#RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
Jewel Box Villa takes energy-efficient green homes to a hip new level in Switzerland
This eco-friendly villa in Switzerland, designed by Chinese studio design paradigms, is an energy-efficient, green-roofed home for an environmental consultant.
The Jewel Box Villa uses both passive and active energy sources, with a particular focus on solar and geothermal. It meets all local energy and eco-certification standards and acts as a sort of constructed landscape, reflecting its urban and natural surroundings and the client's experiences while living in Asia.
Read more: Jewel Box Villa takes energy-efficient green homes to a hip new level in Switzerland | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
The architects maximized the use of the long and narrow lot by splitting the building’s main volume into different levels with an outer shell structure topped with a hipped roof. Its shell takes up most of the heat-gain during the hottest hours of the day, while the transparent western facade lets the natural light penetrate the structure and activate a heat sink wall. Vertical PVC shades protect the western facade and follow the path of the sun.
The house protects its residents from outside views, while providing optimal levels of transparency necessary for creating pleasant, daylit spaces. The architects used locally sourced materials to build the house and had to comply with the Swiss energy efficiency standards and requirements.
