Sustainability

On a lazy bend of Tasmania’s Timtumili Minanya, the River Derwent, the site slopes steeply both to the high-watermark that defines the western boundary and to the freshwater lagoon to the north. From the waterfront to the road the site is embedded with a rock. A delicate layer of topsoil supports indigenous grasses, plants, and she-oaks close to the water and larger eucalypts on the higher ground closer to the road.

Casa quattro designed by LCA architetti (Luca Compri Architects) is a sustainable house characterized by extremely simple architecture.

Set on a sloping site in the Southern California coastal community of Encinitas, this multi-level, private residence for a young family was designed to create a family home that also allows for long visits by relatives.

“This is a place where you can be naked,” the site tells us. HUAIRA sits in front of a small river that roars and seeks the shade of the vegetation to protect itself while joining the landscape.

Patio house sits on a gently sloping site located in Coves Noves, a small urbanisation on the north-east coast of Minorca’s island, Spain. The plot has great views over the Mediterranean Sea, but unfortunately has also a 10-storey hotel shooting up in the horizon; an old relic from times when landscape integration meant less. Because of this visual obstacle and since the neighbour’s house is only a few meters away from our plot, we decided to intentionally direct the views in specific directions. Thus, the house plays with solid and glazed walls that frame undisturbed views towards the sea, forest and garden while hiding the massive hotel construction and isolating itself from neighbours. The villa’s position on a hilltop gives it remarkable views, however it also exposes it to the strong wind from the north.

Patio house sits on a gently sloping site located in Coves Noves, a small urbanisation on the north-east coast of Minorca’s island, Spain. The plot has great views over the Mediterranean Sea, but unfortunately has also a 10-storey hotel shooting up in the horizon; an old relic from times when landscape integration meant less. Because of this visual obstacle and since the neighbour’s house is only a few meters away from our plot, we decided to intentionally direct the views in specific directions. Thus, the house plays with solid and glazed walls that frame undisturbed views towards the sea, forest and garden while hiding the massive hotel construction and isolating itself from neighbours. The villa’s position on a hilltop gives it remarkable views, however it also exposes it to the strong wind from the north.

In the early modern period, Taoist monks cultivated Bonsai trees seeking to bring their beauty from the outside to the inside, considering them a link between the human and the divine. Likewise, in the 18th century, different tree-lined walks and avenues arose on the outskirts of some European cities, generating spaces for rest and socialization that were previously non-existent in cities at that time.

Within three years (2011-2014) China consumed more cement than the USA during the last century. Most of those people living now in concrete housing blocks were living in houses made of natural materials. This trend happens all over the world. Alternatives are needed to reduce CO2 emissions.