This house in the Esch-sur-Sûre region was built with a very high level of ecological awareness. Designed by Miriam Prosch, associate architect at Jonas Architectes, it avoids as many plastic products as possible and uses as many bio-sourced products as possible.
“With this house, I wanted to show that you can combine design and ecology,” explains Miriam Prosch. Together with her husband, they wanted a house that reflected their own image, serene and warm, with plenty of room for the garden and its plants. “We wanted the house to be built as much as possible using environmentally-friendly materials,” she explains. “For example, we used hemp blocks and sheep’s wool for the insulation, traditional lime plaster on the walls, and wood and lava screeds. As much as possible, we used local products. All the work was carried out with companies that work in the region, to ensure that our approach to sustainability continues right through to completion.”
A reversed programme
To make the most of the natural light, the living rooms are located on the second floor, which also allows inhabitants to enjoy the view of the surrounding area and the lake in particular. This is where the kitchen, dining room and living room are located, in a single open space. This large space is complemented by a separate, enclosed study for a quiet retreat. To make everyday life even easier, a lift provides easy access to this high floor--a very practical feature for getting the shopping upstairs or for people who are less mobile. The bedrooms and bathroom are on the first floor. The ground floor is given over to technical areas and the garage.
This ecological approach is also reflected in the choice of furnishings for the home, where wood predominates, as well as raw materials such as concrete and steel (for the staircase in particular, which was designed by Miriam Prosch). Numerous made-to-measure fittings have been designed, making a major contribution to everyday comfort.
From an energy point of view, the house is particularly efficient. Equipped with very good insulation, the house is heated, if necessary, by an air-water heat pump supplemented by a solar thermal system. The result is a nearly zero-energy building.
Another important feature of this house is the importance given to the garden. Thanks to the many bay windows, there is a generous relationship between outside and inside. A roof terrace also provides access to a footbridge that leads to another part of the property, built on rocky ground. “My husband and I are passionate about gardening. The vegetable garden is very important to us, and we cultivate it according to the rules of permaculture.”
Technical details
Client: Private
Architect: Jonas Architectes
Consulting civil engineer: DO ING Ingénieurs-Conseils
Handover: 2022
Location: Insenborn
This article was written for the Paperjam Architecture+Real Estate special issue. It was originally published in French.
