While Charles Sacilotto and Marie Granmar’s home, encased in glass, may look like something out of a sci-fi movie, their life is far simpler than it appears. In a video uploaded on Nov. 11, the couple gives a tour of their house-in-a-greenhouse, located on the Stockholm archipelago, that uses natural solar power to provide heat and save energy.
ather than build from the ground up, Sacilotto and Granmar decided to purchase this small home and construct the greenhouse around it. The structure, built out of security glass 4 millimeters thick, is designed to withstand the elements, but will shatter into small harmless pieces if it does break. Fair Companies states that its warming effect produces a climate not unlike the Mediterranean, with Sacilotto adding, “At the end of January it can be -2°C outside and it can be 15 to 20°C upstairs.”
Perhaps the most beloved feature of Sacilotto and Granmar’s house-in-a-greenhouse is their terrace, which takes the place of the structure’s former roof. The eco-conscious couple also maintains fruit and vegetable gardens, grape trees, and even a small goldfish pond – all within the greenhouse walls. Sacilotto and Granmar water their plants with rainwater collected from underground cisterns and have even installed their own sustainable independent sewage system.
These innovative homeowners cite inspiration from Swedish architect Bengt Warne, whose original Naturhus (Nature House) was built in the 1970s. Inhabitat explains that this greenhouse design not only seamlessly weaves the great outdoors and its luscious greenery into domestic life, but it can also reduce energy bills by as much as 50 percent.
Granmar admits that their abode isn’t a tropical greenhouse nor is it completely self-sufficient, explaining, “This is not a house where you get perfect climatization all year round.” In fact, the family still must use indoor heaters to warm the home during Stockholm’s frigid winter months. However, by choosing to use what nature gives them, the Granmar-Sacilotto clan enjoys a beautiful life that is astonishingly connected to their environment.
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