Self-Sufficient Retreat
Isolee
Client
Tjep. internal project
Design
Tjep.
Team
Frank Tjepkema, Agustina Cociffi
Year
2013
Atop the structure blooms a kinetic solar tree
Tjep. unveils Isolée, a visionary off-grid retreat designed in 2013 as an elegant antidote to conventional architecture—treating the home like a meticulously crafted piece of furniture rather than a bulky stack of bricks. This three-storey haven, conceived by Frank Tjepkema, minimizes environmental impact with a concrete pier foundation that anchors it on just four points, allowing nature to flow uninterrupted beneath. Massive opening shutters span the building's length on two sides, unfolding like cupboard doors to reveal intimate interiors bathed in natural light.
Embracing advanced technology over rustic simplicity
Atop the structure blooms a kinetic "solar tree"—a rotating photovoltaic array inspired by a flower, intelligently tracking the sun to harvest all necessary electricity for LED lighting powered by rechargeable batteries. An integrated heating system circulates fluid through the home's backbone, warmed by a wood stove and driven by solar energy, while the only external input required is fresh water from a nearby well. Embracing advanced technology over rustic simplicity, Isolée harmonizes human ingenuity with the landscape, fostering a profound, self-reliant connection to the wild.
Isolée challenges us to rethink retreats: not as escapes from modernity, but as refined embodiments of it.
This concept builds on Tjep.'s legacy of sustainable visions, echoing the Oogst series of self-sufficient habitats. Seeking partners for prototyping, Isolée challenges us to rethink retreats: not as escapes from modernity, but as refined embodiments of it. Featured in global design discourse, it stands as a testament to engineered beauty that touches the earth lightly.