R128

Abstract

Werner Sobek’s design philosophy is simple. “Architecture is environmental design. It therefore mirrors society, its behavior and ambitions,” he says. The four-story residence Sobek designed for his family in 2002 is an elegant embodiment of that credo. The glass house is so efficient, it actually generates more energy than it uses. Its open-plan interiors and its high-tech features — touch-screen temperature controls, computer-controlled heating system, voice-activated doors, and radar-controlled faucets — say a lot about social behavior in a technologically advanced society. Its sleek, impeccable design projects an aesthetic ambition rarely seen in sustainable buildings. But Sobek did not set out to create a high-tech wonder: “I was governed by the ideal of living in three-dimensional transparency so that I could always feel close to nature. The technology just helped me achieve that ideal.”