Article by Martin Gibson – @embody3d @martingibson – 12.05.2011

The Ecological House – Sustainable Architecture Around the World by Marco Moro and Beatrice Spirandelli, published by White Star Publishers

From the preface Ecosistema Urbano states that we should understand ecological architecture as being “adapting to the place, whether the context is urban, suburban, rural or natural, with it’s environmental features, landscape, available resources, culture, and characteristic social and economic dynamics.” If one was to look up the word “ecological” in the dictionary one will often find two distinct definitions:

1. The connection, relation and association between organisms and their physical surroundings.
2. A political movement that seeks to protect the environment.
   Putting this definition in reference to architecture will result in quite drastic differences, and I as usual took the completely wrong pretence on this title assuming it was all about green and sustainable architecture. To my delight The Ecological House offers the first of these definitions by showcasing 43 beautiful homes where the architect has captured the connection between the living house to the equally alive physical environment that encloses it. However that is not to say that some of the 43 homes don’t abide by sustainable design principles and philosophies.
   
   

Some of the Designs

It’s difficult to blanket-define these designs as they are all so different in every aspect. Some designs have extreme budgets and are made for kings, whist others are modest outback estates. Some designs on an aesthetic level assimilate with ease into their environment whilst others are beautiful contrasted. Some designs are cosy and inviting, whilst others are stale and cold fit for gears on an assembly line or the army of desks in an office complex. Some designs are environmentally efficient to construct, whilst others explore the sustainability of ongoing energy cost and usage for the years to come. Some designs appear to be pre-fabricated with machine-like precision whilst others are crafty and organic and have no bounds. This is the type of varied nature of design work you will find in The Ecological House, but let me walk you through a couple of designs that struck me.

The Copper Cube ‘House in the Tree’s’ located in Werder, Germany has a childish innocence about it; playing on the idea that even us adults can have a small cabin in the canopy of a tree. The almost floating cube cabin proudly stands in the trees and is accessible by a double decker staircase. The disjointed copper tiles that act as a shell of the cabin reflect the environment with absolute beauty as the golly bronze is revered by the autumn leaves that fall around it. Another house in Germany, this time in Stuttgart has a similar cube form, however it’s environmental relationship couldn’t be more different. This very geometric 4 story complex has entirely glass walls which reflect the secluded grass and trees that surround it. The interior resembles a modern office foyer with its ultra modern and minimalist design with Barcelona chairs thrown left, right and centre.

Another design of striking interest is a retrofitted shipping container in Seattle, USA. From it’s exterior there has been little attempt to shroud the containers beginnings, once could easily mistake the container as an illegal dumping of a national park. But from another angle the container feels right at home. Once the bulkhead doors are flung open however a majestic interior is unravelled with the features and comforts of any modern dwelling. Lastly a most peculiar creation called the Boxhome can be found in Oslo, Norway. This house like the container house, juxtaposes the interior and exterior to remarkable effect. However unlike juxtaposing of modern comforts and industrialisation, the Boxhome contrasts materials and modernity. The exterior which is shaped like an offset cube has large brushed aluminium panels with an obtuse glass cross window that runs both lengths of the home. The interior on the other hand is very crafty made entirely from dark grey and warm red timbers which are accentuated by different lighting effects throughout. These are just some of the stunning creations that can be found in The Ecological House.

Features

The designs have been selected from an international cast. Many designs are from Northern/Central Europe where many of these green technologies are being developed and where sustainable living has been widely promoted. However one will find a couple of houses from Australia, Brazil, America, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and the list goes on.

Each design has a few pages dedicated to it which includes a well weighted description of the purpose, inspiration and context in which the construction was conceived. The large page format of the book is fully exploited with beautiful full page original photographs of the designs shot from an array of interior and exterior angles and lighting conditions. Some designs even include comprehensive diagrams of how they respond to environmental conditions and advanced technological features they contain. Some have floor plans and blueprints and some even have original architect ideation sketches.

Criticism?

My only criticism of this title is a criticism I find in many similar architecture books. Sometimes I feel that these houses are designed like dresses on runway models. They are presented to shock and awe the audience in their extravagance, but they end up just being one-offs because they can be contradictory or not fit for purpose, or they are just too wild for the general consumer to adopt.

Let me give you a couple of examples one of the houses featured in the book boasts about how cheap and green it was to achieve the finished result. However the finished result had a corrugated steel roof with walls covered in glass. It may be cheap and green, but what about the power costs of such poor insulation? Another contradiction is a house that harnesses the suns energy to offset the homes power usage. However the house itself is gigantic and one large room, making it’s general power consumption requirements 4-5 times larger than a standard house anyway. Not to mention some of these houses would make a conservative mans knees jitter because of their lack of regard of privacy. Glass-walled bedrooms and even bathrooms shine like lighthouses into the night for all the neighbours to spectacle at in all it’s open splendour. However because of their grandeur some of these misgivings can be forgiven because of their proof of concept nature.

Conclusion

The Ecological House is not for the strict naturalist or those curious on green architecture. The Ecological House is all about relationships. It’s about how exploratory and innovative architects have designed buildings well suited in a functional and aesthetic manner for their environment. There is absolutely nothing sustainable or green about 5 story houses like featured in The Ecological House but the collaborators disclaimed this. Despite this The Ecological House doesn’t detract any value because of this, and I believe it is one of the best architecture showcases available and a real treat to the student architect, a professional seeking new design wisdom or just an enthusiast who is interested in the latest trends. The quality of the architecture and the skill of the designers behind them is beautiful portrayed from start to finish of The Ecological House.

[rating:4]