IT is said to be Spain’s most renewable home.
Casa Sophia, near Madrid, is constructed entirely from recycled and low-impact materials which ‘protect the planet but also the health of its inhabitants’.
Covered in an incredible 60 solar panels generating a whopping 24,000 kWh of electricity a year, it creates much more energy than it can consume and can sell the rest back to the grid.
Its walls are made from stone and a natural photocatalytic mortar, which decontaminates the air, while its interior has a fir cladding and all furniture is made from fully sustainable wood, free of formaldehyde.
It also has a green roof and a vertical garden, which climbs up the wall to give extra insulation and to further improve air quality as well as aid cooling.
Rainwater and wastewater meanwhile, are collected and treated in a ‘bioplant’ to then be reused in toilet cisterns and for irrigation in the garden.
The award-winning house, in the village of Guadalix de la Sierra, has a garden planted entirely from native plants and trees.
The firm that carried out the works, 100x100biopasiva, also recycled 100% of its waste and offset all CO2 produced in the building process.
The building is the result of 28 years of research in green construction and two years of design. It has received some of Europe’s highest certifications for its sustainability, energy efficiency and carbon neutrality.
“We hope it will lead the way for many others,” insisted architect, Joaquin Ruiz, who has got a certification from prestigious German ratings company Passivhaus.
Casa Sophia – which means ‘wisdom’ in Greek – has won many gongs, including the Excellence award from Europe’s Horizon 2020 programme.
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