Land-Salvaging Homes

This industrial-looking house is actually a sustainable off-grid home that reinvigorated the surrounding land, putting it back on Mother Nature's course. The young architect, Patrick Dillon, who designed the 'SaLo house' for himself, decided to choose a plot of land in Panama that had been destroyed by slash-and-burn farming.

Its materials are unusual for a forested off-grid home, including corrugated steel, galvanized metal frames and fiberglass panels. However, all of the materials used were leftover from a project Dillon had led building a bridge over the San Pablo River, transforming the industrial looks into sustainable elements.

The open center of the home acts as a natural ventilation, while the arched roof allows water to fall and wind to blow strategically. Finally, trees and shrubs were planted and a cistern was built, which quite rapidly became a watering hole for animals like monkeys, iguanas and frogs.