The limited water resource and the abundant sonar energy in the desert has prompted the design of a self-sustaining, rainwater-harvesting home. Other main considerations for this design include environmental concerns. In an effort to optimally utilize rain water while keeping groundwater usage at minimal, cistern are used to serve as huge water reservoir from the July rain with enough water volume to meet the yearly need of the house. The effort started with testing for any contaminants in the rainwater sample followed by developing filtration system.

An important design tailored at collecting the rain water is the roof system in which control for the monsoon rain is made possible with gutter collection, downspout, and gabion walls and berms. The roof system in turn direct the accumulated rain water into swales for slower release into the ground.

Rammed earth walls are utilized to offset the huge temperature discrepancy between night and day that is common for desert environments. The walls absorb heat during the day, making it less hot, and release the heat during the night time, thereby making it less cold.

Made easy by the abundance of desert sunshine, a climate-friendly 18 KW solar system specifically designed for the desert winter time provides all of the power it needs including the need to heat the water for the house during the winter. Source: GreenSource