The New York Times Magazine did a photo spread of some rather extreme conversions of churches, shipping containers, water towers, and even caves. We do our own roundup of TreeHugger favorites:
A chapel converted to residence by ZECC Architects.
Churches
ZECC Architects, beloved of their conversion of a water tower into a residence, are at it again with this conversion of a Dutch chapel into a single family residence. In some ways it is a bit sad, when formerly public spaces get converted to private residences, but not every church can be converted into a bookstore or other public use, and this chapel is a bit less dramatic than the church that became the bookshop.
See more photos of the chapel here.
For the full set of wacky water tower apartments, cave condos, holy hole-in-the-walls, and shipping container cribs, join our friends at Treehugger.
Water tower apartment in Essen, Germany.Photo: Lars Tunbjork for The New York Times
Water towers
The NY Times describes this picaresque water tower home:
A decade ago, the architects Arnim Koch and Michael Dahms were working on a project for the municipal utility of Essen, Germany, when they became enamored with an obsolete 1905 water tower. The pair designed eight floors into the tower’s base, which are now home to two rental apartments, a real estate agency and a communications business.
See more photos of the water tower apartment here.
For the full set of wacky water tower apartments, cave condos, holy hole-in-the-walls, and shipping container cribs, join our friends at Treehugger.
Underground house by SeArch and Christian Müller Architects.
Underground houses
There are a lot of benefits to building houses underground; they are cheap, almost free, to heat and cool. In Vals, Switzerland there are famous thermal baths with amazing views, so in order to build close to the baths, the architects buried this house into the hill.
See more photos of underground homes here.
For the full set of wacky water tower apartments, cave condos, holy hole-in-the-walls, and shipping container cribs, join our friends at Treehugger.
