Students from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri designed this beautiful solar-powered home completely out of prefabricated concrete. Built to showcase the viability of building with concrete, the spectacular design includes a series of gutters on the exterior that serve as a large-scale hydroponic growing system that can produce food all year round.

According to the team, the design of the Crete House is meant to be a reminder that concrete continues to be a viable and sustainable building material that makes for a beautiful alternative to wood constructions. Thanks an ultra-strong envelope comprised of four inches of standard concrete, five inches of insulation, and one inch of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC), the home is incredibly resilient against fire, moisture, mold, insects, seismic activity, and extreme weather.

Related: 8 amazing homes that are 100% powered by the sun

The design focuses on providing the ultimate in self-sufficiency – including energy generation, water reuse, and food production. Solar panels provide sufficient energy to the home, and a water-to-water heat pump provides hot water for domestic use as well as water for the home’s radiant heating and cooling system installed in the floor and ceiling.

The precast insulated concrete panels of the home are factory-manufactured, but assembled on-site, reducing travel time and energy. In addition to the home’s structure, the concrete panels were used to create a series of large L-shaped gutters that extend out and away from the house. The shape of the gutters was strategic in creating an innovative system of water collection that directs to vegetated channels built into the vertical gutters that extend out into horizontal planters on the ground level. This all-in-one hydroponic system, complete with drip emitters, integrates a home garden system into the design, allowing occupants to grow their own food all year round.

Photos by Mike Chino for Inhabitat

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Students from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri have built a beautiful solar-powered home completely out of prefabricated concrete. Wanting to prove the viability of building with concrete as opposed to wood, the spectacular design implements a series of large gutters that serve as a large-scale hydroponic growing system in order to allow the home to produce food all year round.

According to the team, the design of the Crete House is meant to be a reminder that concrete continues to be a viable and sustainable building material.

The concrete panels were used to create a series of large L-shaped gutters that extend out and away from the house.

The concrete exterior makes for a beautiful alternative to wood constructions.

The shape of the gutters was strategic in creating a unified system of water collection that directs to vegetated channels built into the vertical gutters that extend out into the horizontal planters on the ground level.

The home was built to make the most out of its own energy generation, water reuse, and food production.

This all-in-one hydroponic system, complete with drip emitters, integrates a home garden system into the design, allowing occupants to grow their own food all year round.

The precast insulated concrete panels of the home are factory-manufactured, but assembled on-site, reducing travel time and energy.

The all concrete interior adds a subtle sophistication to the interior design.

The concrete interior of the Crete House.

The interior design is contemporary, but comfortable.

Large windows and doors flood the home with natural light.

In terms of creating a self-sustaining home, the design was focused on providing the ultimate in self-sufficiency,

Solar panels provide energy to the home, and a water-to-water heat pump provides hot water for domestic use as well as water for the home's radiant heating and cooling system installed in the floor and ceiling.

The Crete House is an entry in the Solar Decathlon event.