Can you live in Earthships? Climate-friendly homes that are 100% self-sufficient

In the high desert of New Mexico, where rainfall is scarce and temperatures swing between extremes, a cluster of otherworldly homes appears to grow out of the terrain. Half-buried in earth and lined with slanted glass, these structures, as they have come to be known, are Earthships, self-sufficient dwellings designed to operate entirely off-grid. They generate their own power, harvest their own water and regulate an internal climate without relying on conventional infrastructure.

Framed as experimental in a Western context, Earthships read less as novelty in regions where extreme conditions have long demanded a more considered approach to architecture. In those contexts, they feel closer to an extension of long-standing climate-responsive design thinking than a radical departure from it. Perhaps it is their appearance that has led to their outsider status. Their function is futuristic, but visually they read as something almost alien. Partially embedded into the landscape, they are defined by curved, hand-formed walls and shimmering bands of coloured glass, giving them the appearance of something between the desert architecture of Mad Max and the fluid, organic forms associated with Gaudí. Calling them homes feels slightly reductive, although that is the ambition. In reality, Earthships operate as fully integrated systems, architecture that doesn’t simply shelter, but performs.

What is an Earthship?

At its simplest, an Earthship is a home designed to function independently of public utilities. It produces its own energy, collects and filters its own water, manages waste on-site and maintains a stable internal temperature without conventional heating or cooling. It is, at its core, a straightforward idea, meeting basic needs while rethinking the home as a self-sufficient system.

Conceived in the 1970s by American architect Michael Reynolds, the idea emerged as a response to two growing concerns: waste and housing. Working from Taos, New Mexico, Reynolds began experimenting with discarded materials, from cans and bottles to earth-packed tyres, to create buildings that could operate independently of conventional systems. His early prototypes proved that a home could generate its own energy, regulate its own temperature and function entirely off-grid, laying the foundation for what would become the Earthship concept.