from Letter Fourteen “The House With No Roof”

[...We stride up the beach a ways and over the dunes, back into the grasses; and there it
is, a small cottage that looks like it is made right out of the grass around it. It is light
green and tan, grass from the field seems to be woven like fabric into the walls. It is
hard to know just what size it is. The shape is irregular with many edges and angular
protrusions, like a maple leaf. There seems to be no roof; walls rise up and dissolve
into the air.]

“What a beautiful house! I love the way it fits so naturally in its surroundings. The
shape is fantastic. It seems so alive. Is that a pond behind it in the trees?”

Yes. You’re right. The house is alive! Come inside.

[We are now walking to one of the walls and I slide the woven material aside.
A large opening appears, revealing interior spaces—an entryway, hall and a
bright open room that looks out onto the pond. We move down the hallway
into the large room. In it you see soft chairs and cushions; and there are a few
small tables.]

“What do you mean, the house is alive?”

We grow our dwellings. Isn’t that a wonderful development in 500 years? It only
makes sense, really. The Earth is our Home. Why should it not give birth to the
shelters we live in. The live qualities of the houses are very healthy for us. They
provide all the heat and cooling we need, plus a fair amount of our food and
beverages. They consume all our waste products and in return provide us all this. It is
an excellent example of symbiosis.

“The ceiling? It’s all open. I am looking up into the sky. What happens when it
rains?”

There is actually a roof; it can appear and disappear at will. Most of the time it is
entirely transparent. It lets in plenty of light, but it is very much there when I need it.
It becomes permeable when the house cleanses itself periodically. The roof can turn
opaque if the sun is too bright, or dappled when this suits our moods. The houses
read our moods and emotional needs almost before we know what we’re feeling
ourselves, and generate an environment to match us. This is an example of the
intelligence of nature, stimulated by conscious intent. From your perspective, I’m
sure this seems magical. From ours, we have become quite accustomed to it. This
symbiotic natural technology was developed more than two hundred years ago; it
has gradually evolved since then to what you see around you now...

Copyright © 2009 by Robert Potter