THE ECOHOUSE
TERRA 6 / 411 m²

“IN ORDER TO HAVE AN ECO-SUSTAINABLEFOOTPRINT, YOUR FIRST STEP SHOULD BE TO USE WOOD” – GIANCARLO ALHADEFF

The synergy that animates this project starts with the dialogue between nature and design. Designing the EcoHouse is a project in which green development is the underlying key. From the first walk through the landscape to the choice of finishes, the designers have had their eye on creating a home that would validate the use of renewable materials and sensitivity to the power of design to improve not only people’s  lives, but people’s environment. This power has been the designer’s inspiration.

Sustainability in design is not so much a set of rules about materials, as an attitude. The natural beauty of this virgin landscape is the inspiration for every aspect of our design of Pavlovskaya Sloboda. The rich visual palette of its abundant trees and open sky was included into design. Double-height spaces and generous window-glazing invite this palette into every space, making every corner of it contemplative. Designers have tried to preserve as many trees as possible during construction, to allow the spirit of the exterior setting to permeate throughout and work its unique magic. 

From the very first step onto the gracious, wooden veranda to the moment your hand leaves the last banister of the stair, wood is ever-present. Walls and ceilings of natural pine and floors of natural finish larch are complemented by the highly crafted, end-grain larch doors, which, with their hand-stitched, sensuous, leather handles are anything but rustic. Together, they contribute to a seductive feeling of calm enclosure. 

The EcoHouse has a sculptural feel to it which is born of the natural weight of its materials and forms. Organic design is a function not only of materials, but of flow, and here, the visual flow from outside within continues with our choice of local, river-honed stones in the feature walls of every bathroom. They recall the abundant streams that flow through this region, and give a specific gravity and calm to the spaces. Kitchens and bathrooms are finished with state-of-the-art fixtures, never sacrificed to our focus on sustainability.

The tactile quality of the EcoHouse makes it easy to understand why there were chosen such icons of contemporary classic design as Mattia Bonetti’s Drops Table (2007) or the Ettore Sottsass Bibliotheque Bookshelf (1985). These sculptural elements are bright and energetic counterpoints to the soft-tempered, almost hand-made surroundings. Our choice of lighting fixtures which are made of paper or wood, such as George Nelson’s Bubble Lamp (1947), SorenSogaard’s Touchable Lamps or Isamu Noguchi’s timeless Akari Lamp, is coherent with the choice of the Marcel Wanders Crochet chair (2006). They are all timeless icons of modern design and yet they are more relevant than ever to our view of the importance of sustainable materials. They were designed to endure.

Wi-Fi and TV internet are wired into the heart of the EcoHouse, invisible and yet integral to modern day needs. The end result of sustainability should be an enhanced quality of life which is that much closer to nature, and yet always one step ahead. The heart of the EcoHouse beats to a strikingly modern tempo, yet makes a gentle footprint on the landscape which, in its pristine beauty, hold its place as the inspiration of all design.

Presented works and descriptions
Cinderella Table (2005) by Jeroen Verhoeven, wood (Carpenters Workshop Gallery) Spaghetti Branch (2006) by Pablo Reinoso, wood (Carpenters Workshop Gallery) Vases, bowls and candelabra (Mater)
Ground floor
Kitchen and dining area
Drops dining table by Mattia Bonetti
Cork Chairs designed by Martin Szekely
Crucifix-shaped table designed by Jon Male, entitled ‘Nobody Says Grace Anymore’ and engraved with the prayer of Grace recited before meals 
The Cork Cubes by Martin Szekeley
Drops table (2007) by Mattia Bonetti, french walnut and acrylic (Galerie Italienne)
Chaise Cork (2000) by Martin Szekely, limited edition, cork and birch plywood (Galerie Kreo)
Collection Six Constructions (2002) by Martin Szekely, non limited edition, cork (Galerie Kreo)
‘Nobody Says Grace Anymore’ dining table by Jon Male
Fireplace in the living room, decorated with a unique variegated granite front, variation #4 (2005) by Jasper Morrison (Collection Carrara Tables, Galerie Kreo)
Chairs and a couch Nature morte a habiter ##1,2,3 (2006-2008) by Peter Halley and Matali Crasset, sycamore plywood, polyurethane varnish, varnished paint (Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac)
Non-Stop sofa by Ueli Berger, Elenora Peduzzi-Riva, Heinz Ulrich, Klaus Vogt, produced by DeSede (NoHo Modern Gallery)
Natural History Museum Etagere by Jon Male (2006), oak and glass
Powder room
Butterfly Tiles by Piero Fornasetti
Ultime Notizie Tiles by Piero Fornasetti
Ceramica Bardelli
Main Entrance
Napoleon a Trotinette consolle table by Vincent Dubourg, sculptured bronze and steel (Carpenters Workshop Gallery)
Guest bedroom
Commode Engrenage chest of drawers by Ingrid Donat, bronze (Carpenters Workshop Gallery)
Photo Loire II (2001) by Elger Esser (Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac)
Antique chair wrapped in icelandic wool (2008) by Gudrun Lilja (Tools Galerie)
First floor
Lobby
Bibliotheque (1985) by Ettore Sottsass, limited edition, varnished wood and steel (Galerie Italienne)
Desk and Chair by Piet Hein Eek
Master bedroom
Crochet Chair (2006) by Marcel Wanders, crocheted fiber and epoxy resin (Carpenters Workshop Gallery)
The Crochet Chair, designed for the Smart Deco project presented by Droog design and Barry Friedman Ltd. at Art Basel (2006), limited edition of 20 pieces.
Bed from Storica collection by Roberto Lazzeroni (Ceccotti Collezioni)
Stag Horn Chair by Rick Owen (2007), plywood and horn (Galerie Jousse)
Kid’s bedroom
Bed by Piet Hein Eek
Chest of Drawers by Piet Hein Eek
Side Table by Piet Hein Eek
Lighting
Bubble Lamps by George Nelson
A mid-century classic, the Bubble Lamp was first designed by George Nelson in 1947 and was produced by Herman Miller starting in the early 1950s and ending in 1979. Presented Bubble Lamps were reissued to the Nelson’s original specifications, using the original Herman Miller tooling. These famous lamps are part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Akari Lamp by Isamu Noguchi (Japan)
Touchable Collection Lamps by Soren Sogaard (Denmark)
Lucifer Lamps (Spain)
Sanitary ware
Duravit by Phillippe Starck, white china