Restaurant owner and chef Motonori Hirata was looking for something brand new that felt long-established. “I was asked to design a building as ‘heavy’ as possible,” says Ishigami. “’I want an architecture whose heaviness would increase with time,’ [Hirata] said. ‘It cannot be artificially smooth but rather something with the roughness of nature. Authentic cuisines require such a place.’ He also told me that ‘it has to look as if it has been there and will continue to be there for the longest time.’”

Creating such a structure in the middle of a modern residential neighborhood presented plenty of challenges. Instead of focusing on what he currently had to work with, Ishigami took a subtractive approach, concentrating on what he could have if he removed parts of the existing space.

That line of thinking resulted in an underground cave dwelling that’s every bit as organic and “heavy” as it is practical and functional. Ishigami began with a design that would leave the roof of the new building flush with the ground level. Using state-of-the-art 3D software, he was able to determine the exact points for pile driving. When construction began, workers “dug the holes manually for precision while constantly confirming the position and shape on an iPad.”

Once all the holes were hollowed out, concrete was poured in to create the form of the organically-shaped columns. Then the rest of the space was excavated to create the living and working areas.

Ishigami tried to embrace accidents as they popped up, working the unknown into the process. “Unexpected factors such as growing grass, soil collapsing, or errors due to manual labor were tolerated as much as possible,” he notes. He hoped that the by accepting these “un-precisions,” he would create an architecture that “internalizes natural distortions and uncertainties.”

The original plans called for washing away all the dirt to reveal a gray concrete structure, but Ishigami and his team were so impressed with they way the soil-caked columns looked that they chose to leave them as-is. That decision is what gave the project its cave-like feel and inspired a redesign of the interior spaces, which now include a bedroom, bathroom, industrial kitchen space, and three courtyards that can be filled with dining tables during restaurant hours (or used as living spaces at other times).

Almost imperceptible glass creates walls around the structure to keep it warm and safe from the elements. The flat roof was filled in with concrete except for three skylights, and whitewashed to keep it distinctive from the surrounding topography.

Considered a design wunderkind in architecture circles, Ishimgami started his career with Kazuyo Sejima at SANAA, after graduating with a Master’s in Architecture and Planning from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 2000. In 2004 he started his own firm, junya.ishigami+associates, and has since gone on to win multiple awards, including becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the Architectural Institute of Japan Prize in 2009 for his ultra-thin glass Kanagawa Institute of Technology workshop. In addition to his architectural work, Ishigami also serves as the Kenzo Tange Design Critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

The post Junya Ishigami Crafts Cave-Like House and Restaurant in Japan first appeared on Dornob.

The listing reads: “Mister Grinch, here. As we are all painfully aware, the most miserable time of the year approaches. Caroling, candy canes, and, of course, that constant, contagious Christmas cheer. Yuck. I myself, unlike every other Who, am getting out of town this year — far away from all the holiday hoopla with its fanatical, fantastical fa la la la la, la la la la-ing. Am I stealing Christmas again? Maybe. Am I visiting my Florida beach home? Don’t worry about it. “

“Either way, good news for you. While I’m gone, you can stay in my cave. That’s right, the legendary rocky residence of the world’s most famous Who-villain can be your very own holiday hideaway. The halls of my entire cave are decked with all my favorite things — and Max’s, too, of course. Vacasa will take care of everything (because I have no interest or time for that).”

Requirements: absolutely don’t put on the Grinch’s Turkish custom-tailored green fur pants, or his fur shoes, or anything else for that matter. And if you’re the sort of person who likes the company of others, or, even worse, likes to host holiday gatherings (ugh), be prepared to bring the food you’ll need, because this location is very remote. So remote, in fact, that you can’t get here in any ordinary vehicle. You’ll need “at least a Crossover” to manage the rocky road. P.S., there’s no cable or internet in the cave.

There is, however, a paltry selection of questionable pantry goods like roast beast, Who-pudding, Who-hash, and Whamble-Bramble Crunch cereal, along with a coffee maker. You’ll be terribly tempted to put on the Grinch’s robe and settle into the library, at the table where the Grinch usually plays chess with his dog or at the telescope to spy on Whoville residents and watch for trespassers creeping up the mountain. The pipe organ, with its chaotic profusion of brass, and Max’s drum set will also be alluring.

Gaze at the Grinch’s villainous plans laid out on a drafting table, and perhaps try on his Santa hat disguise. When it’s time to go to sleep, a spacious bed is waiting for you beside a glass wall gazing out at the stars. There’s an additional bedroom and two fully functional bathrooms as well (because, as the Grinch explains, “I’m not an animal, you know.”)

