The houses in this book are a good test of an architect's ability to work outside the normal commercial constraints and concentrate more on the environment and supplying non-commercial utilities. Looking through the book's 310 photos it's clear that lots of clever solutions have been created to provide a simple living experience or in some cases minimal luxury ones, I spotted an Eames chair in one house, Mies de Rohe's Barcelona chair in another and architect Malcolm Davis installed a solar heated outside pool for a property in Sonoma County, California (and I couldn't see a TV or sat dish in any of the book's photos).
What I liked about the book is very wide selection of houses the author has chosen from Henning Larsen's Granja Experimental Alnardo, a very contemporary looking farmhouse in Spain that seems quite large to what is basically one-bed transparent cabins designed by Jeanna Berger on a private Swedish island, all the materials had to be brought in by boat.
The Introduction sets out the various options for living off-grid: respect for the environment, focusing on renewable sources of energy, landscaping and using timber for construction. One of the joys of living in these houses is the ability to merge into the natural environment and so many of them have large expanses of glass but with triple glazing that cuts down on heat loss.
The houses are divided into three chapters: Countryside and forest; Hillside and mountains; Waterside and coast. They are the work of forty-three architectural practices mostly in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand (email addresses are provided). The back of the book has eight pages with a comprehensive listing of what to consider if you are contemplating off-grid living.
The owners of these wonderful houses have shown it's possible to escape from everyday city and urban living and enjoy nature instead.
US
UK
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