Star Wars films (pre-Disney) were a big part of my childhood growing up. My brother and I would watch them again and again, and then when we had friends over, we’d make them watch the films again too. When it came to writing college applications, my brother actually wrote his essay on Luke Skywalker (I hope he doesn’t mind me saying, and I think it’s pretty cool anyway).
So when I came across these white-washed cave homes in Switzerland, straight out of a Star Wars set, well, I guess you could say they really hit home…
See the resemblance?!
They’re called Earth Houses and they’re designed by Peter Vetsch who believes architecture should not dictate nature but cooperate with it. He has built more than 90 earth houses in Switzerland and abroad.
The houses are literally covered in earth, a style of architecture which benefits from the natural balance of temperatures– cooler in summer and warmer in winter. The living rooms are situated facing south while the bedrooms face north to maximize the use of natural light. The entrance to the cave community is hidden in the earth and there is also a subterranean parking lot. This particular hamlet is built around an artificial lake.
The houses are built using sprayed concrete, recycled glass and a finally a protective layer of earth to grow grass and plants on the roof.
Looks like Luke Skywalker brought in a decorator…
Discover the architecture of Peter Vetsch.
Speaking of Luke Skywalker’s house…
In a past issue of 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today, I included an entry about the Hotel Sidi Driss, a real hotel in Tunisia which was selected by George Lucas as the original set of Luke Skywalker’s Tatooine home in “A New Hope”. It was used again in 2000 for filming of Attack of the Clones and since then, the hotel had been open all year round, offering affordable accommodation and a restaurant.
I wanted to share an update with you that I read recently on the hotel and the village of Matmâta where it’s situated. Reportedly, ISIS has been closing in on the area and some reports even claim ISIS militants are occupying the hotel and former Star Wars set where fans of the movies once flocked to.
If anyone has any information to share on this, I’d be very interested to know…
