Posted by By JustinC at 26 February, at 10 : 56 AM
Print
There are many homes being built today that are focused on reducing their carbon footprint, reducing waste and using renewable resources like solar- or wind-powered energy. These homes top the list because of their unique designs, large price tags or complete reliance on renewable resources for energy.
1. The Solar House
This home was designed as part of a solar energy competition called the Solar Decathlon Europe. The Stuttgart University’s Applied Sciences Department built this house with a central energy tower directly inside the middle of the home. It was designed to be the focal point of the home and everything was built to focus on that energy tower. The outside of the home is covered in gold and bronze solar panels to make it an aesthetically pleasing house as well as a green eco-friendly home.
2. The Orchid House
This house is not only uniquely and beautifully shaped; it has an underground geothermal heat pump. Designed by Sarah Featherstone, the house was built in a shape to represent the Bee Orchid that grows close by the home. The geothermal heat pump system provides the house with an efficient energy source. It’s so efficient that the pump produces more energy than the home will need or even use. In 2011, the 2,200 square foot home located in Cotswolds, England sold for 7.5 million pounds.
3. The Dome House
This home is shaped exactly like the name of it suggests. The home is shaped like a dome which protects it from most natural disasters like hurricanes and typhoons. The building is made out of Styrofoam and can be assembled in less than a week thanks to a sleek, user-friendly design.
4. Longbow Place
While others on this list are small, compact and efficiently designed systems, the Longbow Place home in Lakespur, Colorado is a large 9,800 square foot home. It is thought to be the greenest luxury home and is valued around 4.5 million dollars. It’s equipped with solar panels and wrap around insulation. It was constructed almost completely out of organic materials and painted with compound-free paints.
5. Athena Marie Plantation
The North Hutchinson Island can boast the largest eco-friendly plantation in the United States. It’s 45,760 square feet of space. The plantation is one of the very few in the world that exists entirely on renewable energy in the form of wind-powered turbines. The house was built using insulated concrete form wall that reduces its carbon footprint and can withstand hurricane force winds. The plantation does not use any form of traditional energy to power the building.
As reducing humanity’s carbon footprint becomes a more engrained and entrenched value of American society, it is likely that many more homes like these will be built. For homeowners who would rather update their current home, there are also a growing number of options for both physical stores and online outlines. For example, you can visit this website for a look at different products
Offbeat