Alas, the grotto is fully booked for this holiday season, but all those who aren’t able to travel there in person can still get a feel for the dramatic, festive space with an online 3D tour. Costing just $19.57 per night (in honor of the Seuss book’s release date in 1957), the spots fully sold out as soon as booking opened on December 3rd, and guests stayed there from December 17th through December 23rd.

The post The Grinch’s Rocky Lair Opens to Guests in Utah for Christmas first appeared on Dornob.

“The design concept starts with the radical difference between the rural and urban interpersonal networks,” explains the Macau-based Studio A()VOID team, adding that it “reinterprets the native cave dwellings of the site as vertical ‘grottos’.” The 23-foot-tall huts are laid out irregularly on a 13-by-19-foot grid, each calculated on the length-to-width ratio of the original cave structures.

Composed of double-layered gray brick, the buildings curve organically into gentle rectangles. Individual bricks protrude asymmetrically along the outsides, too, marking the levels where scaffolding was used in the construction process.

Each pod is topped by a giant skylight, and together with the uber-tall ceilings, they encourage visitors to appreciate the verticality of the space. The access to natural light all day long also recalls the agricultural roots of Xiyaotou village. The studio says it “contextualizes residents to rurality’s rhythm of ‘working from dawn to dusk” and “exposes their sensitivity to the sun’s trajectory.”

In the winter, the double-thick walls use those sunrays to help warm the grottos from the average outside temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit. When it gets hotter in the summer, heat can escape through the pods’ strategically-placed windows, and through the chimney effect of each unit’s elongated geometry. The windows and doors of each cave structure are composed of pre-weathered steel that pushes out from the brick facade. Individual units are connected on the second story by a raised wooden walkway.

“By flowing the bridge of connectivity in between the private grottos, the design attempts to realize a community in which public and private coexist,” the studio explains, adding that “it serves as the keynote for the layout of the corridor structure and supports the new building complex in a spiritual sense.”

The bridge is held up by pine columns and snakes in between each dwelling to provide a link to all the units. The elevated sidewalk also gives walkers a birds’ eye view of the surrounding landscape, including a dense grove of trees, a nearby shoreline, and the “aboriginal architecture of Yu County.” The empty spaces below the boardwalk are designed to provide room for hosting workshops, exhibitions, and even markets.

The grotto sanctuary, completed this year under the direction of lead architect Yun Hon, was created as part of a larger Chinese initiative to rejuvenate rural “hollow” villages across the country like Xiyaotou, most of which have seen conditions deteriorate as residents have migrated to newer areas. The idea is to transform abandoned communities into destination places for tourists, with unique accommodations, local cuisines, and fun activities. Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou’s compilation of clustered units was designed to be flexible to these types of future needs and more.

Studio A( )VOID characterizes itself as a design group that “celebrates the emptiness and possibilities of a void.” They “design to allow capacities for randomness and surprises in different aspects of a project, so involved parties are encouraged to participate in this controlled mayhem.”

The post Chinese Retreat Designed to Mimic Ancient Cave Dwellings first appeared on Dornob.

Since then, the city has flourished, and today, it draws nearly half a million travelers every year. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sassi have become comfortable residences, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and spas. One of the newest businesses beckoning tourists inside is the Aquatio Cave Luxury Hotel & Spa by architecture firm Simone Micheli, which occupies 5,000 square feet within an area called Sasso Caveoso.

As the Smithsonian notes, the locals here still “cheerfully refer to themselves” as troglodytes, a word that literally means “cave dwellers.” But the caves don’t exactly look prehistoric anymore. Once lacking even the most basic hygienic standards, they’re now beautifully lit, packed with contemporary artwork, designer furniture, flat-screen televisions, and all the other modern amenities you’d expect from high-end hotels anywhere in the world. That’s certainly true at the Aquatio, where smooth new limestone bricks merge seamlessly into the raw cave walls, now cleaned of lichen and brightened up to their original pale color.

The architects took inspiration from the powerful force that shaped the caves in the first place: a single drop of water. Honored near the main entrance with a drop-shaped bronze sculpture by Kengiro Azuma, the water drop “summarizes in its simplicity the meaning of life through the metaphor of the water cycle,” says Micheli.

