Sunhouse 360 designs solar-powered homes that ROTATE to follow the sun's rays

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Circular homes are being developed in Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, and will be the first of their kind in Europe
Houses will cost around £540,000 for a 2,690 square foot design and could become the holiday villa of choice
With 360-degree views, they are designed to rotate every 15 minutes or follow the sun's path throughout the day

Published: 12:13 EST, 11 November 2015 | Updated: 07:00 EST, 12 November 2015

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This ultra-modern home that spins 360 degrees to follow the sun’s rays may soon become the holiday villa of choice in Spain’s Costa del Sol.

The solar-powered homes are being developed in sunny Marbella – a favourite destination for British tourists – and will be the first of their kind in Europe.

They are designed to rotate every 15 minutes or follow the sun’s path throughout the day and maximise the amount of solar energy created.

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Sunhouse 360 designers claim homeowners could save 70 per cent in energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 68 per cent

The houses will cost around £540,000 for a 2,690 square foot design, although the creators are working to develop more compact homes

The circular homes will boast floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, including the living room, and panoramic views

The solar-powered homes are being developed in sunny Marbella, Spain, and will be the first of their kind in Europe

The houses will cost around £540,000 ($820,000) for a 250 square metre (2,690 square foot) design, although the creators are working to develop more compact and economically viable houses.

Designers with the futuristic Sunhouse 360 project claim homeowners could save up to 70 per cent in energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 68 per cent.

With the project being launched in the tourist resort of Marbella, some of the homes will likely be used as holiday properties.

They boast floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views and will cost about £2,000 per square metre to build.

They are designed to rotate every 15 minutes or follow the sun’s path throughout the day and maximise the amount of solar energy created

With the project being launched in the tourist resort of Marbella, some of the homes will likely be used as holiday properties

The solar-powered homes boast floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views and will cost about £2,000 per square metre to build

Sunhouse 360 co-founder Jose Carlos Moya said the homes can be programmed to have sunlight in the same room all day

Co-founder Jose Carlos Moya said: ‘Having sunlight in your home is very beneficial. And you can change so you're not limited to having it in just one place. You can programme it so you can have sunlight in the kitchen all day if you wanted.’

Moya and partner Bertrand Coue, who came up with the game-changing idea two and a half years ago, are nearly ready to put it into production commercially.

In 1984, German architect Rolf Disch successfully built the first solar-powered house that captured more energy than it used by rotating to track the sun.

But Moya explains that though there might be similar ideas to this one available on the market, this is the only design with the technology to detect the best position to take in sunlight and act on it.

Co-founders Jose Carlos Moya and partner Bertrand Coue came up with the game-changing idea two and a half years ago

Moya said there might be similar ideas to this one, but this is the only design with the technology to detect sunlight and act on it

‘People appreciate the importance of having sunlight in Europe, especially in the colder northern countries,' said Moya

Designers say they are ‘overwhelmed by the level of interest’ and have already been commissioned to build their first house by next year

He added: ‘There is a fundamentally different feature which is our “eco rotation” software which enables the house to verify the temperature and decide which way to orient itself.

‘Each rotation lasts 15 minutes and is subtle enough that those inside won't notice they are moving, aside from the changing view out their window.’

Moya and his team say they are ‘overwhelmed by the level of interest’ and have already been commissioned to build their first house for a private client by next year.

They have also received interest from around the world to build up to 10 more next year.

He added: ‘People appreciate the importance of having sunlight in Europe, especially in the colder northern countries.’