:: THE PROJECT ::

The Future Evolution House is being built in the 17th district of Vienna where the Austrian capital meets the Vienna woods, and will be the home and work place of family Horx-Strathern. The four of us (plus cat) will live, work and learn here – in a beautiful position near the city but surrounded by nature. It is here that we want to put into practice (and into architecture and design) our ideas and the results of our trend and future research on the future of living.

The house is classic bungalow architecture inspired by Bauhaus and the Case Study Houses of California. There are two buildings (180m² and 120m²) with a common energy system, and the building costs are meant to reflect a good quality living standard. The aim is not to create an artificial un-cosy designer concept house, but to answer the question, how a normal family can design their home and living environment for the future.

In thinking about how we will live in the Future Evolution House, we have had to ask ourselves with a lot of questions:

  • How has the changing relationship between the sexes affected what we want in the home – especially on the kitchen "battleground"?
  • How can we live happily with different generations in one home – with different life, media and temporal needs and expectations?
  • How does architecture adapt to aging and mobility of its inhabitants?
  • The energy question plays a large role in the home of the future – how can we be good green consumers and builders?

 

PARTNERS:
We are working with these innovative companies on the project. Please click on the logo for more information:


We are drawn to Dornbracht by their consequent design and philosophy around the theme of water.

Minimalism meets technical expertise, plus innovation, and excellent personalized professional advice. And they still find time to support the arts, explore world food culture and bathing rituals and innovate.

www.dornbracht.com


Alape is not just about sinks. It is about individuality and shaping space. A great challenge for a bathroom, but one that they rise to with great success.

In a time where bathrooms are becoming ever more central to interior design, they have responded with a clear and clever range of simple but stunning sinks.

www.alape.com


Italian kitchen design at its best.

"Duemilaotto" by our favourite designer Piero Lissoni stands out for its distinct tactile look. A bold but beautiful combination of elegant kitchen block and cupboards contrasted cleverly with a weathered wooden dining table top. Made from pinewood salvaged from a 100 year old Italian mountain hut it brings individuality plus authenticity and history back into modern design.

www.boffi-berlin.de


Quooker is a small, simple but brilliant product that ticks all the boxes for being part of a future house.

It saves energy, makes life easier, and you can throw a bulky appliance (the kettle) away. The Quooker delivers boiling water on tap (literally), and as a British 3 litres-of-tea-a-day drinker, this is one of my favourite future house innovations.

www.quooker.com


This company from Barcelona is making waves in the world of design.

The new furniture and bathroom range from Jamie Hayon is a cheeky mixture of minimalist baroque and fits perfectly to our bathroom salon concept.

www.artquitect.net


The distinctive modern signature look of the flooring from this Danish company belies the fact that it was founded in 1898.

Four generations later they are still a friendly family firm, with carefully managed forests whose philosophy seems to say "we look after the trees, and you look after the wood."

www.dinesen.com


Liebherr are constantly working to improve the efficiency of these traditionally energy-gobbling appliances.

The company do not just think environmentally, but also about the environment inside the fridge itself – with their BioFresh drawers to keep food fresher for longer.

www.liebherr.com



The car dealer Denzel is thinking about the future of mobility. As part of their GREEN-DRIVE project aimed at reducing CO2 they are importing the first electric cars into Austria and working on environmentally friendly car sharing schemes.

www.denzel.at


THINK is a small firm and one of the first companies that has managed to get chic looking electric cars onto the market at a time when many other large car manufacturers are just talking about it. The Think looks like a cute pet and can drive over 150km before it needs to be plugged in and recharged. From July we will be driving one!

www.thinkev.com


Miele are producing new "eco- intelligent" appliances for the houses of the future. For example AllWater washing machines that use solar-warmed water and calculate your energy useage, and a dryer with built-in energy saving heat-pump technology.

www.miele.de