An Eco—Friendly home

Rita Deo Rita Deo
The Running Wall Residence, LIJO.RENY.architects LIJO.RENY.architects Houses
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Drastic climatic changes and rapidly diminishing natural resources have encouraged a growing tribe of environment conscious citizens of the world to conserve resources and make environment friendly dwellings for their families.  Today even developers are talking about environment friendly or Eco-friendly homes which consume less energy as they use natural light throughout the day. Most of the energy around the world is consumed during winter and summer months when extreme temperatures force people to stay indoors.

Here is an Eco-friendly house designed by Lijo.RenyArchitects that focuses on minimal hindrances in the layout to allow free flow of light and air. Constructed with locally available materials the building has been created with minimal disturbance to surrounding environment.

Driveway to a geometric house

Built in contemporary style the home with a long running boundary wall made of brown clay bricks has elegant surroundings with landscaped garden. Instead of having cemented driveway that heats up during summer and kills all vegetation, the owners have opted for limestone paved driveway which is more durable and cools down pretty fast. Both sides of the driveway are lined with stone pathway that is connected to the rain water harvesting system for easy absorption.

Evergreen lawn

Entrance-way to the home is beautifully paved with landscaped grass that appears as if a green carpet is spread on the ground. Every aspect of this house has been carefully designed to reduce wastage and use natural elements to keep the surrounding area as cool as possible. The puzzling rectangular limestone shapes in the lawn are meant as a type of  drainage system to ensure that  water does not clog the grass during heavy rains and keep it hydrated for a long time. 

Modern Living room

Instead of crowding the area with furniture that would clog flow of light and air in the room, it has just two large sofas facing each other against the wall and a simple glass table at the center. East side wall has been given a slightly curvaceous arch and is covered with glass. Upper half section has permanently fixed glass frame while lover section has square French windows that are a part of the complete design. This circular shape provides a softness to balance the building’s angular geometry which makes it look a little formal. Glass façade of this spacious room allows natural light to stream across the area till late evening so artificial lighting is not needed in the day while high ceiling keeps it cool and comfortable.

Industrial dining area

Unique walls of concrete and brick add to the aesthetic beauty of this dining area designed in industrial style with metal furniture and bare surroundings. Though there are twin tube lights in the room, light from the sliding glass doors keep it bright and cool throughout the day. Combination of brick and concrete keeps temperature on an even level during summer and winter as concrete is a good insulator while brick maintains cool temperature.

Ethereal indoor swimming pool

Most people consider indoor swimming pools as a wasteful extravagance that does not serve any purpose except as a playground for the rich. But architects have smartly used this space between the main house and surrounding wall to build a long rectangular swimming pool that keeps the interiors cool. The glass grille above this swimming pool acts as a filter for rain water but not for sunlight that the area bright and cheerful during the day.

Master bedroom

A large tropical home like this requires plenty of energy to cool down during hot summer months which under ordinary circumstances would have led to massive electricity bills. But clever use of architectural design like this high ceiling, white walls and subdued lighting have kept their bills to a minimum. Instead of a traditional bed with legs this low bed almost touching the floor is cool and comfortable. Large French windows with sliding glass panels open throughout the day maintain temperature around the house.

Kitchen area

Open floor pattern of this attractive kitchen with back door opening into the landscaped garden allows people to walk across freely in and out of the house. Blue and black color pattern give an air of simplicity to this clutter free kitchen with laminated cabinets. The kitchen island has a thoughtful  twin level work station design to allow people to chat up with the cook dishing out meals on one side which can be sampled straight off the fire.

Simplistic bathroom

Keeping privacy and comfort in mind this all white bathroom has been designed in minimalist style with tiled floor and white sanitary ware. Window designed like a skylight is able to bring in fresh air and sunlight without compromising on privacy. The area is wide and spacious providing users with an immaculate light filled room with clean lines. Recessed roof lighting shaped like a moon and candlelight chandelier design keeps it bright when sun goes off the horizon.

For more ideas on Eco-friendly homes refer to this interesting idea book.

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