Energy-Water-Food Synergy Possibilities in Housing Environment

Abstract

Strategic directions of development of contemporary cities, according to emerging master plans and policies are providing appropriate technical, spatial, social and economic conditions for the inhabitants in a sustainable way. In order to improve the urban areas’ performance and to minimize the negative environmental impact there are new solutions introduced to save energy, water and food resources. There are actions undertaken to educate and activate community that also appear in the way of designing housing environment, especially public spaces accompanying residential areas. Therefore there are experimental forms of buildings and urban spaces designed to meet the demands of community serving the environment at the same time. There have been a variety of solutions implemented successfully in housing environment to solve either the problems of energy or water management, and also bringing up the food production problem especially in the contact areas between the buildings and their surroundings. Nowadays we are searching for a new type of housing environment, a home for the resilient community capable of independent development. In order to create that kind of space there is a need of new solutions providing synergy between energy, water and food management and production. There is a need of identifying the new type of architecture that is capable of satisfying the contemporary community demands. The search for those solutions is the main subject of research. The paper is an attempt to classify the implementation of synergy solutions in housing environment. It also refers to the significance of natural elements of composition in achieving energy, water and food independence. The trends in architectural design of contemporary residential areas are described based on contemporary investments and future city concepts.