Build to Bloom: The Sims 4 Solarpunk Architecture

Solarpunk isn’t just a style of architecture – it’s a social, literary and artistic movement. Connections are made between community, nature and its all tied up in sustainability. My plans for Sims 4 solarpunk architecture will be no different, merely a reflection of the biome it’s in and the people it’s for.

History

It is thought the solarpunk movement really began in the 1970s when environmental issues were gaining media attention. Science fiction exploited the motion and created media surrounding the consequences of doing nothing. The future was dystopian.

Then in the 1980/90s, Cyberpunk became a popular ideology. It was almost a warning of what was to come from climate change and growing technologies that would eventually lead to inequality.

However, phrase solarpunk comes from a 2008 blog titled “From Steampunk to Solarpunk” by an anonymous author. The post discusses how they were inspired by the MS Beluga Skysails which is a hybrid cargo ship that uses sail power to supplement the engine, to suggest a new genre that contrasts the steampunk movement. It’s based around the idea of conflating modern and old technology that’s guided by practicality and renewable energy sources.

Later on, Matt Staggs posted a “GreenPunk Manifesto” in 2009 which was his vision for a technophillic genre based around do-it-yourself technologies. His ideologies were much more focused on the punk aspect and less on romanticing a utopian future. He wished for social change and to dismiss consumer culture in favour of the environment.

These ideas became visual in 2014 when artist Olivia Louise broadened our horizons by posting concept art on her Tumblr, missolivialouise. Her designs were inspired by styles such as Art Nouveau, Victorian and Edwardian architecture but with a renewable twist.

Along with artists such as Louise, the 2010s saw a rise in writing about future world where instead of humans turning on each other in a Hunger Games style way, they worked together to repair the world that they nearly destroyed.

In today’s world, the closest to solarpunk architecture we have is Singapore’s Garden City. This was a vision introduced in 1967 to turn Singapore in to a city filled with rich greenery and cleaner air to improve the area for the people living there. It began with planting trees all over Singapore. The policy currently wants Singapore to be considered a garden in a city to emphasise the environmental approach they are taking.

In the future, we can expect more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious architecture to start appearing. Whether the world itself takes a more solarpunk turn, well, only time can tell.

Features

As solarpunk is more of a movement and ideology, there aren’t really any set features like with other architecture styles. There would of course be some staples such as:

• Solar panels/power
• Wind turbines
• Greenery
• Glass

Due to the nature of the style, it’s likely most of the materials would be biome driven. For example, hotter climates would have homes that were made from clay and tiles to improve natural cooling. Cooler climates would use bricks because of its insulation properties.

Renewable energy features would be prominent regardless of the area because all cities/dwellings need energy to power technology. Solar power would be common, particularly as solar glass is starting to be used. Solar glass is best for tall buildings with limited roof space but plenty of windows. It absorbs the sun and converts it to energy.

Finally, there would be an abundance of plant life as its synonymous with the style. In most concept art the buildings are covered in plants, made of bamboo or even made of hempcrete which is a biocomposite material made from hemp hurds.

Sims 4 Solarpunk Architecture Replication

So, for building a solarpunk inspired build I first had a think about the solarpunk movement. This made me decide to build a community inspired build. I knew I wanted it to be a home but then I considered the merits of building an almost city. I had a few goes at that but personally struggled to come up with a design that I liked. Instead, I transformed my city idea and decided to build an intergenerational commune.

I love both intergenerational and multigenerational living. I even wrote a 5,000 word essay for a school project and spent hours researching it so this idea appealed to me instantly. However, converting what I had in my head to in the game proved a little difficult.

I started off by picking a lot in Tomarang as it is a world I rarely build in but one that is beautful. The climate was perfect for what I had in mind and nothing beats living by the sea. So, I picked the 40×30 lot in the top left hand corner.

I then started off by thinking about the type of packs that I wanted to use. At the time of building, The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature Expansion Pack hadn’t come out yet but I knew that I wanted to use some of the objects for the interior as they have a slight Art Noveau inspiration.

However, my main DLC uses for the exterior were Eco Lifestyle for all of the eco-friendly objects. I also used a lot of items from the Werewolves game pack as I wanted my solarpunk compound to have a slightly rundown look.

The actual structures came together quite easily. With a bit of trial and error, I got two that I was happy enough with but choosing the wallpaper took time. I needed to consider what type of materials would be realistic to Tomarang.

Tomarang came with the Sims 4 For Rent and is inspired by Southeast Asian countries. The climate in these countries is warm with a high humidity so materials like Adobe which are great for warm and dry climates are ruled out because of the humidity.

I decided to use a mixture of materials for my commune. I imagine there were the original structures and more were added on overtime which meant that different materials were used. So some are older and some are newer.

For landscaping, I kept in touch with the landscaping around Tomarang. Southeast Asia lies in the Tropic of Capricorn which means more tropical plants, rainforests and the occasional savannah. As Tomarang appears to lean more towards a rainforest, I picked plants and shrubs that matched that. I also included lots of palm trees as those are throughout the world.

Overall, as it was a style I was for the most part unfamiliar with; I was very happy with how it turned out. It was fun going out of my comfort zone and I’m looking forward for designing the interior for this unconventional home.

Conclusion

Building this commune certainly had its up and downs but altogeher I’m happy with how it turned out. This build didn’t just stretch my sims skills, but my imagination. It was great seeing a movement for the future that’s full of hope instead of angst. I’m curious to see whether solarpunk ideals shape the future for the real-world or just digital ones.