This is just plain cool

photo and story from inhabitat.com

There’s an Austrian architecture firm that has a design for terraced hillside homes. The benefits appear to be many. Built into the hill itself, the houses will require less energy to cool or heat, the roofs provide a mini-lawn, and provides more living accomodations without sacrificing more space with an apartment building. I was in Germany back in 1999 and had seen this concept done with terraced farming. I thought it was a brilliant idea and to see it taken one step further into the realm of housing, it makes me wish I had thought of it.