The Home with a Wild Heart
Awhile ago a concept for quite a
different home occurred to me.
Imagine at the centre of your home, a
glass shaft approximately four by four
metres wide going up through the roof.
In this space there are plants growing
and areas of double glass where fish
can swim around. There could also be
a couple of small birds flying around,
with perhaps a couple of frogs and
lizards moving through the dense
undergrowth.
The peacefulness created by the cool,
calm greenery of such a shaft of glass,
would make it a worthy area to have in
a home. I have designed and built a
couple of homes with a central atrium
and have noticed that the plants thrived
extremely well in these well protected
areas. Another bonus of this idea is;
as the land sizes get smaller, wouldn’t
it be great for young and old to have a
mini eco centre right there in the middle
of the house, in arms reach of the living
area.
The health of this internal garden will be
a great source of learning. Things to
consider are soil, air and water. Then
there’s climate, feeding, housing,
breeding and various other things that
you and the children can work on.
At the end of the day; just imagine
coming home after a busy day of work
and then as you open your front door,
you are greeted by a peaceful haven
of plants and fish and birds. What better
way to have some contact with nature
than to have it in the middle of the home
. . . a world of live ‘wildlife’ in the
home with a wild heart.
