One can plunk a two storey house on a big lot in the Slovenian suburbs, “surrounded by accumulation of anonymous cliché two story individual houses,” or you can “define another kind of domestic environment. The house HB is a redefinition of a specific from of traditional house, of low and elongated rural typology.”

While we have not shown a lot of big suburban houses on TreeHugger for a while, the HB house by Matija Bevk and Vasa J. Perovi? of bevk perovi? arhitekti has some interesting attributes that are worth noting.

Where traditionally a two storey house sits on top of the ground, the HB house is dug into the landscape, with the bedrooms in the lower level and the living area above. In North America it would be considered a “walk-out basement” and the floor area of the house would be calculated as 120 square meters or 1250 SF; it totals 240 M2 or about 2500 SF in the architects calculation.

By putting the living spaces upstairs in a “french farmhouse” plan, one gets to take advantage of the roof structure’s architecture and the views are better. Trees provide shelter from the sun.

“The house, situated on top of a low hill, appears like a transparent object rising from the ground. Despite its dominant position, the house seems to merge with the landscape.
At second glance, it also looks like a kind of prototype house, a very basic ‘icon’ of a house as if drawn by a child. The roof and side facades are clad in the same material, aluminium plates, which merge the surfaces together, leaving the house smooth, without any ornamental details. The house appears as a sign, as a model of the house.”

Detailing is minimalist to the point of invisibility- it appears from the section that those slots on the roof actually divert water to hidden internal eavestroughs, which I hope do not fill up with leaves.

It takes the traditional suburban house, turns it upside down and takes advantage of the trees, and opens up for natural ventilation.

This small (one-bedroom, 725 square foot) sustainable pre-fab home may be diminutive in size, but certainly not in style. The team of Michelle Kaufmann Designs, XtremeHomes and Late Afternoon Garden Design succeeded in infusing this modern home with warmth and comfort. It’s difficult to imagine that MkLotus was built in just five weeks in an all-green factory in Oroville, California, then assembled and furnished in San Francisco across from the City Hall in just two days. Talk about instant gratification!

So, what makes this home green? FSC-certified woods are used for flooring and cabinet veneers in the kitchen, with lighting from (sustainable) rattan and bamboo fixtures. In the living room, a sofa bed with a frame constructed of kraft paper provides a comfortably practical sleeping/seating solution. Bamboo and silk bring green bling into the dining area with bio-degradable plates and utensils. A bowl created from reclaimed cork adds a sophisticated, artistic touch.

In the bathroom, the shower is tiled with soothing green recycled glass tiles and a low-flow showerhead helps conserve water.

Moving on to the bedroom, we find more eco-friendly choices in this sustainable, pre-fab home. The wood used to construct the bed is sustainably harvested cherry with an oil-and-wax finish. Fallen ironwood gives form to a side table while a recycled leather belt rug provides coziness and warmth. In the closet; translucent doors composed of 40% recycled plastic resin embedded with grasses let in light while adding a textural element to the interior design of the bedroom.

In the words of Michelle Kaufman: “The mkLotus was designed as an oasis. We wanted to create a house that provides a sense of tranquility. It is about connection. Connection to the natural, and to the landscape. It can be perfect for a vacation home, or a home where you feel like you’re on vacation.” All in all, this is 2007 West Coast Green Conference + Expo centerpiece is well-worth viewing.