What’s round and green and warm all over?

Elegant homes with a focus on energy efficiency and a sensitive environmental footprint

Lars Chose relaxes in one of the round rooms he recently designed and built. — Brandon Knapp photo

Before establishing his company that specializes in round building design, Lars Chose started out building traditional timber-frame homes. But even then he liked to incorporate round elements into his designs. 

“I was building a timber-frame home for a family," said Chose, "and a friend of mine dropped by and really liked some of the round components I integrated into the home design—and he asked if I could design a home for him and his family that involved two round mandala circles. That started me into round construction and understanding the beauty of it.”

More than just pretty to look at

Chose, whose company is based out of the West Kootenay region of B.C., started Mandala Homes 11 years ago and has since built a total of 65 homes in many locations throughout North America. Along with beautiful architecture, Chose focuses on integrating cutting-edge building practices and materials for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

“With the price of oil (going up), I saw I had to create homes that are containers for heat, not chimneys,” Chose said. “Most homes built over the past 100 years just let heat flow through them and out the roof. We design homes that contain and control heat.”

Unlike homes of the past, Mandala's homes are completely sealed and airtight. The homes are insulated well beyond the B.C. building code.

“It feels like you’re being hugged by the building,” Chose said. “Any heat you produce stays in the house. You can use a very small heat source and it stays warm for a long time.”

He added that careful passive solar design and orientation of the home can increase the home’s energy efficiency. His own home has a daylight basement with large windows facing south that heat the house naturally in the shoulder seasons and winter months. The overhangs are designed to shade the windows so as not to overheat the home in the summer.

Improving all aspects of efficiency

Chose said the combination of prefabrication and on-site assembly is also a key aspect to his home-building philosophy, because this helps green the building and allows for fast construction.

“As I looked at the way homes are being built, it seemed way more efficient to build them in a factory than on site,” he said. “There’s less waste, better quality control and better environmental control. You’re basically bringing it to weathertight in a few weeks.”

Chose recently obtained an occupancy permit for his own 2,300-square-foot home just five months after he poured the concrete. He has also assembled a 322-square-foot cottage in just eight hours.

A look ahead for Mandala

As for the future of Mandala, Chose foresees educating people about healthy, energy-efficient homes, as well as continuing to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to green and healthy building practices.

In addition, he is moving toward building more retirement centres and multi-generational homes. Chose said he also wants to work with the people of Japan to help them build more sustainable homes and confront the housing crisis left in the wake of the 2011 tsunami, as well as travel to Mexico’s Yucatan region to provide assistance to the Mayan people in learning to construct prefabricated homes.

To learn more, visit Mandala Homes on Facebook.