Tag Archives: Sustainable Architecture

House Zero 3D-Printed Home proves to be an architectural innovation

Posted on by

In this day and age, impossibilities are defied in ways we never imagined before. With the advent of 3D printing technology, almost anything can be done even in architecture.

The idea of 3D-printed homes isn’t absurd as such is already happening. If you can 3D-print sneakers, indeed, you can print anything. We told you how 3D printing is becoming more popular and gaining momentum. Many designers have adopted the technology, and now, we’re hearing more architects are doing the same.

Designers: ICON and Lake|Flato Architects

House Zero Details

The House Zero is another proof that innovation in architecture is necessary. It is a result of advancements in technology because architecture needs to adapt like many things in this world. This project by ICON and Lake|Flato Architects showcases the former’s proprietary concrete wall printing system.

Built in a neighborhood in Austin, Texas, House Zero is a climate-responsive house that offers flexibility to the homeowner. Change is constant in this world, and that’s what this house system can allow throughout the years. Both Lake|Flato and ICON have worked hard on this collaboration to create a new system from printed concrete construction. In addition, new strategies have been set to ensure the 3D-printed home is made to detail.

House Zero Design

The mission was to design a house that is livable and desirable. Another goal was to take advantage of net-zero energy. 3D printing, specifically, additive manufacturing at a large scale, seemed challenging but the designers and architects were able to finish House Zero with a thermally broken and insulated envelope with the aid of a software-controlled construction process.

House Zero Details 3D Printed 2

Like any simple designed and constructed house, the House Zero only uses natural wood and basic elements. The concrete walls are framed and protected the standard way. As a result, the house offers plenty of views of nature and daylight. The house is made using biophilic design principles, which means natural materials and elements are used. Even with the use of robotic printing processes, the house still has those raw elements that make it sustainable while remaining cozy and homey.

ICON House Zero Exterior

House Zero Interior

The House Zero by Lake|Flato uses new technology without forgetting about the natural things. The result is still a shelter that endures and lasts—enough to call it a real home. This house can grow as your family grows through the decades. It doesn’t exactly mean it will expand, but you can adjust according to your needs or style.

ICON House Zero Interior

House Zero Perimeter

Here’s what ICON, Co-Founder and CEO Jason Ballard has to say about the house: “House Zero is ground zero for the emergence of entirely new design languages and architectural vernaculars that will use robotic construction to deliver the things we need most from our housing: comfort, beauty, dignity, sustainability, attainability, and hope. Houses like this are only possible with 3D printing, and this is the new standard of what 3D printing can mean for the world. My hope is that this home will provoke architects, developers, builders, and homeowners to dream alongside ICON about the exciting and hopeful future that robotic construction, and specifically 3D printing, makes possible. The housing of our future must be different from the housing we have known.”

As described, the House Zero is a 2,000+ sqft home. It comes with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms plus a 350 sqft accessory unit with one bedroom and one bath. It uses the 3D-printed wall system with Lavacrete by ICON– saving money, time, and even waste. Lavacrete allows better insulation as made possible by thermal mass and slow heat transfer. The process has resulted in an airtight wall that allows reduced lifecycle costs and better energy efficiency.

ICON House Zero Exterior

ICON House Zero Carport

This is the future not only of house construction but also of 3D printing technology because of the scale. This project only proves we can push the limits of robotic construction and 3D printing further. It’s a design language that must be explored by more architects, designers, and companies if they want to keep up with the times.

House Zero Plan

ICON House Zero 3D Printing Process 1

The post House Zero 3D-Printed Home proves to be an architectural innovation first appeared on Yanko Design.

This tiny timber home was inspired by a slide viewer to give guests the best views of Tasmania’s coastline

Posted on by

Dolphin Sands Studio is a tiny timber home that uses sustainable minimalism to bring its residents as close to Australia’s Tasmanian shores as possible.

