Elevate – The Sustainable House

A house usually solves a living problem by providing shelter. An American company went beyond this and thought of building a structure which should consider and answer more problems associated with a living space, such as safety and parking. More than that, the house developed by the American company also offers solutions for a sustainable living, perfectly and harmoniously integrating in the surrounding environment.

The tree shape house and goes by the suggestive name Elevate, standing a few meters above the ground. Developed by a company based in Hawaii, Elevate was “created with the vision of bringing a practical space that addresses global and environmental concerns,” said Nathan Toothman, co-founder and CEO of Elevate, the company producing it.
Initially, Toothman and his wife, Tiffany, both engineers, saw the unit as an off-the-grid housing solution for Hawaii’s remote areas. But in the process of developing the prototype, they saw how it could be adopted for different types of commercial and residential applications.

“It can be used as a micro-home, a cafe with rooftop seating, or a studio,” they write on their website. “Every unit is customizable and the design team can create specifications that bring value to the community.”

Elevate features a rain water collection system, solar panels, “living” walls that help mitigate CO2 and serve as a natural cooling system, and a hollow “trunk” that allows for parking below and increased security, including against flooding, for the main unit. In addition to providing a solution for affordable housing issues, which Hawaii is well known for, the Toothmans say.

At the same time, Elevate structures could transform open parking lots by providing drive-through windows, offices, or homes without taking away parking spaces. The solar panels are mixed with in the “living” walls while the hollow trunk can keep 1,500 gallons of water.

Sustainability comes with a cost though. A home or office the size of the 250-square-foot prototype would cost anywhere from $75,000 to $125,000, depending on the amenities.