Solar Umbrella House

Here’s a cool house.

The Solar Umbrella House in Venice (by Pugh+Scarpa) features a solar canopy that wraps the south wall and roof, screening out the scorching sun while providing the residence with all of its electricity. Sunlight provides 95% of electricity for the house. The concept for the house was about climate and the idea of making the house a pavilion in the garden.

This is how it looks like on the other side of the street.

This space is located on the first floor of the home. It is defined and highlighted by the solar canopy.

The transition between the house and garden. It is so cool the way the landscape slips in and out of the house.

The living room opens up to the garden at the side. This illustrates the creativity that went into the house’s boundaries between inside and outside, a mixture of concrete, steel, and sliding glass panels that create a porous edge.

The home’s master bedroom is fitted with built-in cabinets made from formalhyde-free MDF.

My favourite interior feature is the feature staircase that links the living room to the upstairs. The perforated steel treads and risers allow light to filter into the spacious living area downstairs.

This project was chosen as an AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green Project for 2006. You can check out the other projects here.

What more can I say than that this house rocks! 

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Pugh+Scarpa Architects claim to be inspired by the Umbrella House designed by Paul Rudolph in 1953. It was built as a model home on Lido Key. The name came from the huge wooden trellis that extended over the terrace and pool. It was said to be ‘one of the five most remarkable houses of the mid-20th century’. The open floor plan includes visible structural columns and a double-height living room.

 

Go check these links for the Umbrella House: 1 and 2.