Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

This 100% Off-Grid Cabin in Chile

This 100% Off-Grid Cabin in Chile

Completed in six short months, ZeroCabin Krul is a self-sufficient getaway near the Andes mountains and the Patagonian fjords.

When the Krul sisters stumbled upon ZeroCabin’s low-impact, off-grid homes on Instagram, they jumped at the opportunity to build a self-sufficient retreat on their slice of paradise in Calbuco, Chile.

"They wanted to unplug from the rest of the world and live well with just the elements provided by nature," explains ZeroCabin founder Felipe Lüer. The sisters also sought to capitalize on the flexibility of remote work. "They wanted to work while looking at the sea but be as free as a bird during the week," Lüer says.



Located in a forest in southern Chile’s Lake District, ZeroCabin Krul faces an inlet of the Pacific Ocean.



"The cabin’s shape is in humble dialogue with the surrounding nature," says Lüer, who collaborated on the final design with Alejandro Otero. "It is like a tree that only uses what is available to live."

Each ZeroCabin starts out as a kit of parts that is customized to client specifications and site conditions. Lüer’s team of Zerobuilders has thus far completed six cabins across Chile that are powered by renewable energy and sit lightly on the landscape.



The three-bedroom, two-bath home has a ground-floor kitchen and living area and a loft on the third floor.



The living room opens up to a 30-square-meter deck and views of the sea.

Like its predecessors, the 1,184-square-foot ZeroCabin Krul has a timber frame clad in structural insulated panels filled with pulverized cardboard. Passive solar principles informed the cabin’s placement and orientation, while a two-kilowatt solar system powers all of the home’s electrical needs.



Rainwater is collected and treated in a five-cycle system-electrolysis, reverse osmosis, and filters for quartz, chlorine, and ozone-to meet all of the home’s water needs.



Bathroom waste is treated through a vermicomposting Toha System, wherein earthworms turn sewage into nutrient-rich humus. Shower water is collected and reused to flush the toilet.

Due to the site’s remote location along a steep road, the ZeroCabin team had to use a light pickup truck rather than larger vehicle to transport cement and rubble for the foundation. Installing the solar panels was also a tricky endeavor.

"Each panel weighs 90 kilograms, and getting them to the top of the roof and putting them together like LEGO pieces was really difficult," says Lüer. "Using pulleys and scaffolding at a height greater than five stories, we (three people) managed to climb up the structure with the roof panels and install the entire array."



The design team used salvaged thermopane panels for the home’s many windows, which are positioned to provide views and optimize solar exposure.



Passive solar design helps to regulate the home’s temperature all year round. Supplemental heating is provided by a Becker stove, which is also used for cooking and heating the hot tub.

By using simple, natural materials and sustainable low-tech solutions, the team was able to complete the cabin in six months for a total of $165,000.

"ZeroCabin Krul faces the sea to the east, but the west side faces a 70-meter-tall hill that blocks the winter sun as early as 1:30 pm," says Lüer. "So we built the north facade perpendicular to the north, opened it up with windows, and expanded the east facade to allow more winter sun to enter the house obliquely."



The cabin is elevated 1.5 meters above the ground in response to the region’s extreme humidity and to allow the winter sun to reach the ground floor, which would have otherwise been shaded by tall trees.



The bright yellow trim calls attention to the ZeroCabin Krul’s unique, site-specific form. "We combined completely different shapes for the four facades, which are optimized for the collection of water, sun, and wind," explains Lüer. "We wanted to highlight those lines to show a new kind of architecture that puts living harmoniously with nature at the forefront."

The Krul sisters didn’t visit the site during construction, and they asked Lüer’s team to surprise them with a grand reveal after the cabin’s completion last May.

"They cried with happiness when they finally saw it," says Lüer. "It was like a reality TV show moment where they appeared at the last minute when the house is already built…the best kind of house that is designed specifically for the site with a unique approach of getting the most energy as efficiently as possible."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×