Matt Williams Architects is a Tasmania-based architecture firm that specializes in sustainable architecture to bring clients as close to the sandy dunes of Australia’s southern island as possible. One of their latest undertakings finds a 36 square-meter tiny home only yards away from the ocean’s shoreline, positioned safely amongst the dune’s natural vegetation. Designed for a couple of artists, the Dolphin Sands Studio is a timber, triangular dwelling that was built to serve as the couple’s home until their larger residence is finished.

Designer: Matt Williams Architects

Named after the neighborhood it’s located in, Dolphin Sands Studio can be found on Tasmania’s east coast. Once completed, the Dolphin Sands Studio will function as a guest house for the couple’s main residence, which is located only a few meters back. The unique shape of Dolphin Sands Studio was inspired by the shape and purpose of a vintage slide viewer.

Built to rake in the best views on the coast, the hard part was constructing the home to not disrupt the natural landscape. Finding flexibility through sustainability, Dolphin Sands Studio boasts a naturally small footprint and is constructed from locally sourced building material.

Propped up on a system of supportive stilts, the Dolphin Sands Studio is leveled out atop a dune and dip. The tiny home features a slightly inclined roof that rises with the dunes’ changing heights. The narrow timber panels that line each facade also increase in height as the roof reaches its most lofty peak. The lined timber panels provide the home with a thoughtfully curated minimalist look that looks elemental yet still adorned.

Inside, the home features a spacious, open floor layout that leaves enough room for a small kitchen space, half-bathroom, and large bedroom area. Paneled in oriented strand board, the unfinished look brings some calm and warmth to the home. The living and dining spaces are separated by the bed’s headboard, which doubles as the kitchen’s stovetop. Then, an outdoor shower makes the indoor bathroom feel fuller and introduces the home’s dark, hardwood deck.

The post This tiny timber home was inspired by a slide viewer to give guests the best views of Tasmania’s coastline first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dubai’s Museum of the Future will let you see the future and discover new worlds

Posted on by

Museum of the Future Dubai

Museums are a great way to spend time with people. They not only provide a smart and effective way of learning but they can also inspire ideas and experiences. In Dubai, a new one-of-a-kind museum has opened up that can let you explore many possibilities one can only previously imagine.

The Museum of the Future is a fitting name for this new museum that allows visitors to see and experience the future. It’s like stepping into a new dimension or for others, time travel to a few decades ahead where innovation, creativity, and functionality meet. The whole museum offers a delightful and almost otherworldly experience in this day when we’re about to enter the era of metaverses, audio and augmented realities, AI, and the like.

Designer: Killa Design

Museum of the Future Exhibit

At the Museum of the Future, you can do a lot of things. You can inhabit the skies aboard the OSS Hope as it transports you to a space state 600 kilometers above the earth. Discover new worlds where the Pioneers live and work with the goal of learning, discovering, and inventing new things for people on Earth.

Witness the wonders of nature and visit a digital version of the Amazon rainforest. A mixed reality recreation of the rainforest lets you see observe details and meet the hundreds of species you don’t normally see. Feel free to explore the vault of life and a DNA library featuring thousands of species.

Museum of the Future Vault of Life DNA

You’ll never run out of things to do at this museum. Revive your senses at a sanctuary for the human senses and disconnect from the world and technology for a while. After a visit to this museum, you will see yourself, other people, and the world with new eyes. All these will help transform your mind that will enable you to shape and introduce development to your communities.

The Museum of the Future offers opportunities to experience the future of many areas in our life including living, space travel, ecology, and even climate change. You can also check out what could be the future for our spirituality, health, and wellness. Being inside this museum will definitely do wonders for your soul.

Museum of the Future Design

The Museum of the Future is aimed to be another dynamic and expressive landmark in Dubai. It was designed by Killa Design, a local studio that is dedicated to designing innovative buildings that are environmentally sustainable and contextually inspired. The design firm’s creations are timeless and innovative as exhibited by the Museum of the Future.

This Museum of the Future features three main areas: the building, the void, and the green hill. The latter represents the earth and reminds us of our roots that shouldn’t be forgotten. It was meant to further elevate the building and bring it above the Dubai metro line. This greenery is something visitors will enjoy as they engage with the Musem.

