About us
At Ecocentric Homes, we are committed to promoting ecocentric building methods and materials through informative articles, product reviews, and completed project showcases.
Our platform is an open and honest space to share our passion for a balanced living and building, and to inspire others to join us on this journey. We hope to provide you with unique and valuable content that will not only inform but also inspire you to take action and contribute to a sustainable future.
Are you ready to join us on this exciting journey?
What are ecocentric homes?
Ecocentric homes, while a recent concept, embody a blend of old and new strategies that champion sustainability. These include passive houses, circular buildings, carbon-positive designs, bio-based materials, and biomimicry. The key difference lies in the beneficiaries. When making building-related decisions, we don't just consider the benefits for us, the owners, and the users. We also prioritize the impact on nature, its conservation, and its diverse flora and fauna. If a decision could potentially harm nature, we actively seek out more positive alternatives, working towards a more sustainable future.
Our goal is to help define a balanced living, striving for greater equality between humans and nature. This is not an easy task, especially in a society that is largely anthropocentric. Humans often view themselves as separate from nature, superior to all fauna and flora. However, by emphasizing the importance of considering nature in our building decisions, we can start to shift this perspective, fostering a sense of responsibility and accountability. We all have a role to play, in our work and homes.
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For instance, making a home energy efficient is a significant step for passive houses. However, the choice of materials and their origin can have a profound impact on the carbon footprint. In a time of resource scarcity, opting for second-hand and repurposed products can be a powerful choice. This not only reduces embodied and operational emissions but also prevents demolition waste and nature depletion. When renovating, think first is changes are realy needed, and if they are how could you use what you are changing. By highlighting all these benefits, we hope to use all our experiences to gain control and empower others to make more sustainable choices, when aware of the impact of their decisions.
Who are we?
We are an international and interdisciplinary couple, whose paths crossed back in 2000, while Erasmus exchange students in the magical Florence, Italy. Ana is Portuguese and studied architecture. Martin is Dutch and studied building technology.
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Martin and Ana made of their passion for sustainability their work. Ana holds the TUDelft-UNESCO chair on Heritage and Values: Heritage and the Reshaping of Urban Conservation for Sustainability, The Netherlands. Martin, on the other hand, is a Senior Advisor on Sustainability at the housing association in Woonbron, Netherlands.
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We also made it a hands-on hobby as we renovated our diverse homes. Over the past two decades, we've honed our skills through practical learning, using resources like YouTube, books, and the strategies we've both taught and learned at the university. Our homes became true living labs. We always try to involve our loved ones, close colleagues, friends, and family, old and young, from our children to our parents. A very cooperative approach to home renovation.
Depending on the budget and complexity of the strategy, we would assign or build the strategies ourselves, often working in tandem with the constructor. Some strategies were more successful than others, but we've always embraced the learning process. We've never won the lottery, but with our combined work, we've managed to maintain a healthy budget for our homes.
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We're currently in the process of building Home 5, a project that benefits from our past experiences renovating our homes, but also from collaborating with like-minded professionals in Portugal. We're excited to share more about this journey with you! In the future, we'll also delve into our archives and share information about all our past homes, offering a comprehensive look at our sustainable building experiences and evolution over time. Enjoy!