Solar-powered modern house is an airy retreat melded into the hillside

We’ve come to know the Dutch office of Paul de Ruiter Architects as masters of floating modernism—just check out this glorious elevated villa and this glass home with its cantilevered pool. But the firm is also adept at going low and grounded as with the design for Villa Schoorl, a half-buried home that manage to feel light and airy even as it melds into an earthen hillside.

The trick is in the roof. The jagged lines are faced on opposite ends with vertical strips of timber, adding visual weight to the predominantly glass facade. Lengthwise, the gables support windows on the north-facing side and solar panels on the south side. A central courtyard also helps bring light into the home’s interior. So sun illuminates the upper living rooms and generate’s much of the household’s energy. The lower floor holds more private spaces including bedrooms, a hobby room, yoga studio, and bathroom.

Via: Inhabitat