Sustainable House in Iceland

Based in Iceland, modern architecture firm Studio Granada took its home’s landscape and climate as inspiration for Hof Island Country House. As most country homes here, this sustainable house is secluded and serene, located in the Skakafjordur fjord, less than 100km from the Arctic Circle. That’s about the only traditional trait you’ll find in this unusual design. From the outside, the structure is a cedar-clad concrete house topped with the grass that originally grew on the property. A series of distinctive volumes seem to rise right out on the grassy meadow. Inside, concrete walls are complemented by oak and steel; a rustic appeal offset my chic, sleek, urban details. Apart from its grassy rooftop, this cool house is green in more ways that one. The concrete walls create a thermally stable internal environment, while geothermal technology takes care of the floor heating, radiators and daily hot water needs. The little electricity used by the house comes via hydroelectric sources.