Sky Garden House. I think one of the reasons that many are skeptical about environmental design is because they think its terribly complex and costly. It does take a bit more effort on the front end, but it's definitely not rocket science. This architecture by Guz Architects is a wonderfully developed minimalistic design with a curvilinear flare that really brings out the organic coverings. I'm most impressed with how design facilitates the needs of the plants and shrubs located throughout the house. See more at Guz Architects. Casa Folha by Mareines and Patalano. Casa Folha by Mareines and Patalano On the coast to the south of Rio de Janeiro, a leaf-shaped home rises out of the Brazilian landscape like a work of nature. Casa Folha by Mareines and Patalano is a large tropical shelter housed under a roof that is shaped like a complex leaf.
Its six sections contain a large central atrium, a two-story open patio and a few sections of private and shared space within. Its interior is as naturally-inspired as the leaves above, with fine wood floors and walls with earth tone accents in draping and furnishings. The lighting of Casa Folha is quite remarkable, as hidden lights do much of the work of bringing out the home’s true character at night. While it may not have the contemporary focus of most of our coverage here on TheCoolist, this work of architecture by Mareines and Patalano is decidedly cool in its own right. Earth sheltering. Earth sheltering is the architectural practice of using earth against building walls for external thermal mass, to reduce heat loss, and to easily maintain a steady indoor air temperature. Earth sheltering has become relatively more popular in modern times, especially among environmentalists and advocates of passive solar and sustainable architecture. However, the practice has been around for nearly as long as humans have been constructing their own shelters.
Definition[edit] The expression earth-sheltering is a generic term, with the general meaning: building design in which soil plays an integral part. A building can be described as earth-sheltered if its external envelope is in contact with a thermally significant volume of soil or substrate (where “thermally significant” means making a functional contribution to the thermal effectiveness of the building in question.) There may be said to be three forms of earth-sheltered building: earth-coveredearth-bundedsubterranean Background[edit] A different way to build a house #43 – Adding secret passages and hidden rooms to a house. Underground Home Designs - Swiss Mountain House Rocks! Like this article? Share it: In underground home designs, this unusual house plan is the collaboration between the Netherlands architects at SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects.
This underground home, located in the Swiss village of Vals, is set amidst a cluster of mountain houses and if you don’t look carefully you might miss it! The most striking thing about this stone house is the majestic Alpine view through a wide, elliptical opening in the hillside, revealing spacious outdoor entertaining areas that lead to the home’s main entrance. Another entrance from a nearby barn leads residents and guests through an underground pathway, providing an alternate entryway into the home. The circular opening in the mountainside allows for lots of windows, which flood interiors with natural light while framing the stunning mountain views. SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects via Gizmodo, via Abitare Please Leave a Comment Posted on December 3, 2009 7:23 PM Comments (3) What a great home.