Daffonchio Architects Gives Samios Heritage House a Green-Roofed Addition

This gorgeous <a href="http://inhabitat.com/stelmat-headquarters-makes-a-bold-statement-with-its-green-roof-and-indoor-living-wall/">green-roofed</a> addition to the Samios heritage home is a paragon of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/gorgeous-forum-homini-boutique-hotel-cradles-africas-evolutionary-history/">South African sustainable building</a>. Unlike its older, more stately predecessor, the addition was built to enable its residents to live as close to nature as possible without suffering from Johannesburg's harsh dry heat. Despite the ubiquitous use of heat-trapping glass, passive design keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter.

This beautifully manicured green roof provides insulation, soaks up stormwater, and absorbs some of the heat given off by the glass and steel home

All of the landscaping is comprised of hardy indigenous plants that are irrigated using harvested rainwater.

Albeit a potential sauna, the glass-wrapped addition uses passive design to keep the house cool during hot, dry summers.

All of the water in the house is heated with solar geysers.

The addition was built to allow its residents to live as close to nature as possible

Permeable paving ensures that stormwater runoff can be absorbed