House of the Winds

The House of the Winds is a passive house, a self-sufficient building in terms of energy production. The house was designed for the Solar Decathlon competition in a gated community in Eldorado do Sul, Brazil. The area is surrounded by navigable canals, and the project intends to incorporate the fluvial atmosphere by suggesting the shape of a sailing vessel with minimal contact with the ground, itinerant, ready to sail away.

​

Its volumetry is composed of two prisms made of wood and metal (one for social activities and the other for semi-private functions). The prisms are connected by a glass passage that emphasizes the pathway to a private pier. Its butterfly roofs (purposely thin, as the sails of a boat) are disconnected from the body of the house, collecting water and increasing temperature control and protection against the Brazilian sun. It also sustains 49 solar panels, producing energy and water heating for its own functioning.