Get a house that rotates

A new concept for a Danish house that can rotate and follow the sun. Heating and energy costs are negligible in this dome-shaped house

By Kim Gregersen

Usually Danish houses stand “with both feet” on the ground. Bit this new housing concept rotates and follows the sun, so it can absorb the maximum heat. “No, you won’t get dizzy and you’ll hardly notice that the house is turning round. But we have no idea how people will react, when they’re used to the view being the same all the time,” says the architect Ole Steen, who has designed the house.

Turn the house with a finger

The name of this house of the future is “Free Energy Island”, which is designed in the shape of a dome. It consists of three parts:

A round water reservoir with a fast core in the centre.
A floating floor section that can rotate around the core.
A floating dome, which constitutes the house itself.

“It is like an air cushion. Basically you will be able to move 60 tons with one finger, so it will only require a very small motor to cause the house to rotate,” explains Ole Steen.

Construction of the prototype will begin in August.

The intention is that the house can be rotated both electronically and manually. The electronic method will be the best, when it comes to rotating the house in relation to the direction of the sun or rolling out the awnings, if there is a heavy fall of dew or the weather is extremely warm. Right now Free Energy Island is still at the drawing-board stage. Ole Steen expects construction of the house to begin in August. The goal is to have a show house ready for the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in 2009.

Free heat and power in Free Energy Island

If all goes according to plan, Free Energy Island will be largely self-sufficient with energy provided by solar heating and a little windmill on the roof. So owners need not use money on heating or power. “We will also create an enclosed drainage system, where rain water can be purified to be used as drinking water and fertilizer can be extracted from waste water. This will be a house that is gentle in terms of energy bills,” thinks Ole Steen.

Various materials can be used for the house

According to the people involved in the project, various materials can be used for the exterior of the Free Energy Island house of the future. For example, it can be covered in moulded polystyrene elements, laminated with fibreglass. Insulation could, for example, consist of mineral wool or bales of straw. Internally the bearing construction is built in rolled reinforcement steel. The interior cladding will generally consist of plasterboard.

Rent an extension for years

Although Free Energy Island has a gross floor space of 270 m2, it is possible to make it bigger. “We are working on the possibility of adding two modules, each measuring 15 – 16 m2. It is the idea that you can rent these, because typically it is only for a certain period that you require more space,” says Ole Steen. The price has not yet been officially fixed. But the target is an m2 price of DKK 12,000 – 13,000 or DKK 3.5m for a 270-m2 house.