The architects from Mareines + Patalano in Brazil, created a beautiful eco-friendly beach house in Angra dos Reis, called Casa Folha (Leaf House), one hour south of Rio de Janeiro. Shaped like a giant lotus flower, this house's concept is inspired by Brazil's indian architecture, said to be perfectly suited for hot and humid climates. For this project, the architects were looking to integrate the living spaces with the surrounding environment, connecting the occupants with nature. As such, most of the living spaces are open to the outside and most of the materials used for the construction of the house are natural. 
There's a lot of neat green elements in their design. The roof protects the occupants from the sun and collects rain water in the center. The roof is also supported by a central steel column that also redirects the collected water to be used to water the plants in the garden and to flush the toilets. 
There are no air conditioning systems in the house. The house is cooled through natural ventilation, taking advantage of the breeze from the sea. Most of the material used for the construction of the house is natural or recuperated. For example a portion of the wood floors comes from old electrical posts. This is definitely a green vacation home that's respectful of its surroundings and the environment. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new era of environmentally friendly vacation homes. 
source: Mareines + Patalano | inhabitat
wow, what a place that is! i'm wary of the lack of air conditioning though... it's one of those things where it's fantastic if the natural ventilation keeps the house at a nice temperature, but not so great if it keeps the house at a humid 85 degrees. Considering the relaxed, spa-like surroundings, however, maybe I'm making a big deal of nothing. It reminds me of the Swiss family Robinson - if they were rich and stylish.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is one very cool house!!! Love the aerial shot -- it really does look like a flower :-)
ReplyDeleteKelly