Off-grid, and invisible? This super skinny eco-home is designed to disappear among the South African trees
Want to live among the trees? An architecture studio has designed an off-grid home that appears to float amid the tree canopy of a South African nature reserve – and not a single tree was harmed in construction
Frankie Pappas, an architecture studio based in Johannesburg, has designed a home in South Africa‘s Bushveld ecoregion that is virtually invisible to the untrained eye.
Called The House of the Big Arch, it weaves between the red sandstone cliffs and riverine forest of the Waterberg Reserve, which is about three hours north of Johannesburg.
At the owners‘ request, the studio took care to respect the surrounding environment when building the home.
Before embarking on the project, Frankie Pappas laser-scanned the entire site and used the resulting 3D “digital forest” to inform the design.
“Any funky bulges and protrusions in the plan of the building were dictated by where trees allowed us to build,” the team wrote in their project description, noting that no trees were demolished during construction.
The result is a long, custom and seriously skinny building that appears to float through the tree canopy. Past the entrance, the house is just 3.4 metres (11 feet) wide.
The main level includes a sunlit lounge, dining room, and kitchen … plus an outdoor deck with a fireplace.
