As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the relationship between nature and design has taken on a renewed significance. Residential design projects that intertwine with natural elements are shown to encourage a sense of tranquility in the inhabitants and the surrounding environment. Moreover, the integration of greenery, specifically through gardens, flourishing landscapes, or complete forest and hillside integrations, can be a powerful testament to the coexistence of human habitation and the natural world.
It is well known that exposure to more green spaces and cleaner air has profound impacts on human health and psychology. This kind of exposure has been linked to reduced stress, improved cognitive function, and enhanced creativity. These sanctuaries offer relief, allowing the human to reconnect with the natural world. These residential homes are often a refuge from busy city life, ranging from vacation homes to retirement homes. Moreover, as the global call for sustainable practices becomes more pressing, the role of natural elements in architecture becomes imperative.
Read on to discover the 9 unbuilt design projects and their descriptions from the architects, submitted to ArchDaily.
Related Article
A Seafront Villa in Iran and a Cave House in Greece: 8 Unbuilt Villas Submitted by the ArchDaily CommunityApothalassia House/ Greece
Apothalassia House in Varko, Greece is a vacation home inspired by the smooth and unbroken waves of the Ionian Sea. It consists of a ground-floor main house for six people and a subterranean guest house for four, designed to blend into the landscape. The guest house maximizes natural light and views, while the main house rises like a ripple, with a buried northern facade for green roof access. Exterior spaces follow the swell and encourage outdoor living, using natural materials like rammed earth and sustainable features like geothermal energy and natural lighting.
Caravan House/ Greece
The holiday home ‘’Caravan House’’ in Vathy, Aegina Island, has northerly views towards the Argosaronic Sea and southerly views towards a rocky Mediterranean landscape and was designed to accommodate a family of four travelers. Their main criterion was the connection with nature, which determined the architectural composition.
The challenge was to limit the building’ footprint and keep the plot as free as possible, minimally altering the natural landscape. The existing wild pistachio, olive, and almond trees are preserved and guide the family's outdoor life. The dry-stone walls that run through the plot, perhaps the most important anthropogenic intervention for the organization of arable land for centuries, are reintroduced in the same spot and arrange the different levels of the residence, both externally and internally.
Landscape Living / Croatia
Set on an 8,000m² estate amidst the green valleys and olive grove carpeted hillsides of northern Istria, Croatia, House L and House M have been designed to merge effortlessly with the superb rural surroundings, ensuring that the landscape takes center stage at all times. Built with concrete and corten to reflect the walls of local farm buildings and the warm reddish hues of the Istrian soil, the villas look out over grassy slopes amidst a natural tree-filled setting.
House on The Hudson / United States
This project aimed to create a home that harmoniously integrates with its surroundings, taking full advantage of the fairytale environment in which it blends. We utilized floor-to-ceiling windows, expansive outdoor living spaces, and an open-concept interior design to achieve this. These features allow residents to truly immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the site in the forests of the Hudson Valley.
Sayavedra House / Mexico
The Sayavedra Residence is an ecological and spatial oasis for a family of four. Facing inwards toward a central courtyard, the home is open and private, fostering interpersonal connections and those to the outdoors. Carefully placed moments of transparency allow light and breezes to permeate the home, while the largely concrete facade provides not only privacy but a textural canvas that showcases the changing light conditions.
Hidden House/Portugal
The 800 sq. m house is located on a cliff, near the ocean, in a natural environment. The project had to consider the local municipality's main requirement: the house should be practically invisible, minimally change the local landscape, and not stand out in the environment since the cliff in which it is located is clearly visible from the downtown.
Small House / Czech Republic
Štěpán Tomas + Inscriptionmakers
A family house as a "cottage". Limiting coefficients of built-up area. Maximum is 65m2. Nevertheless, the house offers three bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, and a utility room. A solid shell of an attic floats above the glazed, garden-connected ground floor. The contrast of smooth surfaces of the metal facade, windows, and rough DIY plaster - is typical for the architecture of the wine region. A house that does not restrict and, although small, confidently interacts with the large garden
LA House: Harmonizing Modern Architecture and Nature / United States
NextGen Vision Architecture
The LA House is an upcoming project in California that seeks to harmonize modern architecture and nature. With a focus on wood, metal, and concrete, the house features panoramic windows offering stunning views. Spanning 1500 sf, the house includes bedrooms, bathrooms, and a green terrace. Being sustainable, the house utilizes natural materials and energy-efficient systems. It is designed to offer a serene environment and creates a modern, harmonious living experience. Overall, the house promises to be exceptional, inspiring many for years to come.
The Ridgecrest Residence / United States
Built around the idea of Hortus Conclusus, or “enclosed garden,” the Ridgecrest Residence is a composition of brick and glass volumes, sheltering a serene oasis. A sanctuary of indoor and outdoor living, the design articulates a similar vision to that of “The Primitive Hut,” where architecture is built from observing nature and becomes a mediator between living and nature once formed.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECT
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.
