The Liberated Self-Sufficient Environment

Today, human settlements rely on centralized infrastructure networks for water, sewage, energy, and transportation. These systems require massive capital investments, large-scale earthwork, and long, complex planning processes. As a result, the layout of our communities is determined by infrastructure needs rather than local conditions. This creates a rigid, uniform system that cannot adapt to its environment or changing lifestyles.
This project examines the growing dependence on these centralized networks. It shows how the evolution of infrastructure has dictated the design of nations, cities, and buildings. While these networks have improved our quality of life, they have also become tools for economic, political, and spatial control, often at the expense of the environment.
In contrast, this project proposes a new planning logic: a system of rules that emerges from the community itself through participation, creation, and play. Inspired by the theory of Homo Ludens, it envisions an autonomous built environment shaped by its inhabitants.
The basic unit is a modular wind tower, elevated above ground to minimize its impact on the environment. Living units are 3D-printed on-site from recycled agricultural plastic waste. Each tower includes advanced systems for ventilation, water, and electricity that can be adjusted to a family’s evolving needs.
The project is located in the Hazeva Valley, a desert site approved for a new settlement. Instead of traditional development, which involves leveling the land and extending utilities at a high environmental cost, this alternative community hovers above the natural floodplain. It follows the wadi’s path with a network of public bridges, shared green spaces, and retention pools.
This new system is based on Incremental Generative Design, using parametric rules that allow for gradual growth and community adaptation. This new reality gives us a chance to rethink the architect’s role. While architects today are often bound by infrastructure-driven forces, this deliberate disconnection allows for the integration of new technological, social, and environmental tools. This creates flexible planning platforms that change the rules of the game and the balance of power in design.