Gorgeous Green Tree Home Takes Root in Bulgaria

This striking Large Home Tree is an experiment in self-sufficient housing that responds to its site and draws on local resources for all of its needs. Situated in Zvezditsa, Bulgaria on a reclaimed illegal waste dump, the home features a boxy frame that maximizes living space while an abundance of windows maximize light. The architects at <a href="http://bignatov.com/">Bignatov Studio</a> developed an unusual wall and roof motif that depict a tree branching out and taking root. The symbolism is well justified granted how the home extracts energy from the earth, collects rainwater, and harvests <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-power/">solar power</a> to sustain itself.

The ‘Home Tree’ concept was born from the house's incorporated technology and <a href="http://bignatov.com/">Bignatov Studios</a>' organic design approach.

A <a href="http://http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/26/americas-first-geothermal-powered-ikea-coming-to-denver/">ground-source heat pump</a> heats and cools the home efficiently by drawing on six deep wells.

The New York-based design team was <a href="http://inhabitat.com/?attachment_id=157149">present</a> throughout the home's construction to help solve problems and refine the design.

Due to the house's unique structure and diagonal walls, custom windows were fitted. The façade's design sits somewhere between organic and structural, depicting a tree on the front and a root system on the sides.

A large greenhouse on top the home was born from the owner’s desire to grow a winter garden. The glazed roof sloops inwards, collecting rainwater and providing different levels of solar exposure for plants. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/gardening/">garden</a> literally hovers over the residents’ heads.

The site is a reclaimed illegal waste dump, which makes the House Tree a brownfield reclamation project.

An expansive interior offers a commanding view of the valley below.

The facade incorporates a range of materials and is very dimensional up close.

A detail photo of the home's custom windows.

The home's compact footprint maximizes materials while reducing heat loss.

The unique facades pay tribute to the architect's organic design philosophy and the environmental design elements that went into this unique home.