A House Made of Corn Cobs

There’s always something new out under the sun. This unique structure uses corn cobs to fill the volume of its walls. It’s a concept house – there’s no kitchen, bathroom, plumbing, or weather-proofing – but it’s also an interesting exercise in building lower-cost, sustainable houses.

Characterized by the presence of  a light shaft in its middle, the indoor set-up has consequently been chosen according to the Sun’s position and its daily East-to-West cycle. The furniture, consisting of just one block extending around the entire house, integrates the needs of the different daily activities. To the North – the entrance side- a low-ceiling volume (night space) leads to a working one in the Eastern part of the building and to a more generous space in the Southern part, opening up to the sky. On the facade, the rythm of the openings depends on the Sun’s position as well: as a matter of  fact, the design is closely linked to all the natural elements.

The circular house, located in Muttersholtz, France on protected land, is 20 square meters (about 215 square feet), took a month to build, and cost about €7000. The French architectural firm St. André-Lang designed and constructed the prototype, which won the Archi<20 competition for low-cost, environmentally-friendly architecture.

See more at arch daily.