A Jaunty Video for the Time Poor: How much does it cost to build a house in Spain?
Author: Eco Vida Homes is a team of Architects, Technical Architects, Builders, an Engineer, and a Chartered Surveyor. We help people design and build beautiful energy efficient homes designed for Mediterranean living in Marbella and Southern Spain. There are two things that make us stand out: a sharp focus on our clients’ needs and everyContinue reading
Architects Fees Marbella and Costa del Sol
What does an architect charge in Marbella and the Costa del Sol? Conventionally they charge a percentage of the build cost. While there are no mandatory rates almost all architects quote the standard rates of their colegio. The percentages vary according to the scale of the project. The Architects Colleges that supervise the architects inContinue reading
Initial Designs for a Villa in Alqueria East of Marbella
This project is now pending the building licence lodged at the town hall. We are proceeding with the Execution Project and expect to start on site in the autumn. These images are taken from the basic proyect (projecto básico) which we use to make the building licence application. As you can see its a modernContinue reading
Healthy Home Design for Children
When we are designing a home that children might grow up in there are one or two things we should bear in mind. In some ways building a house can be a metaphor for nurturing a child’s development. When you design and build a house you only have one go at laying the foundations andContinue reading
Healthy Paints and Varnishes
In this short article I give an overview of the key issues. It’s a huge subject and this is a brief summary. #healthyhousedesign There are two key aspects: 1. The toxins and VOCs emitted by some paints are bad for your health 2. The “sustainability” of the materials and their manufacture could form part ofContinue reading
Ergonomics and Healthy Villa Design
“Ergonomics” what does it mean? Good ergonomics is kind of making everything fit both physically and psychologically. For example in a traffic jam the cars don’t fit. You could say the ergonomics of the road design are bad. A human skeleton has to fit an office chair – that’s ergonomics. In your kitchen design thinkContinue reading
Plants and a Healthly Villa Design
“Just living is not enough… One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” : Hans Christian Andersen Plants are nature’s eco-friendly living air purifiers with scientific evidence to back this up. So plants should be part of your #healthyhousedesign. Why? Plants re-balance the carbon / oxygen mix Modern construction techniques are making homes increasinglyContinue reading
A Changing World and Changing Priorities?
Did anyone else see this article from McKinseys? It is about compassionate leadership. The authors talk about awareness, vulnerability, empathy and compassion. I havent heard of vulnerability being portrayed as a positive leadership quality from a company like McKinseys before. We certainly have come along way since the “greed is good” mentality that I rememberContinue reading
Design for Healthly Acoustics
Healthy acoustics is certainly taken very seriously in the work place. Studies show that in well-designed acoustic environments students study more effectively, patients recover faster, productivity improves, and stress is reduced. #healthyhousedesign The human ear developed in a natural environment mainly to warn us of danger and understand speech. The modern environment presents many challengesContinue reading
Healthy Cooling Systems
In Spain we have a cooling problem in the summer. If you’re from Northern Europe don’t underestimate this. In July and August it can be, quite simply, too hot. #healthyhousedesign In winter, spring and autumn temperatures can vary widely even in the course of a single day. When the sun is out you can beContinue reading