Beautifully Designed and Sustainably Built Eco Home

Overview of the Eco Home

A simple yet beautiful and sustainable home built out in nature surrounded by endless grassy fields and trees. This eco-home was designed by Ortúzar Gebauer Arquitectos based in Chile. The company was founded on the island of Chiloé in 2009 when the founders wanted to bring sustainably designed homes to the public. Each of their projects is based on the property the home will be built on, as well as the climate in the area and, of course, the customer's own preferences and personality. They also use one wood which is one of the most natural and sustainable materials to build their homes. This particular home called the Muller Home was built by Ortuzar Gebauer Arquitectos in 2016 and is a total of 72.8 meters squared or 783 square feet. So it's quite a small home, but it's designed so well that the owners have so much space to utilize. Ortuzar Gebauer Arquitectos aim to practices the four principals of architecture in their business including Functionality, Efficiency, the use of Passive energies and Respect to the land they're building on. This home design may look like a shed from the outside, but from the inside, it is a spacious, modern and beautifully designed floor plan. The idea to build it to look as simple as a shed from the outside comes from their goal to make the project efficient and affordable; it also fits in with the landscape quite well too.

Thoughtful Interior Design

The home design was aimed to make the most of the square footage that was available as well as to make sure that the bedrooms had privacy. The two bedrooms were strategically placed at either end of the house which keeps them nice and private from the rest of the home. Plus it also creates privacy between the two rooms themselves as well. The bathroom and the kitchen are adjacent to the main bedroom, and then the rest of the home is in the centre of the floor plan. This allows the main areas of the home to be integrated with each other with the kitchen in close proximity to the living room, dining area and a terrace. Everything within the home is kept neutral including the walls which are covered in wood panelling or plywood boards. This is a great idea for any wall finish to save money and to provide a natural look. The plywood could even be painted over with some white paint to brighten up the space, but it also looks quite nice left natural.

Energy Efficiency and Accessibility Features

The main access is sheltered and opens to the south, plus, there's also ramp access for those with disabilities. They used passive housing techniques to provide comfort and improve the use of energy within the home. The windows are part of this, providing light and warmth throughout the day. They also help to open the home up to the outdoors as well, making the home feel brighter and larger. They also included great ventilation to help keep the air inside the home fresh and clean. Certain windows serve as wind tunnels allowing the air to circulate through the home in the warmer months fully. The builders were able to build this home in only 2 months keeping the price nice and low, and reducing the waste left over from the building process. All of the rooms also include built-in shelving and storage, which is always a bonus to have in any smaller home or cottage. See how great a sustainable and eco-friendly project can turn out when you apply some of these inspirational design ideas. This home would make a wonderful vacation home or even a lovely small full-time home for the right person.