Huf Haus: Where architecture blends luxury living with nature
In more ways than one, the technology that drives Huf Haus architecture is an uncommon one with its perfect blend of luxury with nature, giving a breath-taking façade and eco-friendly living experience.
Arising from the traditional post-and-beam concept, the Huf Haus architecture has now been developed further into an unrivalled state-of-the-art, luxurious, open plan designs incorporating the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that we see today.
Huf Haus, a housing contracting firm with headquarters in Hartenfel, Germany, is a family run business with a long unbroken tradition of excellence in the over 100 years of its operation.
At a media presentation of this technology in Lagos by Thomas Geimer—the company’s Managing Director assisted by Tunde Fagbemi—Country Representative, and Christina Starfel—Project Manager, Geimer explained that the Huf Haus philosophy, where a luxury lifestyle and eco-friendly living should not be mutually exclusive, has led the company to continually refine their designs to be more energy efficient while retaining and improving aesthetic quality.
Built in relatively large land size with generous landscaping and stunning façade, Fagbemi explained that Huf Haus houses are generally high end products, targeting the super-rich who, he said, need them as a prize they give to themselves or a celebration of successful living.
According to him, “Huf Haus houses are for discerning Nigerians; they are bought on request and the specifications are made according to what the client wants; Huf Haus is a housing contracting firm that delivers houses to home seekers wherever they are and whenever they want them”.
Because of its exclusivity, Geimer said the company produces a limited number of Huf Haus houses each year, about 140 units, adding that besides a bespoke design and construction, Huf Haus clients have access to a wide range of interlinked services including basement construction, interior fittings, furnishings, landscape and garden design.
Another striking feature of Huf Haus houses is their energy efficiency as they source about 70 percent of their energy from the environment, thereby reducing the cost of electricity in the house considerably.
“Huf Haus encourages intelligent living such that the owner can remote-control everything in the house even when he is not there—he can monitor the temperature in the house and control lighting; the air-condition filters the house; with the remote control, he can lower the façade of the house. The house is, indeed, intelligent and intuitive because it works on itself”, Fagbemi enthused.
As a prefabricated house ‘coupled’ in just four days with timber and glass as the major form-work, Fagbemi assured that it is as safe and strong as any other, adding that the house is burglar-proof with sensors which make the alarm ring in the event of an attempt to break in.
He assured further that these houses are delivered defect-free for five years and they last for 100 years, pointing out that the timber used in the houses is treated to prevent decay and termite attack. “The timber is taken from the best of forests which also make the houses eco-friendly”, he said.
Geimer disclosed that they were out to build for clients in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of Nigeria, assuring that local technicians are to be trained to do what would be needed. And for discerning Nigerians who would be requesting for the house, he said, a unit sells for between 2 million and 4 million Euros.
Chuka Uroko