Although some would argue against the reality of global warming, the fact of the matter is that most of the homes we build just aren’t that eco-friendly. Whether global warming is real or not, every building we construct has an impact on the environment and it’s in our best interests to ensure that the buildings we design are eco-friendly. After all, there’s no reason not to.
Here are some of the world’s most eco-friendly homes. Architects and builders could learn a thing or two from these designs.
Athena Marie Plantation
The Athena Marie Plantation lies on the North Hutchinson Island off the coast of Florida. It is considered to be the largest eco-friendly plantation that’s been built in the US to date, taking up a colossal 45,760 square feet of space. The plantation is equipped with wind-powered turbines to generate electricity and features open curved balconies overlooking the main foyer with three oceanfront guest suites. It even features a large exercise room and a master suite that overlooks Vero Beach. The plantation is one of the few in the world to utilize 100% renewable energy, with zero dependence on conventional sources of electricity. The building is built with an Insulated Concrete Form wall system that not only withstands hurricanes but has a reduced carbon footprint.
The Orchid House
The aptly named Orchid House can be found at a nature reserve in Cotswald, England. It is part of the Lower Mill Estate, a green construction project that includes the development of several similar eco-friendly buildings. It takes up 2400 square feet of space and features state of the art architecture to generate more energy than it consumes through its geothermal heating underground pump. The building’s form is constructed out of laminated veneer lumber clad with timber shingles, ensuring an extremely low carbon footprint. In case you haven’t noticed, the building resembles a bee orchid, a flower that’s abundantly present in the nature reserve.
The Dome House
Designed and manufactured in Japan, the Dome House is constructed almost entirely of styrofoam. The home is sold in a kit and is designed to be assembled in just a week’s time. Lacking wood, the building is water, rot and thermite-proof and its igloo-shaped design makes it extremely resilient to earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons.
995 Longbow Place, Lakespur, Colorado
Considered one of the greenest luxury homes ever built, this 9,800 square ft large Colorado home has a meagre utility bill amounting to $350 a month. The home, which is valued at $4.5m is equipped with high efficiency solar panels, and wrap-around wall insulation to provide heat during fall and winter. It’s constructed entirely out of recycled and organic materials, such as volatile organic compound-free paints.
The Zero House
Featured on Inhabitat sometime ago, the prefabricated Zero House features an eco-friendly design that incorporates high efficiency solar panels to produce power for the building, which is stored in a battery to provide a week’s worth of power. The building is also capable of collecting rainwater, which is then stored in an elevated reservoir. Waste is even processed through a dry compost system that’s located below the house. The house comes equipped with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and a covered deck. Best of all, everything in the house is automated and controlled through a central computer.
I’m not sure many people deny global warming as such, it’s more that they argue whether it’s our fault or not.
The Orchid House looks great, I’d love to have done the roofing on that.
Thanks for the list! I admire the architects and engineers who build those 5 green houses. People should start investing on those kind of environment friendly houses.
i like the zero house most
while the dome house is cramped the 995 longbow place is a bit to big!!!!
there are many beautiful house in this page!!!!!!!thanks for public
I like The Dome House because it looks like a cake. ^-^