This beautiful and unique home design was produced by Australian architect Koichi Takada and just like a sunflower it follows the rays of the Sun. Located in Le Marche, Italy, the building is designed for a single-family and built to capture green energy.
It is a well-known fact that sunflowers move their heads throughout the day in order to attract the maximum amount of light from the Sun. The Le Marche home takes the same idea and applies it into the very architecture of the home, an approach known as 'biomimicry'. The home is built with rotating floors and a rotating roof with sensors that pick up the direction of the Sun's light throughout the day, the roof and floors moving to attract the greatest amount of sunlight. A truly amazing piece of architecture.
Takada's website states:
"Form Follows Nature – the Sunflower House is located in Le Marche, Italy, known for its rolling farmland and yellow fields of sunflowers. It is a fast-growing crop that thrives in the sunshine, the Italian name girasole, literally meaning "turn to the sun". The inspiration of our design is the sunflower, as we strive to harness the power of the sun. Its roof and each floor rotate on sensors for maximum sun exposure or for optimal performance and user comfort to maximise or minimise the heat gain, especially in the extreme heat conditions recently experienced in the Mediterranean climate."
Powered by solar-energy, the home's rotating function allows the solar panels to generate 40% more energy than what they would if they remained in a static position. In fact, so efficient is the home at capturing energy, that much of what is collected could be put back into the energy grid. The home's positive environmental footprint doesn't stop there, it also comes with a facility for collecting rainwater to save on water-waste and a natural ventilation system to cut down on the energy consumed by air-conditioning.
Takada says of his build and its part in the fight against climate change:
"It's not just about making a building look natural, it's about creating positive environmental change in the homes we live in, the neighbourhoods we work and play in, and ultimately the planet we are privileged to inhabit… climate change must be a catalyst for positive change, beginning with our humble homes. For the future of the planet, we must shift from industrial to natural. We need a kinetic, living architecture that respects the environment while enhancing the wellbeing of the humans who inhabit it."
It is hoped by Takada and his team that in the future, multiple homes will be built in this 'sunflower style' and that eventually, whole communities of eco-friendly homes will be found dotting the landscape.
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h/t: [My Modern Met]
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