Rotating Girasole Home Follows the Australian Sun

Distracted motorists in the quiet <a href="http://inhabitat.com/march-studio-suspends-over-2000-flying-pieces-of-reclaimed-wood-in-canberras-ultra-green-nishi-building/">Canberra</a> suburb of Crace often skid straight into the roadside as they pass the corner plot of the Girasole house. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about the modern home's appearance, which is designed to complement the character of the street, but not many have ever seen an entire home move. Inhabitat was fascinated to visit this extraordinary house; would it move fast enough to cause motion sickness, we wondered? How do you design a functional interior within a circle? And how does the house run almost entirely on natural resources? Hit the jump to see a time-lapse of the Girasole's rotation and learn more about the extraordinary house that follows the Australian sun.

The home’s name comes from the Italian words “girare” and “sole” meaning “to turn” and “sun.” DNA Architects were commissioned by builder John Andriolo of MAG Constructions, who, as a youth studying in Italy, dreamed of building a house that follows the sun.

The slow and silent movements are calculated to take full advantage of natural resources and maximise efficiency of a 10.5Kw solar array.

The home turns incrementally according to a program that figures where the sun is located in the sky throughout the day.

Residents can also take charge of the rotation via an iPad to fully rotate the home in less than 10 minutes

The touch screen panel shows the software that controls the automatic movements to face the sun.

Over the summer months the solar array has produced far more electricity and hot water than the occupants use, giving them a healthy surplus on their bill.

A 120,000 litre underground water tank captures rainwater from the roof of the house and garage. The water is treated with UV and can eliminate the need to use mains water.

The double glazed living room windows allow winter sun to warm the house when facing north; in summer the house can turn away from the sun to protect itself with smaller windows and a Low-E glazing system that reflects the heat.

Carbon neutral Weathertex cladding, manufactured from timber tailings and natural wax, plus 100mm foam insulation protects the house from heat in summer and cold in winter.

Linked to a frame on 28 wheels, two silent rotating motors underneath the house only require the energy of a light bulb to operate.

The name Girasole originates from Italy: gira(re) means “to turn” and sole is the sun. Operated by a touch screen panel, the home can fully rotate in less than 10 minutes so you can rotate with the sun. It was original owner John Andriolo’s long held dream to construct Girasole before his retirement. As an award winning builder with over 30 years experience (MAG Constructions (ACT) P/L) John commissioned DNA Architects to bring the concept to life. The house that challenges thinking about how we live and what we build. The house is located on a corner plot looking out onto protected grasslands. It's not unknown for drivers to pass the house, see it moving and accidentally drive into the kerb as the road turns the corner!

The bedrooms are a unique shape due to their position at the edge of the circular house. Bathrooms are located towards the core of the structure.

Girasole presents a challenge to existing green building labels, as ratings assume buildings are static on it’s base. The house received a coveted 6 star rating, however if the assessors were able to take into the account the movement, the architects believe a higher rating would be achieved.