The lower entrance leads into a reception area, restaurant, breakfast room, meeting room, and wellness center in two large open spaces that were once part of a neighborhood. The arches, tunnels, ceilings, and walls are illuminated from below to create a soft glow that Micheli calls “scenographic effects.” Even the old wells and cisterns around which the ancient occupants gathered have been restored so the guests of the hotel and spa can enjoy them.

“’Creating emotions is the concept that animated the entire design process,” says Micheli. “The wellness center is the space where this motto is best expressed, in fact it is a suggestive place and occupies the deepest heart of the structure, recovering hypogeal rooms dating back to the ninth century. The restaurant room is a flexible, intercommunicating space with the breakfast room and the meeting area. Its capacity varies according to the occasions, making itself available to contingent events and needs.”

“The rooms mainly present in the upper part of the structure…enjoy breathtaking views of the Caveoso cliff and the ancient city, [while others are] hidden inside the womb of the earth, with only a door to indicate their presence as the ancient shelters of the men of the Neolithic settlements on the Murgia.”

The post Ancient Cave Dwellings in Italy Transformed Into a Luxury Hotel and Spa first appeared on Dornob.

These foam pyramids alternate in a polychromatic pattern of columns, beginning at the ceiling and cascading boldly down the wall. The effect draws the observer’s eye down into the store’s icy man-made grotto, and of course, to the ice cream counter that features frosty treats in shades of mint, chestnut, and peony pink.

“The idea was to create an abstract ice cave,” says the design firm’s founder and namesake Tobia Zambotti in an interview with mbl.is. He adds that “the project description was very simple. What I had to do was design something Instagram-friendly and iconic with a strong ID.”

The design certainly accomplishes those goals with its use of dramatic shapes and colors, making it ultra-popular on social media platforms around the world. That exactly’s what Gunnar Gunnarsson, managing director of the Perlan, was hoping for when he commissioned the project to “change Icelandic ice culture.” His aim is for the ice cream, produced on site, to entice patrons to linger longer at the museum, delving deeper into its geological displays.

To have the installation fit into the landscape of those exhibits, including the ground floor’s 330-foot real ice cave made from 350 tons of snow, Zambotti wanted the art to be an immersive experience. He had the triangular icicles constructed of sound-dampening foam that hushes the mechanical drone of the nearby freezer. “I decided to use this material because the ice machine is very loud,” he explains succinctly. The insulated design acoustically adds to the cave-like feel of the ice cream parlor.

The 540-square-foot shop also features a stainless-steel shelf at the back that highlights the menu and is illuminated with LED light strips that reflect the cool, glacial hues of the ceiling. On top of that, the main counter is constructed of sleek white Corian, producing the visual effect of a polar wall of ice.

Originally from Italy, Zambotti studied architecture in Vienna and interior design in Milan. Upon graduation, he got a position in Shanghai working with award-winning design firm Alberto Caiola Studio. After a year in China, Zambotti traded his chaotic life for a “very quiet one” in Reykjavík where his wife already lived.

That transfer put him in connection with the Perlan and director Gunnarsson. One of the country’s most popular museums, the Perlan sits on a hill 200 feet above sea level and is built on top of six giant water tanks, each containing over 1,000,000 gallons of water pulled from underground hot springs. The objective of the building’s exhibits, according to the Perlan website, is to let guests “see, hear, and feel the power of volcanoes, earthquakes, and geothermal energy.” It features planetarium shows of the northern lights, a cinematic underwater tour of Iceland, and an augmented reality cliff-face experience.

The onset of the COVID-19 crisis diminished initial public exposure of the ice cream shop installation after its June grand opening. However, Gunnarsson is pleased that foot traffic is increasing now, allowing the shop’s innovative Zambotti design to gain more widespread notice.

The post Tobia Zambotti Makes Super Cool Icicle Ceiling Art for Icelandic Ice Cream Parlor first appeared on Dornob.

Without the addition of its many roadside markings, parking lot, gift shop, and massive Hollywood-sign-esque white letters sticking out of the sandstone hillside, it’s unlikely that anyone would know this structure ever existed. That’s because it’s actually carved into the rock cave-style. But this is no cave. Through intense dedication and countless hours of work, owners Albert and Gladys Christensen transformed the rock face into a 5,000 square-foot-home.

The Christensen family originally created a homestead on the 80-acre parcel in the early 20th century. Although it began as a simple alcove for their sons to play in, Albert and his brother quickly hollowed out a cave to use as lodgings for cowboys pushing cattle through the area. Later, they added even more space to it and turned it into The Hole N” the Rock Diner: a wayside restaurant for hungry travelers.

