It is fitting that the campaign to protect the environment, as with most campaigns, should begin at home. Or to be precise, an ecological home–one that uses natural resources, is energy-efficient, cuts down on pollution and harmful emissions and is friendly to the environment.
This is no new concept. The Sardinians got there 5,500 years ago, with their nuraghi stone tower houses. So did the people of Matera in Basilica, who made sassi structures hewn from rock faces and those of Alberobello, famed for their trulli stone dwellings.
Now our partner Come To Abruzzo, an Italian construction company, is going back to that centuries-old past to find the architectural solutions of the future. The firm is about to build a series of entire tourist and residential villages featuring dozens of eco-friendly single and two-family homes.
The houses, in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, will be made of wood, while solar and photovoltaic panels will harness the sun’s rays to provide heating and electricity. To further emphasise the communities’ self-dependence for water and energy, as well as relying heavily on wireless technology they will also be equipped with phytodepuration systems – a method of using plants to naturally purify and recycle water.
One criticism of wooden buildings has always been their supposed high flammability. However, the design and construction of these ground-breaking communities will ensure they are fire-proof and earthquake-resistant.
The Abruzzo project will be a remarkable achievement, taking the idea of green, sustainable communities from laudable principle to affordable practicality.
The sites are all situated near motorway connections, international airports, natural parks and sporting facilities such as golf courses. But above all they are in areas of stunning environmental beauty. And Come To Abruzzo will be doing its bit to keep them that way.
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