Museum of the Future

The building is shaped like an elongated ring. It represents mankind, showing creativity and strength amidst a vast urban landscape. The surface of the building shows Arabic calligraphy about the future. The elliptical void in the middle symbolizes innovation. It’s an empty space that can inspire people, not just the creators, innovators, and inventors, to look forward to the future.

Museum of the Future Hours

Definitely, the Museum of the Future will be another addition to the numerous innovative landmarks in Dubai. It’s one sustainable creation with its LEED Platinum status. The torus-shaped building is 17,000m2 and is constructed with BIM (Building Information Modeling) at every stage.

Killa Design explained how the low carbon civic building is achieved. The group applied several innovations from a parametric design to integrated renewables to low-water engineering and low-energy solutions. The result is a 78-meter high building set in a 3-story podium. The building features one administration floor and six exhibition floors. There is also an auditorium, an F&B deck, plus spaces for retail and parking.

Museum of the Future Launch

The Museum of the Future is all about design and innovation. It will soon be an ultimate mecca for creatives, researchers, designers, and inventors. Scientists and entrepreneurs are also welcome to the Museum to get inspired and be empowered. It’s also for everyone who wants to see and live a better future. Going to the Museum of the Future will definitely evoke feelings of hope in this pandemic world.

Museum of the Future Opening

Museum of the Future Interior Design

The post Dubai’s Museum of the Future will let you see the future and discover new worlds first appeared on Yanko Design.

St Andrews Beach House is one circular, sustainable, and memorable holiday home

Posted on by

It still is cold in many countries. Some cities still see snow while other regions are already feeling the warmth of the sunshine. It’s summer in Australia now but it will be over soon.

If you live in this part of the world, you’ll probably be spending the rest of this season going to the beach or checking out unique vacation rentals. Oftentimes, you can hit two birds with one stone as there are plenty of interesting beach houses in the country. With just an hour’s drive, you can go from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula and spend a few days near the water in a house that doesn’t have hallways and corners.

Designer: Andrew Maynard, Mark Austin, Ray Dinh

St Andrews Beach House Cover

St Andrews Beach House Design View

The absence of hallways isn’t just what makes this house unique. It’s a perfect circle. It’s also many things that are unusual. The location of this house alone, St. Andrews Beach, makes it already a winner. It’s an ideal coastal getaway destination which made the owners, a couple who loves the beach, decide on the property.

The Andrew Maynard Architects firm was tapped to design the St. Andrews Beach house. It now stands as one of the many spectacular houses in the area. It has quickly become a popular fixture in the landscape even with its size and location, as well as, integration with the environment.

St Andrews Beach Round House

The beach house is mainly a weekend home for the owners. Specifically, it is situated within sand dunes. Its modest form is what makes it more unique against the big houses in Australia. With only a radius of about five meters and a 1,500-square-foot floor plan, the vacation house has been designed with the bach as an inspiration. A bach is a small holiday home in New Zealand. The idea was to create a home that is simple, efficient, and sustainable in an almost remote place that can be perfect when you want to isolate or disconnect from the world.

St Andrews Beach House

St. Andrews Beach offers peace and quiet to the residents. You go there if you want to relax with family and friends. There isn’t much to see or explore in the area—just the quiet surroundings, beautiful coastline, and other beautifully-designed residences.

The circular building proves to be an efficient design. It allows for more light and air to come in for residents and guests to enjoy. Open the doors and you get a 360-degree view of the area. There are several bi-fold doors here that can be opened up to the outside.

St Andrews Beach House Design

The eco-friendliness of the circular home starts with the materials. There’s timber all over, silvertop ash hardwood, steel, and concrete. The hardwood flooring is fire-resistant because the house is within a bushfire protection zone. A steep spiral case is located in the middle.

St Andrews Beach House Design Austin Maynard

To be more sustainable, there is a cylindrical rainwater collection system which means water collected can be used for the bathroom. You can also water the garden using the water. Solar panels can be found on the rooftop. There are double-glazed windows to complete the look.

