What does a house made of concrete balls look like from the inside, in which the architect's family lived for 30 years
What does a house made of concrete balls look like from the inside, in which the architect's family lived for 30 years

Video: What does a house made of concrete balls look like from the inside, in which the architect's family lived for 30 years

Video: What does a house made of concrete balls look like from the inside, in which the architect's family lived for 30 years
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What geometric shapes come to mind when a person thinks of a residential building? Of course, rectangles and squares. However, a family in Ipswich, Australia does not think so. She lived for almost 30 years in a house made of concrete balls. Is it convenient? The married couple says yes. These "bubbles" are quite comfortable. In addition, the spherical house looks fantastic both outside and inside. It seems that you live on some other planet.

Spherical beauty
Spherical beauty

This incredible building was designed by the architect Graham Birchell. He named it Bubble house. An incredible idea came to him while preparing his thesis in the last year of the university, in 1983. The goal was to combine simplicity, reliability and beauty. And, of course, do something original. He created the project for himself - after construction he settled in his beloved house with his wife.

Fantastic house
Fantastic house

Graham worked on the project in his spare time - in the evenings after work and on weekends. It took about ten years to build the building. Incredibly, in those years, more than 30 years ago, Birchell performed the incredibly complex calculations required for design, without the help of the modern computer software that architects use today.

Each concrete ball required several pages of mathematical calculations
Each concrete ball required several pages of mathematical calculations

The residential building has three levels and 16 rooms. The structure consists of 11 intersecting circular domes ranging in diameter from four to eight meters. Rooms in the house visually appear larger than they actually are, because there are no corners in them.

“You get a lot of space and high ceilings because you don’t notice the walls around you,” says Graham.

He also explains that "doorways" are actually arches - there are no corners in them. And this also creates a sense of spaciousness.

The inside of the house is very modern
The inside of the house is very modern
Mediazal
Mediazal

- If I'm in the kitchen, I can see the dining room. The river is visible through the media hall. It is very relaxing … I think that curved lines make the house more comfortable to live in, - explains the architect.

In addition, there is a lot of technology inside the house and everything is very functional and modern. Sometimes you even forget that you are in spherical rooms.

All doorways are round and in fact they are arches
All doorways are round and in fact they are arches

Graham and his wife Sharon are very fond of their bubble house. He also likes the locals. According to the architect, this building is a popular attraction in the area, and on weekends, cars full of onlookers pass by the house every now and then.

The house constantly attracts the attention of onlookers
The house constantly attracts the attention of onlookers

- If people get into a house, they are shocked by how big it seems from the inside. In addition, tons of light penetrate through huge windows mounted in the roof, and this also visually enlarges the space. By the way, there is one special panoramic "domed" window, which is especially pleasant to sit in during a rainstorm and thunderstorm: it seems that it is raining and lightning flashing right around you, - says the owner of the house.

The house has all the amenities
The house has all the amenities
A gorgeous view opens up from here
A gorgeous view opens up from here

The architect explains that he fell in love with the concept of a circle even before he created this building. But even after its construction, he and his wife continued for many years to supplement, improve and rethink the house, and over the years the dwelling has undergone various improvements. In 2005, the owners refurbished the interior with tiles and fittings. And three years ago they made a "garden dome".

An architect with his wife
An architect with his wife

When Graham was asked in 2018 if this house would ever be finished, he laughed and replied, “This is the architect’s house! It will never be finished! However, a few months ago it became known that the couple decided to sell their home and bubbles. There is no information yet about whether they succeeded.

It is very cozy inside and the couple have lived here for almost 30 years
It is very cozy inside and the couple have lived here for almost 30 years

By the way, in Russia there is also a round house and it was also built by an architect (already ours, a domestic one) for himself. And also in the last century! it Hive house in Moscow, created in the Soviet years by the outstanding architect Konstantin Melnikov.

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