Ecuadorian small house in a forest with a moss roof

This small house in the forest was built like 100 years ago. One of the problems of architecture in the Modern style is that in some countries it has supplanted the traditional construction experience that has been adapted to the local climate and materials. Most of the individual styles of modern architecture depend on industrial materials, which have nothing to do with the natural, centuries used in this or that region.

And although the work on the adaptation of industrial materials to the specific climate in different countries is gradually being carried out, not all materials are suitable for global construction. Therefore, Ecuadorian architects Luis Velasco Roldan and Ángel Hevia Antuña built a small house in the forest in accordance with old traditions and building techniques from natural materials. Solar heating is used for space heating.

Spacious entrance to the forest house

The main goal of the project is research. The architects wanted to find out the energy efficiency of such a building in the local solar climate.

Bright zoning room

Luis and Ángel worry that the last decades have lost the knowledge accumulated by the ancestors, as well as technology is forgotten. This situation is dangerous replacement of residential structures adapted to the climate, houses made of concrete, steel sheets or cement fiber. These modern housing models fill not only the new urban areas, but also crowd out the long-built buildings.

The situation is also complicated by the dependence on supplies of materials from remote industrial areas and high energy consumption to maintain the microclimate inside. Many buildings in Latin America are located in a temperate climate and the periods in them become cool, because of unread design decisions.

This state of affairs is corrected by a return to the sources and use of energy-efficient technologies.

Forest House Project Plan

The project of architects, this is an opposition to new trends. For the house in the forest, only local natural materials are used. The structure is rather small, only 48.7 m2, right in the center of the room a tree grows, which the owners did not cut.

Sliding glass doors can be closed or fully opened and feel like in a spacious gazebo.

Everywhere there are many windows, they all open

The house consists of a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, a dining room and a study. It is very light, the interior uses natural materials that create a feeling of coziness and warmth. Facial decoration is made of Ecuadorian laurel, finishing frame of eucalyptus wood. Eucalyptus-soaked air is pleasant and useful.

The tree in the dining room and the room itself

The bedroom is designed in two tiers, during the day you can read and take a sun bath on the second level. All windows, if desired, open.

Rest on two levels

One of the most interesting construction techniques is now out of sight. Pumice was chosen for isolation. Air pockets filled with this material smoothly level out the temperature fluctuations and climate inside the house from 20 to 21 degrees, and year-round, even if on the street only 12Co. In addition, as in wall panels, pumice was used over the drainage layer on the roof.

The roof is filled with pumice stone

The uniqueness of the house and its design features. This building can be disassembled and moved anywhere, even in the neighboring region.

Primitive forest around the house