St Andrews Beach House Design View

The corridor-free home proves a circular design is possible even in terrains that seem to be a crazy idea. The St Andrews Beach House is mainly a tube. It is a two-storey house with a big room on the second floor but can be divided into three with heavy curtains. The idea becomes useful when family and friends come over for the weekend.

St Andrews Beach House Design View

So where is the front of the house? We can’t tell but the designers said it is all front. The bi-fold doors, when open, make it possible to combine indoors and outdoors as most fun beach houses are supposed to offer. The floor area isn’t much but the house offers more than just space but a relaxed and casual atmosphere. It’s the kind of solace you need after a busy week. The area was only recently made accessible and connected to the road so going to this beach house will be more of a breeze.

St Andrews Beach Circle House

This sustainable circular home in St. Andrew’s Beach maximizes the space. Every part is well-planned even if construction was a challenge. The shifting sands didn’t help but the builders had to make deep footings for stability.  St Andrews Beach House Floor Plan

St Andrews Beach House Floor Plan 3

St Andrews Beach House Floor Plan 2

The post St Andrews Beach House is one circular, sustainable, and memorable holiday home first appeared on Yanko Design.

This sustainable forest complex absorbs CO2 and produces oxygen to mitigate the effects of urbanization!

Posted on by

Easyhome Huanggang Vertical Forest City Complex, comprised of five sustainable green towers, was built to mitigate the effects of urbanization and fight for the environmental survival of our cities.

As our cities become increasingly popular destinations for younger generations, the need to introduce sustainable and biophilic architecture has never felt more urgent. As we face urban expansion and densification, architects are taking initiative to ensure the environmental survival of our contemporary cities. Italian architect Stefano Boeri has found promise in vertical city forest complexes, a form of biophilic architecture that incorporates teeming greenery into the very structure of residential buildings. Easyhome Huanggang Vertical Forest City Complex is Boeri’s latest sustainable undertaking, a forest complex in Huanggang, Hubei, China “intended to create a completely innovative green space for the city.”

Bounded by three streets, Easyhome covers 4.54 hectares and comprises five towers, each of which connects with an open, public space. 404 different trees fill out the layout of Easyhome, absorbing 22 tons of carbon dioxide and producing 11 tons of oxygen over the span of a year. Helping to mitigate smog and produce oxygen, the trees incorporated into Easyhome also increase biodiversity by attracting new bird and insect species. 4,620 shrubs and 2,408 square meters of grass, flowers, and climbing plants are also spread throughout Easyhome’s structure in addition to the complex’s tree species.

Easyhome’s rhythmic, modular facade also lends itself to increased biodiversity by mimicking the incongruent, wild look of nature. Rising 80 meters in height, two of the five towers are residential buildings, while the other towers remain in use as hotels and large commercial spaces. As Boeri is no stranger to vertical green complexes, he has worked on many urban forestry projects. Everywhere, from Milan to Cairo, Boeri has designed forest complexes to help mitigate the harmful effects of urbanization. However, Easyhome is a new type of vertical forest.

Describing the building’s difference in his own words, Boeri writes, “the floors have cantilevered elements that interrupt the regularity of the building and create a continuous ever-changing movement, accentuated by the presence of trees and shrubs selected from local species.” In addition to the building’s undulating facades and rugged appeal, Easyhome implements a combination of open-air balconies and closed-off terraces to blue the transitional boundary between nature and human-centered environments. This incongruent configuartion of the building’s exterior also allows the greenery to grow freely in height and foliage, the way it would in natural forests.

Designer: Stefano Boeri Architetti

The post This sustainable forest complex absorbs CO2 and produces oxygen to mitigate the effects of urbanization! first appeared on Yanko Design.

These geodesic domes built from bioceramics are a form of regenerative architecture

Posted on by

Geoship is a home building cooperative committed to innovative construction methods that use bioceramics to produce geodesic domes.

As environmental needs continue to influence the trajectory of modern architecture and design, the process of building homes continues to evolve. Vertical forest complexes punctuate city skylines with teeming gardens and prefabricated construction systems are turning into the preferred building method for many architects.

