Saturday, 21 April 2007 |
Camouflage, or cryptic colouration, is something living organisms have
developed over millions of years in order to remain indiscernible from
the surrounding environment.
Buildings, something humans have designed and built for thousands of
years, have never been indiscernible from the surrounding environment.
If anything, our egotistical fascination with conquering nature has
meant our buildings are designed to triumph over its
surroundings. Of course, nature inspires building design. But it
rarely seeks to mimic it.
That is, until this twist on nature landed on The Cool Hunter doorstep.
Set among shrubs and budding fir trees, this home has been encased in a
façade matching the greenery around it. The concealing mesh is
permeable to let the sunshine filter onto the house. But it also allows
the light from inside to radiate out. Allowing the build to sit
anonymously by day, but emerge discretely at night. Blurring the
boundaries between what is human, and what is not.
Inside, the materials are organic and neutral. Wood decking and
paneling cover the inside and outer reaches, while neutral colors blend
rooms into a seamless array of angles and hard wood furnishings. But
perhaps what’s more inspiring, is the building’s impact. The structure,
while inherently human, isn’t trying to dominate the landscape it
resides in. The single-storey house will soon be engulfed as the
surrounding woodland matures, and the materials used to give the house
its shape, will darken and merge with the backdrop. It’s an idea based
on nature – to evolve with nature, and to mimic the concept of
nature. Something in our opinion, there should be more of. By Matthew Hussey
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The Camouflage House 
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