Straw bale house

The investors required that this be a very economical home with a timber construction made of as many natural and environmentally-friendly materials as possible. The house also had to be simple enough for the investors themselves to build it, who were without any construction experience and the only minimum assistance of friends and the odd crafts-person.The home was designed with a simple timber construction and a usual two-slope roof, standard windows and details which can be handled by any trained crafts-person. The thermal insulation was completed using straw bales collected from local farms.

What makes this home special is its design with an urban disposition, using modified cross-section geometry. In its floor-plan, the house is broken into two flat sections forming two spaces each with a different ambience and size. A small north-facing courtyard is zoned with a beautiful view of the lake, while the home and open spaces face the west where most of the windows are located, looking out towards the future garden and an orchard. Additionally, a parking zone is created at the entrance to the plot, not visible from the outdoor and indoor living areas. Not only is the floor-plan asymmetrical, but also the cross-section is irregular, with an asymmetrical two-slope roof, whose maximum height faces the north in order to make room for an open meditation gallery that faces the north and the lake.The southern facade is lower and has a small number of windows in order to avoid a view of the neighboring home which is located quite closeby, as well as any future buildings which will likely be built nearby.