The wave house

20 April 2012

Here’s a greenhouse with a difference.  This one’s designed by Parisian architect Patrick Nadeau and is made to look like a grassy hill not an all glass house!

It’s called a ‘wave house’ and the glass comes in on the front and back walls.  The facades are actually created from double-skin polycarbonate glass which is the material used for commercial glasshouses.

Nadeau says he’s borrowed from commercial design to create this wave house which has a skeleton of timber and concrete.

The curved exterior is planted; it’s a green roof that follows down the ‘sides’ of the house.  It is a mix of grasses, leafy succulents, herbs and lavenders as well as some small aromatic plants and a few perennials.  Not only does this look beautiful but it will act as insulation for the house.  Nadeau is incorporating a custom misting system for the plants but it will only be used if absolutely necessary – he is hoping to rely on natural elements.

And the aromatics and lavenders may attract the odd bee too.

The house perimeter is raised about half a metre to create a bench.