floor plans will accommodate our changing living patterns. Let’s step inside and get a closer look at these emerging home trends.
A Breath of Fresh Air
Modern homes are very tight; future homes will be even more so. Better insulation helps us save on heating bills, but it can also contribute to greater concentrations of air pollutants and humidity in homes. Though these problems are somewhat mitigated by air exchange units, advanced air purification systems are more effective for cleaning the air of particles and bacteria and will become a common fixture in every modern home.
Water
Water scarcity is becoming a critical problem, particularly in the United States, where many regions have to cope both with over taxed aquifers and contamination of existing water supplies. Installing low-flow shower heads and low-flush toilets can significantly reduce the amount of water we use. Rainwater capture systems and super efficient water lay flat hose nozzles will allow avid home gardeners to grow their plots while conserving precious water supplies. Future homes will also include wastewater or ‘greywater’ recycling systems.
Information Portals
Even though the U.S. Postal Service is axing hundreds of thousands of jobs and closing postal installations, it doesn’t mean we’ll be ridding ourselves of our mailboxes anytime soon. But the Postal Service’s financial woes do reflect how radically and rapidly our communication methods are changing. Even email seems headed for obsolescence as we rely more heavily on texting. In future homes, we will be able to text and check on the weather and the latest news from our bathroom mirrors and use our kitchen counters as expansion screens for our wireless devices.
Bringing Nature into Your Habitat
Future homes will still have wood doors, but they will also feature plenty of glass. Strategically placed glass windows and doors can offer plenty of passive solar heating. They also allow us to see our natural surroundings. We humans appear to have an innate need to connect with our natural world. Increasingly, we are finding unique ways to bring nature to us. Future homes will blur the boundary between what resides indoors and out. Can you imagine your patio with its metal frame and cast aluminum patio furniture in your living room? New and existing city dwellings will also welcome in the natural world with rooftop gardens and spacious windows.
The home of the future will offer immediacy and intimacy, allowing us to interact with nature, our families and friends in new and exciting ways. Highly functional yet flexible, these homes will provide a space for our changing lifestyles and a window into our changing planet.
