I hope with your degree you make enough money to build 2 of them!
Even if it is a pipe dream, I have actually put way more thought than I should have at this point into the design of a house. Building my own house (Or rather designing one and having it built) has been a goal I have had as long as I can remember. Aside from region (which is likely to vary depending on where my career ends up and who and when I decide to settle down) I have definitely taken interest in "Earth-ship" and Japanese Castle type designs, albeit with more European architecture in its design.
F'it, since I am on the topic ill share some more info on the designs I mentioned:
"Earthships"
Earthships are essentially self-contained houses with aspects of power, plumbing, and heat management are built into the the design of the house itself rather than being offset to an external grid or heating unit. Solar panels and a battery bank of the most common form of power generation, while plumbing and water management are usually bound to a rain runoff system, purification, and septic tank (or even pond). More important to me, is the focus on the design and orientation of the house itself; as a portion of the house is always facing the South (at least here in the US) and is covered with windows to gather as much heat as possible; on the inside is usually a garden of some sort connected to the rest of the house, while above it is a vent or tunnel for hot air to rise. Meanwhile at the back of the house, part of it is also submerged underground, with a series of pipe vents run underneath. When open, it creates the a natural breeze through the house, forcing cold air from the back and up through the chimney area. (Although, I may just settle for Geothermal cooling instead)
Japanese castle:
Japanese castles differ heavily from their European counterparts, in that they are essentially split into two parts; the massive stone foundation and the lacquered wood tower. The foundations of these castles is usually sloped like a pyramid, giving it greater stability. Original castles even had the stones cut in place, requiring no adhesive to hold them together and in some cases boast greater strength than modern concrete. The wooden portion of the castle was lacquered, improving its longevity and often making is *somewhat* fire retardant. More interestingly to me, is the tower design, which I feel could naturally pair with the "chimney" portion of the earthships I mentioned before. Meanwhile, I am more interested in the European castle designs in the form of their walls and "donjon" (tall/side towers, not to be confused with the "dungeon", although it shares the same root word as the tower was actually used as a prison originally). In regards to the walls, I am mostly interested in them for their walkways, as it adds more functionality to the wall while still retaining its visual barrier.
I really do have better things to do with my time, but i could not help myself.