Archinect - News2024-12-21T06:54:24-05:00https://archinect.com/news/article/150351808/big-designs-off-grid-adventure-village-vollebak-island
BIG designs off-grid 'adventure village' Vollebak Island Nathaniel Bahadursingh2023-06-01T14:29:00-04:00>2024-10-25T04:07:38-04:00
<img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/c1/c159f41e0aabcfac7048e5dbcbaf12a7.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p><a href="https://archinect.com/firms/cover/39902/big-bjarke-ingels-group" target="_blank">BIG</a> has shared details about their latest collaboration with British clothing company Vollebak to design a self-sufficient, off-grid island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Named after the brand, the 11-acre Vollebak Island is intended to be fully powered by carbon-neutral energy. </p>
<p>The island site centers around the 6,426-square-foot Earth House, a village-like series of nine interconnected buildings clustered under a man-made hill, and the 947-square-foot Wood House, a standalone garden suite structure on the island’s eastern shoreline. </p>
<figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/fc/fca98a79ec5a0a1c6782bac41e2cb515.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/fc/fca98a79ec5a0a1c6782bac41e2cb515.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514"></a></p><figcaption>View of Vollebak Island's Earth House. Rendering: MIR. Image courtesy Vollebak</figcaption></figure><p>Each space on the island is made from material tailored for their specific uses, including stacked seaweed, compacted earth, <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/105528/hemp" target="_blank">hemp</a>, glass brick, and locally-sourced stone. The island will be powered through a combination of <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/125356/offshore" target="_blank">offshore wind</a>, <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/973898/geothermal-energy" target="_blank">geothermal energy</a>, and <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/263696/solar-energy" target="_blank">solar power</a>, with the energy stored in Tesla power walls.<br></p>
<figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/be/bedee8d5565f2f92370f4ea0105aeb78.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/be/bedee8d5565f2f92370f4ea0105aeb78.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514"></a></p><figcaption>The Earth House. Rendering: MIR. Image courtesy Vo...</figcaption></figure>