Thanks to all those gradual additions over a twenty-year period, the monument now stands as an architectural wonder. This is evidenced by its 65-foot chimney and unique pillars that support its 14 rooms. Further taking advantage of the local surroundings, the bathtub has also been carved directly out of the rock.

Entering the home via built-in rock stairs, you’ll pass a rock garden filled with a large cupid statue surrounded by native cacti and other local plants. The inside is decorated with family heirlooms like Gladys’s original doll collection and vintage tools, many of which were used in the construction of the home. This gives visitors a better understanding of how Albert was able to move 50,000 cubic feet of sandstone all those years ago.

The house also showcases other items that highlight Albert’s skills as a craftsman and artist. For example, he carved a sculpture of Franklin D. Roosevelt that resides above the main entryway. Visitors can also take a closer look at his now-famous Sermon on the Mount painting here.

The massive Hole N” the Rock has withstood the test of many different times, silently watching the area change hands from travelers on the old Spanish trail to early Mormon settlers, wild west cattle ranchers, miners, and, today, a steady stream of tourists.

When Albert died in 1957, Gladys picked up the baton and completed the structure. She added a gift shop and provided personal tours of the structure until her own death in 1974. To this day, both Albert and Gladys are buried side by side in a small alcove in a nearby rock.

Now more of a roadside attraction than a home, the property has persevered in the many years since the Christensens’ passings and continues to shine a light on the site’s history. It even boasts its own petting zoo now, catering to the masses for birthday parties and group events alike. As if all that wasn’t reason enough to visit, private tours only run around $7.

The post Hole N” The Rock: The 5,000-Square-Foot Home Carved from Utah Sandstone first appeared on Dornob.

What can an architect do for a client with an oddly-shaped small lot and a desire to have a lawn? Japanese architect Makiko Tsukada tackled the challenge and created a cave-like home with not one, but two green roofs. This lovely home in Kanagawa is known as the Grass Cave House. The twin grass rooftops provide natural climate control while bringing a bright bit of nature into the urban surroundings.

The small triangular lot is in clear view of a small grove of trees, but had no space for a lawn of its own. To remedy this situation and provide the owners with an enjoyable outdoor space, the architects built an elevated lawn that covers both the home’s roof and the overhanging roof of the garage. This bright green area represents the opening of a cave: bright, inviting, and at one with nature.

The interior of the home carries through with the representation of a cave. The sunlight-filled rooms at the front of the home are the common living areas. The home’s more private rooms are located at the back of the building where it is snug, cozy and completely protected from the outside world. The Grass Cave Home represents a happy union of urbanization and the natural world, combining the best of both to create a stunning home.

More from the architects

“The interior space is a large wooden open space with a hollow core at the center. By manipulating the natural light, the distance to the street and the height difference with the street, the space becomes more private towards the back of the house. The central core directs natural light to the first-floor bathroom and its surroundings, while functioning as access to the roof and as a ventilation pipe. In addition, since it structurally bears a large portion of seismic forces, only 50mm thin pipes were required for pillars to support the garage roof with a floating lawn.”

“This building, which resembles an urbanized rich, green cave, maintains adequate distance from cities while enabling enjoyment of a fresh relationship with city or natural environments through the horizontal and vertical hollows where light enters.”

The post Cave-Like Home Has Not One, But Two Green Roofs first appeared on Dornob.

Shaped like a rock, the Homo Sapien multi-tool is made to get the job done – or rather: more than one. All for the low price of $39.99 (if you can find one – ThinkGeek appears to have stopped selling them).

Crack nuts, sharpen knives, tenderize meat, crush garlic, all with the same stone-like object to bring out the best (and worst) of your stone-age impulses. And don’t worry: the shape is irregular to begin with, so if you take things too far, damage won’t be noticeable anyway.

Whether it is the most practical of kitchenware items is up for debate, but for those who want (or have) to cook after a long hard day of staring at the computer, it could provide a useful way to vent excess energy if nothing else.

The post Cave Technology: All-Purpose, Brute-Force Kitchen ‘Rock’ first appeared on Dornob.

Some extreme curves and cavernous spaces make this cave-like home in Warsaw, Poland a truly unique sight to behold. The Swing House was designed by architect Dagmara Obluska, who believes that home should be a place where one feels free to breathe deeply and enjoy every moment of being there.

