Kerala House

Kerala House is a house in the woods, built using natural materials and the latest technologies designed to create a healthy microclimate in and around the house.

The layout of the house revolves around the kitchen and living room, from here you can get to the winter garden, master bedroom and kids rooms, as well as stairs to the second floor, where there is an office, guest bedroom, small sauna, and a secluded room with panoramic sliding window and terrace. The shape of the house and its location are determined not only by the interior planning but also by the trees growing on the site. We planned the house so as not to harm them.

Walls, partitions, and ceilings are wooden frames, filled with warm, breathable, 100% biodegradable, and resistant to the development of mold and fungus material – hempcrete. In addition to high energy efficiency, this material has excellent sound insulation properties, so the house feels solid and capital. There are no vibrations of walls and floors, almost no sound of footsteps, and the music sounds dense and rich. The heating and hot water supply system is a geothermal heat pump, it does not make harmful emissions and allows homeowners to significantly reduce operating costs. Proper air quality is provided by the supply and exhaust ventilation system, and the built-in recuperator reduces heat loss during air exchange between the house and the street.

Since the house is located in a picturesque area, it was important to create the effect of the flow of the environment into the interior. This function is performed by large panoramic, corner, sliding windows, as well as windows in the ceiling. Thanks to them, even in bad weather, residents can enjoy the union with nature, being in a warm, comfortable home.

Acacia wood was chosen as the cladding material – this material will serve the owners for more than fifty years without any treatment and will smell like wood, not chemicals. It is also very important that acacia ages beautifully. Over time, it will fade and become covered with small cracks, which will give the house a charm of authenticity and nobility.

About 80% of the construction materials are of local, biological origin – pine, acacia wood, and hemp.
The acacia wood facade is made of boards of different widths and lengths, which minimized material waste.

Materials and engineering systems:
-Vaillant aroTHERM VWL 125/5 AS heat pump;
- Heating/cooling circuit for floors, walls and ceilings;
- Ukrainian-made supply and exhaust ventilation system Aerostar Slimstar 250 EC with recuperation, efficiency - 93%;
- Highly efficient aluminum Schuco windows with multifunctional Guardian HP glass;
- Roof windows - for smooth natural lighting;
- Hinged ventilated facade;
- Hempcrete walls and ceilings (the thickness of the walls - 60cm, which is the equivalent of ~5 m of bricks).

Advantages of Hempcrete:
- Negative carbon footprint;
- Natural regulation of air humidity at the level of 40-60% (optimal level for human health);
- Antiseptic and antifungal properties;
- Vapor permeability;
- Low thermal conductivity - in the range of 0.045-0.065 W/m*K;
- Absence of cold bridges;
- Soundproofing and noise-absorbing properties;
- Hemp in Hempcrete is a waste product from the production of fabrics;
- Biological and local origin of raw materials;
- Recycling or reuse possibility.

All works were made by local contractors.