Gimme Shelter – Shelter House by Azzi Architecture

This small, eco-friendly house can be found on a mountainside in Yport, Normandy. Called the Shelter House, the building was restored from its state of disrepair in 2008 with the help of Azzi Archiecture. Azzi were responsible for the overall direction of the project, from design to project management.

Two additions, “wings”, were added to the gable ends of the existing structure. These wings create exterior living spaces – a sheltered patio on the ground level and a rooftop terrace above. They extend the overall footprint of the home with minimal impact on the surrounding landscape.

They were able to repair the existing masonry brickwork, which contrasts sharply with the clean timber-clad additions. As for the eco-features, well there’s a host of them. They installed solar panels that provide for all of the occupants electrical needs (the house is off-grid). There’s an onsite rainwater catchment and recycling system that stores 2000 litres of water(!) for the toilet. And, the home is partly heated by a geothermal energy system (the main heat source is a wood burning stove).

But the eco-features of this home go beyond your typical green-home credentials:

• All building materials are locally sourced
• Vegetable fibres are used for the construction of the walls and insulation
• Effective cooling and ventilation is achieved using passive design techniques
• The house is structurally efficient with no metal inserts used for openings.

It’s got quite the resume. The best part of this project? That they managed to combine all this efficiency and technical detail with a home that is beautifully finished, inside and out.

If you liked this house you might like the Mott-Cott Guest House by Mell Lawrence Architects. Like the Shelter House it features some cool environmentally-friendly energy systems.

What eco-features would you incorporate into your own home?

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