8 Minutes, 20 Seconds: Housing After Banking. Encrypting the Sun
By (Author) Michael Bell
By (author) Eunjeong Seong
Actar Publishers
Actar Publishers
10th March 2026
United States
General
Non Fiction
Hardback
380
Width 203mm, Height 241mm
Energy generated by nuclear fusion of the Sun reaches the surface of the Earth in 8 minutes and 20 seconds.
8 Minutes, 20 Seconds envisions an innovative architectural design centered around renewable energy sources that utilize and cache forms of energy which are essentially inexhaustible, persistent, and virtually limitless in quantity. This forward-thinking proposal anticipates a transformative post-scarcity era that is enabled and restructured by a groundbreaking new type of housing that functions as a vital arbiter of environmentally sustainable human settlements, integrating advanced technological efficiencies and sustainable practices.
In proposing this progressive new form of housing, which can only be realized through advanced manufacturing technologies and innovative materials, we pose the thought-provoking question: "What if the concept of what has traditionally been viewed as a housing asset transforms into an entirely new category of energy asset, whose downstream by-product is the fundamental necessity of providing adequate shelter for all individuals, ensuring equitable access to living spaces"