Green Living in Barcelona
For some, living “green” is all about making a statement. But for Petz Scholtus, it boils down to common sense. The eco-designer was raised on a farm in Luxembourg, and she’s brought a feeling for the natural world to her residence in Barcelona, Spain. “Growing up on a farm influenced my ideas,” she explains. “There it was all about life cycles, materials that flow, eating, composting, growing...”
Scholtus, who also runs her own sustainable-products studio, Pöko Design, moved to Barcelona in 2004. Three years later, she and her partner, Sergio Carratala, a structural engineer, found a nearly-625-square-foot apartment in an 18th-century building at the heart of the Barri Gòtic.
Their plan was simple: Use eco-friendly and recycled materials, reduce water and energy consumption and create as little waste as possible. While sacrificing neither aesthetics nor comfort, Scholtus has accomplished that and more. There are cabinets made from wooden wine boxes, cork floors installed without glue, PVC-free pipes, secondhand furniture and even a worm-composting enterprise on one of the tiny balconies. No detail was too insignificant—witness the Staple-Free Stapler in the office.
Photo by: Neckel Scholtus.
The couple documented the renovation on their blog, and though Scholtus pronounces it complete, she’d like to find room for a dishwasher (“If used correctly, it saves more water than washing by hand”), and she’s waiting for LED and OLED lighting technology to become more accessible. And then there’s the matter of space for overnight visitors: She and Carratala envision a fully recyclable, folding wall to create an impromptu guest area in the living room.
Scholtus dreams of eco-design that is readily available—and economical. “When done right, designing sustainably is not more expensive or uglier,” she says. “You just have to be that extra bit more creative.”
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I am so inspired to make my home as green as I can. Thank you DWELL!
I love the funky style.
wine box cupboard! Brilliant!
So happy to see you are finally doing more pieces on Europe. As a resident of Barcelona hoping to build a 'green' home on a great piece of land we have, I have found it difficult to find builders of pre-fab homes here in Spain, or architects who specialize in sustainable building practises.. It would be amazing if you could do an article about where to find builders and providers of ecologically-minded materials here in Spain and Europe.
Thanks for the suggestion, Sonya! This might be our next map project...
If you're looking for a green architect in Barcelona, try Hubertus Poppinghaus. I took a course with him in Barcelona on Sustainability in the Built Environment and highly recommend his work.
I am so inspired by Ms Scholtus approach to green design, especially now, when I am trying to renovate a small house built in 1908 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I suspect you could even regard Antoni Gaudi as some sort of grandfather of sustainable building with all his work on light shafts and preserving heat.
I am so glad to see you including more pieces on Barcelona, I am from San Francisco, recently transplanted to Spain. I also came across a young architect couple who uses sustainable materials...Anna Bach & Eugeni Bach. Check them out at http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/featured_houses/2010/11/gauses.asp and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h635_eHU1w&feature=related
I've seen many ecofriendly spaces before, but none of them have the functionality, good use-of-space, and high style visual impact that this home offers. I absolutely love the recycled wine boxes in the kitchen. That's brilliant! Makes me want to redo my cabinets......
Very inspirational. Functional, well designed, innovative. I especially like the wooden wine boxes used as kitchen units, what a fantastic, useful and eco concept! And they look amazing, just like a designer kitchen. This article has really inspired me to think about recycling and making furniture in my home.
Not so much recycling as it is reusing and repurposing. Nonetheless, Gaudi was definitely way ahead of his time.
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