19 Emerging Firms Design Prototype Houses for Living Among Nature http : / / www . archdaily . com / 873322 / 19 - emerging - firms - design - prototype - houses - for - living - among - nature ? utm _ medium = email & utm _ source = ArchDaily % 20 List 19 Emerging Firms Design Prototype Houses for Living Among Nature 11 : 30 - 11 June , 2017 by Thomas Musca Save this article Share in Whatsapp Save 19 Emerging Firms Design Prototype Houses for Living Among Nature Save this picture ! As the boundary that separates work and leisure in the 21 st Century continues to be blurred by technology , architects Christoph Hesse and Neeraj Bhatia sought out to uncover a tranquil solution . The pair are co - curating an upcoming exhibition at the Kulturbahnhof Kassel in Germany as part of Experimenta Urbana in a show called “ Ways of Life , ” which opens July 5 th . This international initiative seeks to discover “ a new nomaticism . ” A gathering of 19 emerging architecture offices each presents a dwelling encompassed in nature . These buildings are often equal parts project and manifesto . The show ’ s overarching theme is the delicate balance of naturally induced relaxation and programmatically encouraged productivity . Each firm must additionally consider constraints that include limited square footage , integration of rapidly advancing information technology , and a strictly sustainable design . + 79 In the search for precedent , it ’ s difficult to avoid comparison to the midcentury Case Study Houses . The Arts & Architecture Magazine - sponsored endeavor that spanned from 1945 until 1966 had a completely different programmatic goal but a similar premise . The magazine reached out to a number of burgeoning international architecture firms to design inexpensive housing that would serve as archetypes in addressing the American residential boom following the second World War . The program birthed a wide array of midcentury modernist masterpieces and solidified the legacies of none other than Richard Neutra , Charles and Ray Eames , Eero Saarinen , and Pierre Koenig . Nearly all of the Case Study Houses were strung across the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains — a chaparral - covered Southern Californian mountain range that comprises the northern border of the Los Angeles basin . Save this picture ! Mirroring the Case Study approach , the Ways of Life dwellings all negotiate consistent topography . Each of the firms placed their projects in immediate proximity to Lake Edersee — aUNESCO - protected natural site in central Germany . These projects aren ’ t merely theoretical . After the exhibition this summer , a number of the designs will be slated for construction . Below , ArchDaily presents all 19 projects featured in Experimenta Urbana ’ s " Ways of Life " exhibition . Fachwerk Capriccio / Anna HeringerSave this picture ! This two - story dwelling is energy independent due to the inclusion of a 19 th - century style windmill and photovoltaic solar panels . The timber , limestone , mud , and plaster structure is locally sourced . The project houses a workshop on the ground floor , and a dense living area on the second . Stacked cantilevered beds and a gardening area ensure a self - reliant household . + 79 House of Endless Landscapes / Atelier Alter Save this picture ! Courtesy of Atelier Alter This elliptical retreat creates 360 - degree views of the picturesque German landscape . A double glass skin informs circulation channels that funnel inhabitants between rooms . The second story is accessible via spiral staircase and contains the master bedroom and observation deck . An extensive use of adjustable semi - transparent shades keeps ideal lighting conditions in the space . + 79 Wedge / BIT Boris BernaskoniSave this picture ! Courtesy of Boris Bernaskoni Placed the in the middle of a field over 50 meters away from the edge of Lake Edersee , Boris Bernaskoni ’ s narrow matte black dwelling almost resembles the black monolith in Stanley Kubrick ’ s 2001 : A Space Odyssey . Each element of program is separated by story . As the trapezoidal structure tapers , the use of the building ’ s interior simplifies from kitchen , to bedroom , to contemplative space . + 79 The Open House / Christoph Hesse Architekts Save this picture ! Courtesy of Christoph Hesse Architekts A partially subterranean structure , this concrete dwelling possesses exceptional lighting conditions and framed views . The ground floor features an open plan that provides shade and breeze during hot humid summers . The inclusion of a rooftop pond allows vines and foliage to drape down and intermingle with the concrete facades over time . A generous use of skylights preserve the connection to the building ’ s surroundings . + 79 One Room House / DOGMASave this picture ! Courtesy of DOGMA The one - Room House is designed to represent the bare minimum amount of material that ’ s necessary to create a habitable structure . A boxy wooden four - meter wide partition - free “ pergola ” is somewhat reminiscent of a Southern “ shotgun ” house as it can be looked through from one end of the building . Embedded in the Northern , windowless side of the plan are the building ’ s storage closets and bathrooms . + 79 MH House / Fake industries Save this picture ! Courtesy of Fake industries This minimalistic dwelling is designed to be built for under € 5 , 000 . The ultra - simple project is partitioned by prefabricated wooden panels informed by its double pitched roof . Seen by its creators as an “ existentialist hut in the black forest ” the modest structure aims to emulate the “ pragmatic hedonism ” achieved by the Case Study Houses in a “ temporary magic box . ”+ 79 Segments / Jürgen Mayer H . Save this picture ! Courtesy of Jürgen Mayer H . A project driven by its section , Segments is a horizontally stacked series of shifting concrete ribs finished in timber . The dwelling supports 5 residents over two stories in a modest 90 square meters . Much of the seating and desk space of the space is integrated and formed from its structure . As the structure is longitudinally transparent , inhabitants always have a view of the outside world . + 79 Living Garden House / KWK PromesSave this picture ! Courtesy of KWK Promes This hyper - transparent shelter uses actual grass in lieu of carpeting . The project