ChArAcTeR
To design a house of the future is to design the yesterday of tomorrow. Yesterday are the old buildings, often more than a century old. They socially function very well, make social interaction possible, both internally (the way a family can live together) and externally (the way they are plugged into then city). Build with tradition, local materials, natural ventilation and so on. But on the negative side also with bad isolation, bad heating, much noise and often with much moisture. But these houses remain very popular none the less: they got character.

RePrOduCtIoN
The housing program is overloaded: to many wishes, to little money and perhaps to small a plot (for all the wishes). One really needs an architect. The most affordable way to build a structure is masonry, brick-work. Especially sand-lime bricks: strong, easy to use, easy to saw, to lime, fire resistant and cheap. In order to make it affordable simple forms and lots of reproduction (windows, doors and so on) is needed. Even the house itself needs (in an urban scale): reproduction.

BaLaNcE
Nowadays there is more technique and much more comfort available. So the negative side can be turned to positive. The house can be energy wise and sewer wise of the grid.The fecaes can be collected in a bio septic tank and can be used/sold as fertilizer. 10 solar panels produce at least (10x650 kwh=) 6500kwh a year and if not directly used stored in a battery. Lots of green on the roof and in the court and patio to keep the environment cool (this really means all the difference between warm or hot). But if it would all new techniques and comfort and no socially interesting interaction (like one throws out the baby with the bathwater) the house would miss the needed character. The design would be out of balance.

HoToF (House of The old Future)
To restore the balance is maybe the biggest challenge of a house of the future. Not the new techniqes or new materials, but to restore the balance of social interaction: from the family (group of people) to to neighborhood (the city), from the individual member to the family. And in these times and probably the future more room for the individual. The house should be open and inviting for the neighborhood as well as protecting the family from the neighborhood. The separation between public / semi public / private public / private / individual private is key. Both on a urban scale as on a housing scale. You want your privacy but also connect with your environment. You want to be able to be on your own (very private), with your family (semi private), with your neighboors (private public) with you neighborhood (semi public) and the city (public). A good house, a good neighborhood organizes this, facilitates this. To design design a house of the future is to design the houses of yesterday of tomorrow: a House of The old Future.