To get more clout, Soontorn set off to earn a doctorate in the U.S., and there he was drawn into the debates over conservation, particularly during a meeting with environmental technology guru Amory Lovins. All charged up, Soontorn returned home to become one of Asia's earliest, most passionate advocates of green architecture and eco-friendly living. Now 50, the Thai architect lives what he preaches. Consider the spacious, three-bedroom house that Soontorn built for himself in Bangkok three years ago. Water is recycled so efficiently that just half the building's needs are drawn from the city's supply.
Household waste is used to generate cooking gas.
Thanks to power from an array of solar panels, electricity bills remain negligible, despite having the air-conditioner on all day. Fine-tuning the demand, a network of 140 thermal sensors hooked to a computer allow Soontorn to adjust the temperatures in different parts of the home. If he were to conserve a bit more energy or add some solar panels, he'd even have enough to power an electric car. Truth to tell, such houses are still far from the norm. Environmental considerations rate pretty low on the agendas of most Asian developers.