This home is a powerhouse

It might look like a barn surrounded by rice paddies, asparagus fields and irrigation channels, but House W in Hokkaido is an absolute powerhouse – in fact, it generates more energy than it consumes, even when snowed in through winter.

Architect Florian Busch utilised the property’s natural water source with stable flow and temperature to integrate a heat pump system, providing underfloor heating and hot water for the house, while the exterior of the building harvests solar energy through its ‘skin’ of integrated photovoltaic panels. Image © Florian Busch Architects