In keeping with her professional mission, Obluska designed this home in a way that would allow for maximum space and minimal harsh corners. Rather, the home is filled to the rafters (and beyond them) with swooping curves, wide open spaces and whimsical but stylish details.

Nearly the entire ground floor of the home is dedicated to a large sitting area. The extremely high ceiling makes the rooms appear enormous while allowing a full view of the sweeping staircase.

The volume of the main ground floor room is amplified by its abundance of natural and artificial light. The massive front window reaches from the floor of the first level to the ceiling of the second level, letting in plenty of sunlight.

The home’s interior is rich with shiny materials such as mirrors and polished marble, reflecting the natural light from the window as well as the artificial lights which are distributed generously throughout the interior.

Although the Swing House is utterly unconventional, it has a very comfortable quality about it. The repeating soft curves provide a kind of womb-like aesthetic, making it seem that coming home to this house would definitely be the best part of the day. See the rest of this architect’s works at her website.

About Dagmara Obluska

“The owner of the studio is a graduate of the Lodz University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Town Planning with the title of engineer, master’s architect. He has been working in the profession of an architect since 1989. She gained apprenticeship in foreign offices (Duesseldorf, Vienna), which was possible, among others, thanks to the knowledge of the German language. He also speaks English and Russian communicative.”

“She worked for many years in a family business, and since 2005 she has been creating her own house, interior and garden designs in her own studio ‘Villanette’. For many years, a member of the Municipal Architectural and Urban Commission in the Michałowice Commune and the chairwoman of the Municipal Architectural Commission in Tomaszów Mazowiecki.”

The post Cave-Like Home in Poland Full of Comforting Curves first appeared on Dornob.

There aren’t many people who can say their homes have been 100 million years in the making. Retired teacher Henri Grevellec makes his home in an idyllic, previously-abandoned limestone quarry in the Saumur region of France. The limestone deposit, created more than 100 million years ago, was once quarried extensively for rock used to build homes in France and England.

Hundreds of years ago, quarry workers decided to make their homes in the caves created by their digging, called troglodytes. When Grevellec purchased the land on which he now lives, the quarry was forgotten and overgrown. Thanks to his love of stonework, he renovated the caves to make them into a breathtaking home. In a video tour with Fair Companies, Grevellec explains the history of the home and why he chose it.

Grevellec’s home was once six adjacent caves inhabited by quarry workers. Now, most of them are connected via tunnels that the resident carved from the stone with his own hands. He has left many of the features just as they were when he acquired the property, such as the 400-year-old doorways. The temperature in the caves is naturally mild year-round due to the insulative property of the rock. No one describes the spectacularly unique home quite like the resident himself; the above video takes you on a tour of the property while Grevellec talks about his love of this extraordinary place.

More info from Fair Companies

“The site was abandoned when Grevellec purchased it, but he cleared away the growth and renovated the caves himself. He put in a modern kitchen and bathroom and in his bedroom (at the far back of the cave) he added a skylight to improved air circulation and add a bit of light.”

“Of the 6 original caves, one became a guest room (which he connected by tunnel to his main home), another is now his workshop (for his stone-working tools), another he left as it once had been (complete with wood-burning oven) and he uses part of one as a wine cellar.”

The post Cozy Cave Home Hidden in an Abandoned Limestone Quarry first appeared on Dornob.

Are you fascinated by the incredible cave houses of Cappadocia, Turkey? This ancient Anatolian region is characterized by its unique “fairy chimneys” made of rock, and architecture carved from the natural stone of the hills.

Many spaces are for rent to tourists and others are even for sale at (perhaps) surprisingly cheap prices. It is a popular resort area with hotels, restaurants and special events and activities like hot air ballooning.

Some of the architecture is above the surface but much is also carved out underground where temperatures are lower during the day.

The architecture itself is eclectic mix, blending traditional masonry and stone-carving techniques with more updated doors and windows and in some cases quite contemporary fixtures and modern furniture – not exactly the cave dwellings of our ancient ancestors.

You can find Cappadocia properties for rent on Airbnb, of course, and the selection is pretty amazing.

For example, there’s the Anitya Cave House:

“In the heart of Cappadocia, Ortahisar, a cavehouse of 80 square meter, fully equipped with a scenic terrace is offered for a relaxing and enjoyable vacation.”

“With a saloon, fully equipped kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and a scenic terrace, Anitya is a perfect cave house for couples and families.There is one full size double bed, a special sitting/sleeping cave in saloon (can be closed with a curtain) and for crowded families or groups it is possible to open the couch in the saloon to accommodate 2 more people. Good for up to max. 6 people in the house.”

