Uncle’s House by 3 Atelier
3 Atelier designed this home for a market vendor who was afraid his kids would grow up spending more time with technological devices than in nature. They had to shield the interiors from the noisy, dusty adjacent highway and use materials that would keep the house warm at night and cool during the day. The architects integrated lots of skylights and atriums for living trees, and created a sort of miniature park at the center of the home with a climbable tree and a rock that’s just right for hanging out and reading books.
Casa Chinkara by Solis Colomer Architecture, Guatemala
Who doesn’t love a good oculus, especially when it focuses sunlight onto a real, living tree in the space below? This one is the defining feature of ‘Casa Chinkara’ by Solis Colomer Arquitectos in Guatemala City, which “explores the contrast between nature and man-made, the primitive and the modern.”
Modern Brazilian House by Alessandro Sartore
The vine-covered trunk of a mature tree makes its way through the floor of this Brazilian home and then out beyond the roof to spread its shady, protective canopy above the house. Since this oculus appears to be open to the air, it seems like rain falls right down onto the garden below. Worries about humidity and mold aside, it would be cool to sit on the couch during a storm and watch the center of the home become a column of rain and fluttering leaves. The placement of the existing tree determined the entire layout of the home.
Montgomery Residence by David Brenner and Habitat Horticulture, Truckee, California
Here’s a beautiful example of how a green wall can bring the look and feel of nature into a home. Designer David Brenner contrasted this living feature from Habitat Horticulture with lots of wood for a home in Truckee, California.
