Architecture

Treehouse-inspired energy-efficient homes boast insulating cork exteriors

Treehouse-inspired energy-efficient homes boast insulating cork exteriors
Two Cork Houses by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos both feature an impressive facade made from cork
Two Cork Houses by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos both feature an impressive facade made from cork
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Two Cork Houses by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos both feature an impressive facade made from cork
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Two Cork Houses by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos both feature an impressive facade made from cork
The dwellings have been built raised above the terrain, with parts of the homes being built around existing trees
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The dwellings have been built raised above the terrain, with parts of the homes being built around existing trees
The Two Cork Houses have been built with a double layer of insulating cork to clad the exterior
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The Two Cork Houses have been built with  a double layer of insulating cork to clad the exterior
The homes are located in the beautiful natural forest landscape of Plafrugell, in Northern Spain
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The homes are located in the beautiful natural forest landscape of Plafrugell, in Northern Spain
The homes are filled with several nooks looking out across nature
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The homes are filled with several nooks looking out across nature
A swimming pool hides amid the landscape
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A swimming pool hides amid the landscape
The home also boasts built-in timber furniture, including display cabinets in the kitchen and timber dining table
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The home also boasts built-in timber furniture, including display cabinets in the kitchen and timber dining table
Keeping the interior design minimal, each floor plan eliminates the need for corridors and doors
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Keeping the interior design minimal, each floor plan eliminates the need for corridors and doors
The homes are designed to invite the beauty of their surrounding landscape into the everyday life of their habitants
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The homes are designed to invite the beauty of their surrounding landscape into the everyday life of their habitants
The homes are located in the beautiful natural forest landscape of Plafrugell, in Northern Spain
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The homes are located in the beautiful natural forest landscape of Plafrugell, in Northern Spain
Where possible the homes also boast built-in timber furniture, including this desk in the bedroom
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Where possible the homes also boast built-in timber furniture, including this desk in the bedroom
The architects spent considerable efforts designing the homes around the forest and with little impact on the existing flora
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The architects spent considerable efforts designing the homes around the forest and with little impact on the existing flora
The Two Cork Houses have been built with concrete foundations and pillars
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The Two Cork Houses have been built with concrete foundations and pillars
The bathroom is kept simple and stylish
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The bathroom is kept simple and stylish
Two Cork Houses models by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos
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Two Cork Houses models by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos
Two Cork Houses plans by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos
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Two Cork Houses plans by Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos
Two Cork Houses blur the lines between the outdoors and interior
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Two Cork Houses blur the lines between the outdoors and interior
View gallery - 17 images

Spanish architectural firm Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos has built two sustainable homes, both featuring an impressive facade made from cork. Dubbed "Two Cork Houses," the homes are located in the beautiful natural forest landscape of Plafrugell, in Northern Spain. The architects spent considerable efforts designing the homes around the forest to have little impact on the existing flora. To do so, the dwellings have been built raised above the terrain, with parts of the home being built around existing trees to invite the beauty of nature into the everyday life of its habitants.

"The houses emerge from an uneven and steep terrain that has been modified as little as possible," says Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos. "Permeable gravel pavements have been introduced and the existing vegetation has been preserved and enhanced with new Mediterranean plantings, giving the impression of a place hardly changed after the intervention."

The homes are filled with several nooks looking out across nature
The homes are filled with several nooks looking out across nature

The Two Cork Houses measuring 247 sqm (2,658 sq ft) and 112 sqm (1,205 sq ft) respectively, have been built with a concrete foundation and pillars, raw timber interior and a double layer of insulating cork to clad the exterior. Due to the high insulation of the homes, they have obtained a Class A energy rating, which according to the architects is the highest achievable rating available in Spain. The homes boast an annual energy consumption of 41.44 kWh and 46.22 kWh per square meter, and emissions of 7.04 kg and 7.88 kg of CO2 per square meter each year.

"The use of cork as a material for finishing the facades supports its environmental adaptability in a wooded landscape dominated by the presence of cork trees," adds Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos.

The home also boasts built-in timber furniture, including display cabinets in the kitchen and timber dining table
The home also boasts built-in timber furniture, including display cabinets in the kitchen and timber dining table

The interior of the homes take full advantage of the forest and gives the impression of living in an oversized treehouse. Filled with several nooks looking out across the natural landscapes and coupled with large outdoor terraces, the homes are designed as an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Keeping the interior design minimal, each floor plan eliminates the need for corridors and doors, with the rooms flowing into one another.

Where possible the home also boasts built-in timber furniture; including desks in the bedrooms; storage cupboards and nooks throughout the home; display cabinets in the kitchen; timber dining table; and wooden shutters on the windows.

Where possible the homes also boast built-in timber furniture, including this desk in the bedroom
Where possible the homes also boast built-in timber furniture, including this desk in the bedroom

"Intimate in scale, the indoor spaces are linked to one another without passageways in a sequence of rooms of varying size, their uses being defined by their relationship to the outside, be it the distant view of the sea, the vision of the tops of the pines or the direct means of access to the terrain," says Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos.

Source: Emiliano López Mónica Rivera Arquitectos via Inhabitat

View gallery - 17 images
1 comment
1 comment
Nik
These houses look like pleasant homes, in a delightful location, with beautiful views, but I hope they have adequate fire insurance, because if there is ever a forest fire, they can guarantee that their houses and contents will be totally destroyed. In addition they will need an adequate fire escape route, if the inhabitants are not to suffer the same fate as the recent fire in Paradise, Butte County California, USA. People and Architects they never learn!