When designing a building, a wide range of factors has to be taken into consideration. The design should be simultaneously contemporary and forward-looking, functional, sustainable and soundly integrated into the site. Building for the future requires a strong understanding of the building traditions of the past, and the famous and great designs of old master builders have paved the path to the brilliant architecture of the 20th and 21th century. Again and again established stylistic elements find their way into contemporary architecture and reflect the dialogue between classical forms and modern architecture.

Short-lived, radical future-orientated architecture, as seen in the 1960s and 70s, both in its formal language and materiality, shows the detrimental effect of approaching a new design without considering tried and tested approaches. As well as the context of a site, natural proportions and the human requirements of the project need to be taken into account.

The design of the LIVING EQUIA building captivates through its sober and classical form. The origin for both the colour concept, as well as the materials used, can be found in nature, which acted as the basis for all creative and structural-technical elements of the house.

The dark colour of the scorched timber and the typological pitched roof allow for the photo-voltaic and solar thermal installation to embed perfectly into the surface of the building.

The inside space presents itself as a sharp contrast to the rough, blackened facade of the building. Characterized by bright and smooth surfaces, pure lines determine the overall design and attribute delicate and fine features to the space. The black monolithic structure doesn’t seek to dominate its surroundings, but rather integrates itself and demonstrates its strength through elegant restraint.

Two axes of light, one running from north to south, the other from east to west, illuminate and open up the interior. They enable a communication between the interior and the outside of the building and emphasize the buildings connection to the surrounding landscape, the sky and the sun.

Both axes anchor the building in its alignment to the four cardinal points and allow the tracking of the path of the sun from the inside, so the time of day can be continually felt and seen.

At night, the house’s illuminated interior symbolically and visually returns the sun’s energy, which it has received throughout the day, to its environment.