consists of a series of steel columns and an undulating roof structure . The roof ’ s steel grid is filled with “ intelligent glass , ” which can automatically adjust to a change of light . The structure filters through a specific level of sunlight , which prevents the house from overheating during the summer . The more private programmatic elements such a bathrooms fold out of large rectilinear boxes located on either end of the structure . + 79 From Roots To Crowns / NOA Save this picture ! Courtesy of NOA This radical “ hybrid building ” is height adjustable . A hydraulic column holds up a living pod equipped with a garage , kitchen , and bedroom and is covered in vegetation . Depending on the inhabitant ’ s preference , the height of the structure can be adjusted to three preset levels : under the Earth , on the fields , and in the tree crowns . This variably adjustable structure is able to submerge and disappear into a pool of water that surrounds the site . + 79 Esuoh House / ORG Save this picture ! Courtesy of ORG The Esuoh House is comprised of six robust concrete triangle members that collide to form the upper form of the structure . A ground floor of stiffened vierendeel wooden beams supports the concrete cap . The dwelling is seen as a temporary space not for visiting in , but “ camping . ” The wooden frame gives way to large square glass windows that provide an unobstructed view of the surrounding environment . At night , inhabitants retire to the privacy of a mezzanine level embedded within the concrete of the cap . + 79 Yin + Yang House / Penda Save this picture ! Courtesy of Penda The Yin + Yang House intends to return the same amount of land taken away from nature by the house ’ s footprint back to the environment though a terraced roofing garden . The residents have access to this green space most of the year , and an interior greenhouse during the white winter months . The house includes a rooftop dining area , and a garage on its rear . + 79 Eder / Pezo von EllrichshausenSave this picture ! Courtesy of Pezo von Ellrichshausen This three - story concrete dwelling is a statement in opacity . The structure is tied together by a centralized spiral staircase that contains a vertical succession of chambers . As inhabitants ascend , the privacy level of the space increases . The building ’ s second level contains four cantilevering balconies that extend the square footage of the kitchen and gathering areas during warmer months . + 79 Ten Stories ’ House / RICA Save this picture ! Courtesy of RICA This four - story residence is inspired by a bookshelf — the section of the structure reveals platforms at various levels that eliminate the horizontal partition between floors , opening up the space . The mixed use of spiraling and traditional staircases give the building a branch - like circulation pattern . The building is intended to be placed in a dense , forested area of the site . Like the canopy of a tree , light filters through semi - transparent slits that remind residents of nature ’ s proximity . + 79 Perched House / Somatic CollaborativeSave this picture ! Courtesy of Somatic Collaborative The Perched House is work / study oriented dwelling . A bar separates the two wings of the house . one wing is a garden oriented office space that faces the street . The second wing accommodates a kitchen and fireplace . The house is supported by a combination of steel columns and concrete walls . The entire residence is surrounded by a porous envelope that contains a winter garden , allowing the space to remain green the entire year . + 79 Life Within The Wall / SsD ArchitectureSave this picture ! Courtesy of SsD Architecture SsD ’ s translucent residence seeks to drastically reduce a building ’ s literal footprint . Up to 10 % of a traditional structure is occupied by walls and dead space . By delaminating each individual layer of a wall and window assembly , SsD were able to create new spatial conditions . The building is an exercise in translucent shades , fly screens , cladding , double glazing , framing , internal linings , curtains and blinds . Combined with a skylight , these lightweight partitioning elements create an ideal condition of indirect light and flexible space . + 79 Walden / Stinessen Arkitektur Save this picture ! Courtesy of Stinessen Arkitektur Sharing the same moniker as the Henry David Thoreau retreat , Walden is a dwelling intended to leave no mark on the field it occupies . The entire structure is gently lifted above the grass , with its upper glassy stories pointed towards the surrounding trees . The two - story house is finished in two different types of wood . The entire interior is untreated oak , while the exterior is clad in cedar paneling that will turn silver - grey with time . + 79 Ways of Life / Tatiana Bilbao Estudio Save this picture ! Courtesy of Tatiana Bilbao Estudio This project is the addition of six unique dwelling spaces . Each of these areas has spatial qualities that reflect the programmatic purpose of the room . Each volume is arranged in a tapering spiral — the more public spaces are towards the ground , while the private quarters top off the structure . The cantilevered rooms create shaded communal gathering areas and gardens . + 79 Depth of Fields / The Open WorkshopSave this picture ! Courtesy of The Open Workshop Depth of Fields is a simple distinction between the natural and artificial world through the outline of a circle . While the building itself has a small visual impact on its in environment from its exterior , residents looking outwards are completely surrounded by nature in every direction . The space is programmatically divided by an axis containing a curving triangular plan . Cuts in these intersecting walls create dramatic moments and views through the space . + 79 Recovering Humanism / Yamazaki Kentaro Save this picture ! Courtesy of Yamazaki Kentaro This semi - sunken structure is divided into eight staggered rooms that circle a semi - covered courtyard known as a “ biotope . ” Apart from the structure ’ s concrete slab foundation , the building is nearly entirely constructed from rammed earth . The dwelling is sunken a couple feet into the ground in order to minimize its visual impact on the environment . Yamazaki Kentaro sees it as “ a proposal to enable us to mature our good image . ”+ 79