Have you ever ever seen a home that appears to soften into the panorama? Think about a house so completely built-in with its environment that it nearly disappears. This isn’t science fiction. It’s structure in motion, and it’s occurring in Penafiel, Portugal! Tsou Arquitectos has designed a marvel: a cork-skinned home that camouflages itself within the Rua do Gondeiro panorama. However how does this distinctive design work? And what makes it so particular? Let’s discover the sweetness and ingenuity of this unimaginable construction and uncover what makes it a number one instance of sustainable structure.
Casa da Levada: A House Born From the Land
The Casa da Levada, designed by Tsou Arquitectos, is located in a village in Paredes, Portugal, with the Tâmega River as a shocking backdrop. Straight away, you discover the way it blends seamlessly into the agricultural atmosphere. Its design philosophy fantastically integrates structure and nature. The home embodies the idea of a constructed pure atmosphere, rising from the very supplies of the location. The constructing’s form is dictated by the terrain, making a harmonious continuity between the construction and the pure world. The situation of the home supplies a shocking background that makes you overlook concerning the chaos of the cities.
Strolling Into Nature: A Tectonic Shift
The method to the home is an expertise in itself. A paved path guides you over the inexperienced panorama. It looks like a pure extension of the atmosphere. This path is greater than only a walkway; it’s a deliberate design alternative. A “tectonic fault” subtly separates the social and personal areas of the home. This results in a central courtyard. Does this create a way of division or connection? It truly does each!
This courtyard turns into the guts of the house. The home wraps round it, making a sheltered out of doors gathering house. Horizontal overhangs body the encircling panorama. It’s like a residing portray. This considerate design blurs the strains between inside and outdoors.
Cork Pores and skin: Mixing In, Standing Out
The outside of the Casa da Levada is actually outstanding. Cork panels clad your entire construction. Why cork? Past its pure magnificence, cork is a sustainable and extremely efficient insulator. It’s the key ingredient that enables the home to mix seamlessly with the panorama. The tone and texture of the cork harmonize with the pure tones of the encircling bushes, vegetation, and rocks. However the cork is greater than only a fairly face. It supplies wonderful thermal insulation, helps regulate moisture, and is a naturally renewable useful resource. Would you consider utilizing it for your home?
Performance of Design: Consolation and Connection
However the Casa da Levada is extra than simply visually interesting. It’s additionally designed for consolation and performance. The home unfolds across the courtyard, creating a focus for out of doors gatherings. Overhangs body views of the encircling panorama. These provide shade and safety from the weather.
Inside, the design prioritizes pure mild and air flow. Giant home windows seize the fantastic thing about the encircling panorama. Strategic placement of home windows additionally maximizes photo voltaic achieve within the winter whereas minimizing warmth in the summertime. Have you ever ever thought concerning the placement of home windows in a home and its perform, or have been you centered on the dimensions?
Sustainable Options: A Dedication to the Earth
Tsou Arquitectos built-in a number of sustainable applied sciences to make sure the Casa da Levada minimizes its environmental influence. A water-based radiant flooring system makes use of a warmth pump for each heating and cooling. This ensures even temperature distribution all through the house. Ceramic flooring enhances the effectivity of the radiant heating system.
Moreover, a Managed Mechanical Air flow (CMV) system with a warmth exchanger ensures contemporary air circulation with out vital warmth loss. It is a essential part for sustaining indoor air high quality and vitality effectivity. The selection of supplies can be an vital issue. Moreover the cork exterior, the landscaped roof, and the stone patio, constructed utilizing stones from the ruins, exemplify a dedication to sustainability and environmental preservation. All these features create a sustainable home.
The Great thing about Reuse: Stone From the Previous
The designers didn’t simply construct one thing new. Additionally they included components of the previous. The stone patio options granite stones salvaged from ruins on the location. This provides a layer of historical past and character to the house. The stereotomy design of the patio prioritized the reuse of those stones. Are you able to think about strolling on stones which have witnessed generations of historical past?
Structure at its Best: A Legacy of Innovation
The Casa da Levada is greater than only a home. It’s an announcement concerning the energy of structure to attach us to nature, to create sustainable residing areas, and to honor the previous whereas embracing the longer term. Tsou Arquitectos has created a masterpiece that demonstrates how considerate design and modern supplies can remodel a constructing right into a residing, respiration a part of the panorama. The home itself is a murals that represents a brand new type of design. The home presents a brand new means of conceiving structure and nature.
A Mannequin for the Future?
Might any such structure be a mannequin for future properties? As we face growing environmental challenges, the Casa da Levada provides a glimpse right into a extra sustainable and harmonious way of life. By embracing pure supplies, energy-efficient applied sciences, and a deep connection to the panorama, we are able to create properties that not solely present shelter but additionally enrich our lives and defend our planet.
The Casa da Levada isn’t just a home. It’s an inspiration. It’s a reminder that structure might be stunning, sustainable, and deeply related to the world round us. It’s a testomony to the facility of design to create a greater future. What do you suppose? Are you able to embrace this type of modern and environmentally acutely aware structure?
All photographs © by Ivo Tavares. Be at liberty to search out different stunning buildings in our Structure and Inside Design classes.
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