Or, check out the Patisca Cave House:

“Patisca Cave House is a stone house with 150 years of history. It has traditional architectural features of Cappadocia. The shared kitchen and terrace have a great view.  In the mansion, bedding, pillows and other items were designed by using the handcrafts of Turkish women. Ortahisar town is located at a distance of 6 minutes to Goreme National Park, which is registered to UNESCO World Heritage List. It is 5 minutes away from Urgup. The public area is close to public transportation areas.”

You have direct views of the fairy chimneys at the Cappadocia Stone Palace:

“Traditional Cappadocian style hotels. The hotel has been hand-crafted from recyled natural stone of Cappadocia. Hotel Cappadocia Stone Palace Goreme, has 12 individually styled rooms with handcrafted stone details. Choose from our standard rooms or indulge in a jacuzzi room or a room with a fireplace. We also have a upstairs breakfast room, enjoy our terrace anytime of the day.”

Wherever you choose to stay, you’re sure to have an amazing, memorable trip to one of the planet’s most unique places.

The post Cave Homes for Rent in Cappadocia first appeared on Dornob.

Cities, empires and religions have risen and fallen around these unique underground havens once used by early Christians to hide from Roman armies, yet they remains occupied to this day – 100 square miles with 200+ underground villages and tunnel towns complete with hidden passages, secret rooms and ancient temples and a remarkably storied history of each new civilization building on the work of the last.

The fields of architecture and urban design would do well to center their sustainable sights on this unique site – few structures outside of this area in Cappadocia have survived for so long. Some of these buildings go up to five full stories underground and date back to Roman times or beyond, though many caves were carved out by human hands long before their empire arrived. (Images via AlaskanDude)

The fantastic rock formations used as shells for these dwellings date back millions of years, and much of the more recent architecture has survived for hundreds or even thousands of years – despite being laid siege to many times over and housing everything from armies to explosive weapons factories.

Centered in modern day Turkey, this region has passed between hands many times. The contemporary residents speak a hybrid of Greek and Turkish and, unsurprisingly, bus tours, hotels and other visitor-oriented services comprise much of their current economic system Built up over time for defense as much as shelter, narrow passageways have made it notoriously difficult for invaders to penetrate the perimeters of many of these underground cave complexes.

In part due to their secret locations and the naturally temperature-controlled nature of the cave interiors, many religious artifacts and artworks have survived for over a thousand years. All the while, surface structures have been erected and destroyed while modern architecture mixes in strange hybrids with historic temples and above-ground houses.

While many buildings remain occupied, many more are now deserted – from homes to entire churches and underground cathedrals. For all we know, some rooms and structures are forever lost and buried, hidden so well they will never be found again. (Images via Mekiares)

The post Cappadocian Underground Cave Homes first appeared on Dornob.

Somewhat notorious since being put up for sale on eBay, this cave dwelling is unique in all kinds of amazing ways – not least of which for the fact that it currently contains a curious hybrid home with a natural stone roof, modern infill walls and assorted antique furniture and furnishings. But watch out: sand falls from above, so umbrellas are mandatory for kitchen and dining spaces.

Before its time as a hybrid-style home, this historic locale played host to famous 1980s rock singers (who performed on a still-extant underground stag) as well as a now-defunct 1950s roller rink. Today, it still sits on multiple acres of picturesque rural land and features fourteen waterfalls … as well as the 17,000 square feet of livable underground cave space.

Geothermal energy provides power, heating and cooling during much of the year – making bills a fraction of a typical (much smaller) home. A living area sits in front, with bedrooms lofted above to also access natural light. A huge recreation area that requires fully artificial lighting is located in the back. In between are service-oriented spaces including storage and laundry rooms. Despite these clearly clever design choices, there is something enchanting and organic about the casual, nearly-haphazard way everything fits together inside this strange cave house.

This unusual home recently went up for sale. Check out this info via St. Louis Magazine:

“The listing for the property in Festus, Missouri, starts off like any other real-estate listing—and then it gets interesting. That’s because the whole home is built inside a 17,000-square-foot cave. Owners Curt and Deborah Sleeper found the man-made cave on eBay in late 2003 and spent the next four years constructing a 5,000-square-foot house inside. Now, real-estate agent Rhonda Overberg says the Sleepers are ready to downsize, and the 2.91-acre property is on the market for $349,900.”

The post Huge Cave House: Unique Modern Underground Mega-Home first appeared on Dornob.