Balaton

A small house in the vineyards above Lake Balaton that some visitors never notice. Noise does not pass through the green roof, so you have complete privacy from the neighbours.

30.1 m² and a covered 27.5 m² terrace.

In the vineyards above Lake Balaton.

1 roomliving room with kitchencovered terraceclass A0

Built 2019–2020

Grass-roofed earth-sheltered house at Balaton with slatted shutters, stone retaining wall and a paved walkway under a round column.

Almost invisible in the vineyards.

The green roof and the slope up onto it are so unobtrusive that some visitors do not notice the house at all. In sensitive places such as vineyards, the building authority requires this too. Noise does not pass through the roof, so you have privacy from the neighbours.

30.1 m² + terrace 27.5 m²
A0
€20 / month
2019–2020

€20 a month for energy.

In winter, a view of Lake Balaton.

The plot slopes only slightly. In winter you can see as far as the lake; in summer the greenery on the plot gives privacy.

Earth-sheltered house Balaton with grass roof merging into the lawn, shutters closed, covered terrace and soil mound visible on the right.

Flat-roofed earth-sheltered house on a grassy slope near Lake Balaton, shaded by a blossoming tree, shutters closed

Hidden from the street
From the road you see the landscape, not the house.
Green roof
The roof surface is alive. It holds back rainwater, cools itself by evaporation and gives back to the plot the green space the house took up.
Terrace
A covered or open area adjoining the living space.
27,5 m²
Ground cooling
The earth around the house damps the swings of the day: measured in late spring, the inside changed 6 to 9 times less than the outside air. The house is designed without air conditioning.

Earth coverThe house is covered by a layer of soil that insulates it, evens out temperature swings and protects the shell from sun and frost.
Set into the existing terrainThe shape of the house follows the shape of the plot, not the other way round.

Flat-roofed earth-sheltered house with pale facade and shuttered windows, covered terrace, near Lake Balaton vineyards.

A terrace nearly as big as the house.

The house has 30.1 m², and the covered terrace on columns another 27.5 m². One room and a living room with kitchen: as much as the owner needed.

I want a house that blends in; my plot is in the vineyards. What matters to me is that the house cools itself naturally in summer, since it stands by Lake Balaton.