Enter regenerative architecture, a branch of construction that aims to reverse the toll that home building takes on nature, while also producing a net-positive impact on the environment. Geoship, a homebuilding cooperative, uses regenerative building methods for their collection of bioceramic, geodesic domes to carve a new path towards environmentally responsible construction.

Inspired by “the geometry of life,” Geoship’s construction system is defined by the dome’s geodesic shape, chosen for its proximity to several aspects of life, from molecules to the force of gravity itself. Each geodesic dome is also built from nature’s composite, a bioceramic material that forms using, “the same chemical bonding occurs in bones, seashells, and even the ancient pyramids of Giza.”

From the outside of the domes to their insulated interior spaces, Geoship applied a seamless construction process for each material to naturally blend into each other. The building process behind the geodesic domes is affordable and highly efficient to further Geoship’s green initiative.

Supported by a system of struts that outline the dome’s geodesic shape, exterior panels and insulated window frames clad the dome’s frame with weather-resistant and mold-proof facades. Each module that comprises the dome’s structure is connected by a hexagonal hub to ensure secure fastening.

Each module of the geodesic dome is comprised of ceramic crystals that are molded into a triangular shape. Then, the modules are pieced together to form the dome’s geodesic shape.

During the construction process, the carbon required to construct geodesic domes and the modules is far less when compared to traditional home building methods that use sandstone or even passive solar energy.

Amounting to a fire and flood-proof, hurricane and earthquake-resistant home dwelling, the regenerative construction process behind Geoship is also sustainable. Generating zero waste, less CO2 emissions, and a recyclable structure, Geoship’s domes have a 500-year life and can be installed within a very short time frame.

Designed to produce home structures that will remain in place for centuries, Geoship’s regenerative building process is backed by materials science with aim of creating micro-factory and village design platforms to prove the innovative building method’s feasibility.

Designer: Geoship

Geoship’s collection of geodesic homes are constructed using bioceramic building material.

A system of internal struts support the exterior facades of each geodesic dome. 

Geoship also conceptualized their geodesic domes in different colors to appeal to different uses. 

The geodesic domes form Geoship come in an array of different sizes, from small studios to larger family homes.

Ideated as a village of geodesic domes, Geoship will progress their home building system to clusters of domes to prove the system’s large-scale feasibility. 

The post These geodesic domes built from bioceramics are a form of regenerative architecture first appeared on Yanko Design.

Off-grid treehouse style villas make up this eco-resort that takes inspiration from Mobula Rays

Posted on by

Playa Viva is an ecoresort in Juluchuca, Mexico made up of off-grid treehouse-style villas with roofs shaped like the wings of Mobula Rays.

The beauty of biophilic architecture is that nature provides the blueprint. In environments with dense foliage and rough terrain, integrating the natural landscape into the lay of the building helps define the floor plan’s parameters and the building’s structural shape. Immersing guests in nature, biophilic architecture artfully dissolves the barrier between the outdoors and interior spaces. Atelier Nomadic, a Rotterdam-based architecture firm that specializes in biophilic architecture, designed Playa Viva, an eco-resort village of treehouse-style villas that plants guests right on the surf of the Pacific Ocean in Juluchuca, Mexico.

Designer: Atelier Nomadic

Unlike their usual approach, Atelier Nomadic had to meet with the client behind Playa Viva online as a result of the pandemic restricting travel. From these virtual workshops, the architects with Atelier Nomadic envisioned Playa Viva’s structural shape to replicate the flexed wings of a Mobula Ray. A familiar sight to the shores of Mexico, Mobula Rays seem to encapsulate Atelier Nomadic’s mission for integrating nature into their designs, as well as the spirit of Playa Viva. Functioning like a gigantic umbrella, the hyperbolic and paraboloid-shaped roof offers total coverage from the blazing sun and heavy rain. On the opposite end, each treehouse villa is propped up on a collection of wooden stilts that support the larger bamboo dwelling.

