Eco Friendly House
We were hired to design an efficient bioclimatic house in Baltar, Paredes, Portugal. The land where the new ecological house was to be located was extremely leaning and had a small building to rehabilitate. The strategy was to create an eco friendly house characterized by maximum integration into the landscape and perfect energy efficiency. A large oak serves as a home orientation and provides excellent thermal balance. The area of the house was optimized to reduce costs, zenith light was introduced in all spaces, all inertia from the earth mass was used, a fully accessible vegetation cover was used, and above all, if the whole house to the south facing, properly protected by paddle and outside shading. Passive solar energy thus becomes the main source of energy for the home. To the west the porch and the stairs guarantee the car access in comfort and the ascent to the roof garden. Inside the living room and kitchen communicate directly and flexibly spread through panels. Natural light floods the spaces and the interior granite. The rooms and lounges open onto the landscape with extensive views. Outside and inland, nature is always nearby. Basically, lest we all forget that the great oak was already there before we arrived, and so it will continue.