Earthship Farmstead’s earth-bermed design helps the family home to blend into the surrounding landscape, with the entrance facing the sun to the east. The sod roof also insulates the interior, keeping it naturally cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Facing the sunrise, the home is flooding with natural morning light through oversized windows and glass doors, which open to extend the interior dining room into the outside patio.
The home was clad in sustainable and local materials, like white oak flooring and Virginia black walnut cabinetry, as well as non-VOC and toxin-free paints and sealants. The roof has a rain harvesting system which adds to the home’s well water usage. In Passivhaus accordance, Earthship Farmstead uses 90% less energy for heating than the average house, totaling only $500 per year in heat utilities. Thermal frames and triple glazed windows help to keep the heat in. And best of all, the owners’ flock of sheep can graze right on the grassy roof.
+ Kaplan Thompson Associates
Via Jetson Green
