Small house 4 – Vula Vey

“I want a home that has many curves, like everything in nature”

It has been said that in Nature, there are no straight lines. Indeed, most living forms tend towards organic and geometric expressions, yet most of our buildings are all straight lined boxes. The reasons for this are logical and practical, but they also limit our ability to explore what is possible when we follow the lines of life itself and let them take the shape of the spaces we inhabit.

The floor plan of this two (or three) bedroomed home is based on a pentagonal star, similar to the starfish. Circles that emerge and radiate out from this fractal formation define the positions of the inner walls and the resulting volumes. There is an upper level that is accessed by a secret stairs and can be used as a sleeping or meditation space. The five arched elevations complete the flow of this home and provide beautiful opportunities for mirroring and extending this presentation out into the landscape with patios, water and garden features. The five roof elements (with various material choices) seem to relax into each other, and happily root themselves down to the ground in the five key points of the geometry. Light is continuously moving within and around this house, in an ever surprising way.

This home is especially suited to an individual, young couple or small family who instinctively know that curved spaces are more natural, and more enjoyable to live in. It is worth noting that even though this design may seem very complicated (especially to all the straight wall builders), it is in fact quite simple in terms of construction, with five inner arches, and five outer arches all meeting together to generate the body of this beautiful building.

Ground floor area 90 m/sq
First floor area 20 m/sq
Total area 110 m/sq

Kitchen 2.6 x 2.6 m
Bathroom 3.2 x 2 m
Living space 10 x 5 m
Hall 3.2 x 3.2 m
Bedrooms 1 and 2 6 x 3.6 m
Upstairs Space 5 x 5 m