BY: MATTHEW CHIN

Dutch architect, Raimond de Hullu, is planning on building off-the-grid homes in the middle of an urban forest. His goal is to bring inexpensive eco-friendly homes into densely populated areas. The home design called “OAS1S” utilizes a green canopy of plants and large windows to insulate homes, while blending in with the surrounding forest, providing “a true balance between architecture and nature.”

The homes are made out of recycled wood and repurposed glass, making sure that no materials are wasted. De Hullu also designed the homes to be customizable, so the buildings can become interconnected to house larger families or be converted into commercial spaces such as hotels or apartments. The glass window will occupy the entire wall to keep the homes warm while reducing heating costs. De Hullu estimates 100 homes can fit in every hectare of land.

Parking spaces, solar panels, waste and water treatment are placed on the outskirts of the block to maintain the area, and allow the forest to double as a park. De Hullu believes that the homes can be inserted in established cities, hopefully making public transportation accessible to reduce the pollution on your commute to work.

The homes are in partnership with Community Land Trust, a non-profit that will own the land. Homeowners could prospectively buy the land at a cheaper price to create affordable housing for buyers.

De Hullu is currently looking for the first location to begin the project, and hopes to build a community in a less developed area as a small vacation space to test out the effectiveness of his community design.

Sources: digitaltrends.com, psfk.com