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Sustainable, environmentally friendly construction does not come at the expense of style
BASS HOUSES Modern Marbella Homes the Ecological Way
Using natural, renewable building materials and cost-effective construction methods, Bass Houses makes it possible to own a stunningly designed modern home in Marbella that is also environmentally sound and cheaper to run. WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN AND COURTESY OF BASS HOMES
but a requirement, as we search for homes that reduce heat loss and the need for costly heating and cooling, are made from sustainable materials, and create a healthy, desirable living environment without exposure to toxic or otherwise dangerous elements.
A new way forward
A
lot of people think modern architecture means using steel, concrete and all manner of ‘modern’ synthetic materials, and that this is inconsistent with natural building blocks such as wood and
stone, but in reality the opposite is true – modern means progress, innovation and increasingly the desire to live in harmony with our environment. In the future, this won’t be a choice
New technologies are making such goals increasingly possible on a technical level and viable on a commercial one, so we are on the cusp of a new era in construction. Among the many new techniques that are being developed right now, the most sensible option surely has to be moving forward with natural, sustainable materials which, applied
with the latest technologies, provide environmental solutions without compromising on cost or design. Wood is emerging as the champion material of the future and, as seen elsewhere in this edition, it is at the forefront of exciting new developments not just in traditional timber building regions such as North America and Scandinavia, but also in major cities across the world. The fact that it can be clad entirely according to taste and requirement means it can replace bricks as the building material for properties in a wide range of architectural styles. In other words, there is no reason why your Marbella villa or even apartment complex could not be constructed from timber.
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