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Dune-house - an off-the-grid beach house
Dune-house is an off-the-grid beach house designed for the shores of Cape Cod, MA. It is fully self-sufficient through geothermal and solar energy systems where efficiency is maximized through burrowing, an ancient construction technique of using earth as insulator. Despite being partially underground, its main living spaces are spacious, bright and open to amazing views. Dune-house is a powerful prototype for the future of single-family housing in 21st century.
The Dune House embraces technology through smart heat-recovery systems, and auto-climatic adjustment; for example, the anchoring sand piles also contain conductive fluid piping, which will keep the living spaces cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Theoretically, the house can produce more clean energy than consumed.
The concept also embraces the recent research on absorptive building materials such as walls constructed from fly-ash concrete and native plants for a sponge effect on carbon mass. Wedge-shaped windows designed to bring in daylight and offer views of the water are also designed to be storm-resistant, with large stretches of triple-insulated glass set within metal frames.
Other eco-friendly elements include a rainwater collection and storage system for the supply of fresh drinking water. Sinks and showers would use filtered groundwater, of which there is an abundance in the area.
Location
Cape Cod
Design principal
Selim Vural, AIA
Project team
Sumeyye Ozturk
Angela Tasveska
Dom Wipas
Year
2020
Phase
Schematic Design
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