Fantastic glass sections, infinity pool, a jungle of green plants and a charging station. Welcome to the home of top architect Andreas Martin-Löf who, thanks to his Charge Amps Halo, can drive his hybrid vehicle from Range Rover powered only by electricity.
His summer residence out on Värmdö is close to architect Andreas Martin-Löf’s heart. The plot of land and the original house belong to his grandparents and were bought back in 1952. But nearly a decade ago Andreas gave the plot of land his own touch.
“I have had my own house here for ten years. We extended it during 2021 and created a guest house. It was during this process that we decided to have a charging station. We had just changed cars to a Range Rover electric hybrid so it sort of felt like a matter of course,” says Andreas Martin-Löf.
The final choice was a Charge Amps Halo and as an architect he is naturally very picky when it comes to both design and esthetics.
“To me, it is important to have a charging station that I find nice looking and I liked Halo better than the others I looked at. The biggest advantage of having a charging station that charges at a good speed, is that you can drive on electricity the entire time, even though you have a hybrid vehicle, like I do. Having it at the parking space feels really nice, even though it is a little more “pop star” in its expression than my usual esthetic.”
Andreas continues,
“The area around the house can best be described as a jungle of green plants and it is slightly funny how the charging station just pops up amongst the natural surroundings. It hasn’t quite adapted itself to its surroundings yet, but I can imagine that in about a year it will begin to fit in with the surrounding terrain. I am looking forward to when the plants begin attacking the charging station, because then there will be a sense of harmony,” he explains.
His Charge Amps Halo has been installed and in place for a couple of months. Going from a “normal” car to a hybrid or electric car can be a big step, but Andreas feels that the transition has been smooth.
“The installation process was straightforward and after that all I have had to do is connect the charger to the car, so everything has worked. There was nothing strange about changing my behavior from simply leaving the car to plugging in the cable and charging it. That little extra effort is very good for the environment and for keeping fuel costs down,” explains Andreas.
Andreas feels that since the role as an architect is long-term, sustainable work is essential. He thinks that more industries should think along the same environmentally friendly lines.
“I believe that we find ourselves in a situation where we must talk about sustainability in a new way, where it isn’t a selling point for one’s business, but something that functions naturally in every stage. Sustainability is becoming a more customary hygiene factor in many types of industries and lines of work. From an individual standpoint, we cannot continue driving our vehicles using fossil fuels,” he says.
Understandably, the industry he works also leaves a carbon footprint. Building a house has a major environmental impact, which is something Andreas is understandably very conscious of. This is why he always strives to minimize his impact as much as possible.
“I am very interested in what is sustainable in the long-term, primarily associated with design and quality. My conviction is that if you create houses that people like and that make them feel better, well then, the house will remain standing much longer. Beautiful, well-made things that have a positive impact on people’s mood will endure. This actually applies to most things in life, even charging stations.”
Fact box
Andreas Martin-Löf
Age: 45
Occupation: Architect and founder of the architectural firm Andreas Martin-Löf Arkitekter
Merits: TBA
