Some of the new sustainable house design movement embraces the importance of maximizing the environment to sustain buildings rather than the other way around.

One approach that seems to take this to an extreme is the Living Steel House by architect Peter Stutchbury of Australia. His plan borrows from many ancient civilizations such as the Vikings buildings which were cut into the ground and held up by thick stone walls.

If you take that basic minimalist house design construct and apply advanced modern materials you get a modern design that doesn’t set you apart from the environment but rather sets you in the environment.

It’s an interesting notion even if as Stutchbury concedes “such a design in already established built environments could be questioned,” but there are a number of communities where it wouldn’t be unwise to at least study some type of renewed infrastructure that addresses sustainability on into the future.

More likely though it seems Peter Stutchbury’s design could be folded into a more practical solution that takes advantage of existing modern day infrastructure rather than simply eschewing it in an attempt to live simple.