Chosen for its speedy regenerative process, Guadua bamboo comprises the build of each villa’s main living volume, roof structure, facade louvers, and ceiling. In the main living volume, guests can find the main bedroom and untouched views of the ocean, while enjoying natural cross-ventilation from the bamboo louvers. Besides Guadua, fishpole bamboo was used to give rise to Playa Viva’s annex building’s walls and facade panels. In each structure, Cumaru timber was chosen for the flooring. In the annex structures, Atelier Nomadic placed the bathroom and additional sleeping accommodation, or a lounge area.

As part of Playa Viva’s eco-resort appeal and mission, each villa is entirely self-sustained, garnering energy from the sun to power each facility and amenity. In close collaboration with the local community, Playa Viva supports health and education services for locals and works on a year-round basis to restore the surrounding land. Offering access to the rugged, unspoiled beauty of Mexico’s land, Playa Viva also works hard to protect it through the La Tortuga Viva Turtle Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization rooted in sea turtle conservation.

The post Off-grid treehouse style villas make up this eco-resort that takes inspiration from Mobula Rays first appeared on Yanko Design.

This prefab traditional farmhouse finds a contemporary twist with energy-efficient building practices

Posted on by

Friends Lab House is a prefabricated, single-story barn-style residence located in the grassy fields of a family-run farm in Hampshire, England.

On the hunt for a home to share with friends and family while spending time on their farm in the English countryside, a young couple looked to AMPS Arquitectura & Diseño to design and build a sustainable, single-story farmhouse. When it comes to sustainability, AMPS architects consider it a top priority.

Designers: AMPS Arquitectura & Diseño

The young couple who reached out to AMPS found that they were on the same page in that regard, leading to a match made in barn-style heaven. Dubbed Friends Lab House, the traditional single-story farmhouse reveals a contemporary flair through energy-efficient principles and artisan details.

Especially true in the wide-open countryside of Hampshire, England, new architecture must blend into its surroundings and that was one of the Friend Labs House’s residents’ main requests. In addition to building an expansive, sustainable home, AMPS ensured the residence would harmonize with its surroundings by mirroring the look of the farm’s other homes.

The Friends Lab House finds its veil with permeable black-stained Accoya timber batten screen cladding that hearkens back to the other blackened timber structures around the property. Just beyond the Friends Lab House, dense woodlands run parallel with the lengthy home, a subtle ode to the home’s sweeping surroundings.

Describing the home’s initial plans, AMPS founder Alberto Marcos says, “A similar formal and color approach to the existing farm was used for the design of the new house, but reinterpreted in a thoroughly contemporary way, from structure to finishes and importantly, a very high level of energy efficiency.”

Characterized as “a house designed to sit silently on the landscape,” AMPS outfitted the Friends Lab House with all of the energy-efficient specs needed for a self-sufficient home. During the home’s prefabricated and industrialized construction process, CLT or contra-laminated timber panels were used to equip the home with strength and dimensional stability.

Punctuating the home’s semi-double-pitched roof, AMPS also set up photovoltaic panels for sustainable energy production throughout the year and changing seasons. In addition to the home’s green construction process and solar-paneled roof, AMPS integrated a ground-source heat pump and a borehole connected to a treatment plant to supply water.

Towards the center of the residence, the living room finds half-bay overhangs and windows that open up completely to the south-facing grassy fields. In direct contrast to the home’s sleek black exterior, the home’s interior combines limestone and lime-based mineral micro-mortar (MORTEX) floors with chestnut paneled and MORTEX walls. While the home’s spacious personality is contained to one level, the double-pitched roofs and high ceilings give the home a lofty, airy feeling.

The post This prefab traditional farmhouse finds a contemporary twist with energy-efficient building practices first appeared on Yanko Design.

Affordable solar homes – a solution for homeowner poverty & net-zero housing!

Posted on by



Net-zero architecture is what will reduce emissions from the construction industry on a large scale. But make it inclusive as well as scalable and you also get a solution that can lift homeowners out of poverty while building a community! Created for that very purpose, these solar homes are aiming to help solve both the global housing and climate crises with one design. The houses produce their energy, harvest 100% of the rainwater, clean their sewage, and also have the potential to grow their own food!

