Eco-neighbourhood. A catchy name. But on fertile soil? With an underground car park? Could this be greenwashing? Let’s take the promise literally.

Underground parking? Gone. Massive foundations? Gone. The building is raised above the ground, preserving the wildlife corridor below. Its structure is dimensioned to use timber from the client’s own forest, establishing an ultra-local production chain. A clear, regular structural grid allows spaces and housing layouts to adapt to changing households and ways of living.

The building seeks a symbiotic relationship with its site. Rainwater is collected and reused for toilets and washing machines, with the surplus fed into a sprinkler system beneath the building to create a humid biotope. During heavy rainfall, a temporary stream forms and flows towards the existing river. Wastewater is separated and treated through low-tech biological processes, producing manure and fertiliser for neighbouring agricultural fields.

Sustainability not as a layer of wood glued on a facade but as the trigger of the project itself.