In a suburb of Rio, a new house is taking shape. It’s a building that can think for itself, react to outside conditions to adjust the lighting and temperature, all while generating more energy than it consumes. The house is part of the NO.V.A. project (Nós Vivemos o Amanhã or We Are Living Tomorrow) and while energy efficient homes are nothing new – the first homes built to the Passivhaus standard went up in Germany in 1...