Prefabricated, Self-Sufficient, Protected by Fungus

Fully functional homes can be built using a variety of building and innovation techniques. Some may be prefabricated, low-carbon residences carved from heritage-designated buildings, while others may be contemporary live-work spaces created from vintage micro apartments or even low-cost dwellings constructed from recycled vehicles, like the bus used to transport this architecture student home.

Whatever they may be, the processes involved in their conceptualization, design, and construction are always fascinating. Just like having a house protected by fungus.

Self-Sufficient: The Four Seasons House

Building a self-sufficient home for himself and his family required Tilburg, Netherlands-based architect Joris Verhoeven of Joris Verhoeven Architectuur to experiment with some unusual building materials and methods as well as take into account how the home would blend into its natural surroundings.

The Four Seasons House, Verhoeven's prefabricated residence, is situated on a grazing area for neighborhood sheep in the Drijflanen nature reserve. The region's wool production industry includes the area.

The naturally insulated house, according to Verhoeven, is made to let him and his family fully experience the Dutch seasons. This is because the Dutch seasons are renowned for being diverse, with fresh springs, warm summers, extremely wet autumns, and occasionally a harsh winter.

The architect continues by describing how the lack of barriers to keep nature out and the intentional use of color have helped to maintain the bucolic setting of the 753-square-foot house.

He explains that the prefabricated structure was intended to blend in with nature. It barely stands out against the nearby tree trunks despite having rough black facades. The house blends in with its surroundings because the garden was not intentionally designed that way but rather was left to nature. This makes perfect sense, but in a nation where everyone fences in their gardens, it's an odd decision.

Innovation and Design

Windows that look out in particular directions strategically punctuate the house's boxy, wood-clad exterior, providing expertly framed views of the surroundings. The wooden planks' varied widths, which are emphasized as the sun's light changes throughout the day, emphasize their natural appearance.

Solar and thermal panels are installed on the roof to supply the house with electricity. Fascinatingly, the protective shou sugi ban method of purposefully charring wood with a fire, which is very popular today, is not used to achieve the blackened wood exterior. Instead, it is a wood-protecting and wood-tinting staining product that contains fungus.

Verhoeven explains that the sidings on the wooden facade have been naturally protected by a fungus that has been specially cultivated in this color. The expanding fungal layer will repair itself if the coating is damaged. The fungus is hungry when it starts to fade. Then, to protect the new wood and restore the matte black finish, you must feed it with linseed oil.

A living room, kitchen, bedrooms, closets, bathroom, and a home office are among the spaces that can be found in any family home. The interior of the house is minimalist.

Thanks to a restrained use of materials and colors, including the use of black cabinetry, light-colored woods, and, of course, numerous large windows, the aesthetic is clean and modern, Trehugger reports.