This holiday home in Spain by Laura Álvarez Architecture is built from the walls of a stone ruin and generates more energy that it consumes.
Named Villa Slow, the dwelling replaces a former ruin found in rolling hills in the natural park of Valles Pasiegos.
It is designed to have minimal impact on its environment, and relies on an air-heat pump with a low-temperature heating system and high-quality insulation to maximise its energy efficiency.

"The house is connected to the electrical network, as in Spain you are not allowed to build without this connection," studio founder Laura Álvarez told Dezeen.
"The heat-pump is connected to the network and produces five kilowatts of energy for each kilowatt that it takes from the network. So, it produces more energy that it consumes, therefore you can call it a zero-energy home."
Visually, Villa Slow is designed to be deliberately simple. It is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional cabaña pasiega ? a type of barn house typically found in the Cantabrian mountains.
It features a chunky slate roof and rough stone walls, which are punctured by large windows framing views of the valley.

The windows are made from high-performance glass, designed to warm up the interior in the winter, while big wooden shutters that sit externally are designed to protect it from heat gain in the summer.
In contrast to its exterior, Laura Álvarez Architecture designed Villa Slow's interiors to be bright and minimal, creat...