The Absent House

Puerto Rican architect Fernando Abruña Charneco's visionary, eco-friendly designs for houses and other buildings are the fascinating subject of this documentary by filmmaker Rubén Abruña. An apprentice to the legendary architect R. Buckminster Fuller, Charneco began designing and creating structures in the 1970s, defying norms and embracing what we now think of as green sustainability practices. Eschewing rooftops in many cases, and separating rooms into individual buildings with specific energy designs for particular purposes, Charneco took what once seemed a radical—even crazy—idea and ran with it. Pasteurizing rainwater (thus keeping the minerals), installing solar panels to create electricity, using concrete and recycled local materials to build, and instantly turning human waste into fertilizer—all of these then-prescient ideas are now more commonly accepted, and Charneco's work is in great demand. And, as an added benefit, these buildings are visually appealing. A positive, exciting documentary that will make viewers optimistic about the possibilities of changing the way we create environments in which to live and work, The Absent House is presented in both a Spanish-language version and one with English subtitles. Extras include additional interviews. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P (T. Keogh)