The Eye of Horus is a fully sustainable house designed by Spanish architect Luis de Garrido, built on the Playa de Cleopatra Island in Turkey. The island is known for the exceptional quality of its sand, said to be different from other nearby beaches. Local legends say that Roman emperor Marc Antony imported the sand especially for Cleopatra herself, because she would not set foot on any land that wasn’t Egyptian.
An impressive project
The house contains 25 bedrooms, 5 lounges and an indoor landscaped terrace which provides incredible views. However, Garrido claims that it was not too expensive considering its size, and encourages people to consider the idea of investing in a sustainable house as they are not as costly as they might think and such structures do not require further maintenance expenses like a regular home. Its well-studied bioclimatic design makes it completely self-sufficient. The eye’s outline consists of photovoltaic panels which work to provide all the energy for the house. It supplies its own water as well, by harvesting rain and treating waste water through an on-site biological system.
To avoid the greenhouse effect from overheating the house on hot summer days, there are measures in place to ensure the heat is bearable, like ventilation, landscaping and tilted louvers.
Luis Garrido has made his drawings available to the public and they can be truly inspiring – see the full set here.
Sources: inhabitat.com | cnbc.com | Collective Evolution
Photos: inhabitat.com
