Natural building House – Lumiar

Expected finish: 2021 Architect: Pedro Pizarro Construction: Eco Caminhos Team

Size: 115 m2 Techniques: cob Location: lumiar (RJ), Brazil

We are currently doing a contracted natural building project in Lumiar. The house is an approximately 160 m2 villa. It has 3 bedrooms, 1 toilet, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen, 1 studio, and a living room. It is designed for a family and a mother who will be doing at-home therapies. The project was challenging due to the client’s terrain being relatively small and full of rocks. We fixed a large part of the foundation on top of a larger rock. The building process is going much faster than our previous houses as we are gaining more and more experience. We expect to finish the house within a year.

Natural Building Presets

Integration with the landscape
Use natural materials and recycled materials
Natural lighting in the house
Living room and kitchen should have large windows to see the beautiful views
Zero humidity
Green roof
good thermal insulation for the cold winter nights

How we work

Our team consists of an architect, a manager, 2 on-site project leaders/builders, 3 builders, and 1 person in charge of logistics. We work from Monday to Friday. Accommodations for workers are located nearby. We have a really good relationship with our client and, as mentioned before, progress is going faster than expected. The goal is to have the roof on top of the house and completed before summertime when the rains start. This is essential when working with earthen walls. In the summer, we will work on the indoor finishes. Our clients contracted us to deliver the house ready to move in.

Techniques

Cob (also known as cobb): a building material comprised of subsoil, straw, and sand
Green Roof: green roofs are excellent for thermal insulation and, of course, look astonishing
Natural Wastewater Treatment: We use a banana filter to treat grey wastewater and an evapotranspiration basin for black waters
Solar Boiler: We use a solar boiler for providing hot water
Double Glass: For western countries this is not very special but in Brazil it is much rarer
Drainage: We have a drainage system under the stone wall foundation
Floor Insulation: We use expanded clay to prevent humidity infiltration and to insulate the floor
Positioning House Towards the Sun: For a healthy indoor climate, the direction your house faces is really important With our extremely humid summers and cool winters, positioning the house towards the sun (North) has proven essential
Water and Electricity System: We install all electricity and hot/cold water systems