It is called the PowerHYDE housing model and was created by Prasoon Kumar and Robert Verrijt of Billion Bricks from India and Singapore. The model explores sustainable solutions to empower and facilitate growth opportunities for people without homes around Southeast Asia which has a lot of rural and low-income populations. These homes not only provide shelter but are also a power module to scale sustainable communities that lift homeowners out of poverty!




“A BillionBricks Community is the world’s first carbon-negative solar home community to bring families out of poverty within one generation. PowerHYDE homes are plug-and-play modular structures that do not need any connection to services and could be made functional from the day of completion of construction,” says the design team. The cost-effective solution even won a Holcim Award for Sustainable Construction!

affordable-solar-home

The PowerHYDE homes are built via an indigenous prefabricated technique that makes them easy to assemble in remote locations. The home has a solar array installed on the roof and the homeowner can sell excess power generated back to power companies, generating a profit that helps to pay off the cost of the home. Sample homes have been built in Mathjalgaon Village in India and in the Philippines. BillionBricks now plans to build a community of 500 homes near Manila, Philippines that will generate 10 megawatts of power.

Not only does it reduce the emissions from the construction industry (which is the leading contributor in the world for CO2 emissions) but it also helps more people become homeowners while equipping them with means to create renewable energy thus reducing individual carbon footprint as well. It is a radical concept in housing designed for energy sufficiency, extreme affordability, and education for future generations to adapt to a sustainable lifestyle even in rural areas.

Designers: BillionBricks and Architecture BRIO

The post Affordable solar homes – a solution for homeowner poverty & net-zero housing! first appeared on Yanko Design.

This tiny home designed for off-grid living features movable copper-clad awnings for natural ventilation!

Posted on by

Defined by two distinct towers and movable copper-clad awnings, Permanent Camping II is a sustainable tiny home designed and constructed by Casey Brown Architects. Situated at the base of a gently sloping hill, Permanent Camping II is a prefabricated tiny house located only 500 meters away from the main house on a homestead in New South Wales, Australia.

Designed and developed by Casey Brown Architecture, Permanent Camping II is a tiny house stripped-back to become a “retreat with ‘everything you need and nothing you don’t need’ with the demands of living distilled to the bare essentials.” Measuring a cozy 3×3 meters, the countryside haven leaves just enough room to accommodate two people comfortably.

Defined by two distinct towers, Permanent Camping II keeps an ironbark timber frame and a copper-clad exterior. Staving off the threat of Australian sun damage and extreme weather conditions, the copper-clad facade is built to withstand all the elements.

Since the architects behind Permanent Camping II hoped to find comfort while maintaining a small floor plan, the two towers were “designed to provide the essential requirements for a shelter, bed, porch or deck, fireplace, and bathroom.”

At ground level, Permanent Camping II’s interior leaves room for utilities required for cooking, storage capacities, and heating facilities. When homeowners would prefer a bit more living space, copper-clad awnings can unfurl from the home’s base to create a semi-outdoor living room and outdoor deck. Found right between the two towers, a ladder brings residents to the second mezzanine where the main bedroom is located.

Self-contained and sustainable, Permanent Camping II hosts a solar panel roof, water and sewage systems, and natural ventilation methods. Describing the home’s sustainable amenities in their own words, the architects at Casey Brown explain, “Water is collected on the roofs and gravity fed to the tank above the bathroom and onto the shower and kitchen. A potbelly wood-fire stove heats the cabin at night. Solar panels on the roof provide power for lighting. Permanent access is provided to the roof which doubles as a lightning conductor.”

Designer: Casey Brown Architects

From different vantage points, Permanent Camping II dons a new profile.

Come dusk, Permanent Camping II glows like a lantern.

Just behind the main living tower, Permanent Camping II has a separate bathroom complete with sustainable sewage and water treatment systems.

The copper-clad awnings create more interior living space and a space for an outdoor deck or porch.

Inside, jalousie windows provide natural ventilation even when the awnings are winched shut. 

The post This tiny home designed for off-grid living features movable copper-clad awnings for natural ventilation! first appeared on Yanko Design.