Health
Materials that don't compromise indoor air. Nothing toxic in the walls, floors, or joinery. What's good enough for a child with asthma is good enough for you.
Casa RIA wasn't built to be a retreat. It was built to be a family sanctuary.
The project started in 2010, when founder Alin Muste's son received an asthma diagnosis. Six years of research about air, materials, and construction became Casa RIA. The retreat opened later, from the belief that what's good enough for our children is good enough for our guests.
In 2010, Alin Muste received the diagnosis: his son had asthma. He started reading about indoor air quality, about construction materials, and about the substances they release inside a home.
Two years of research led to three conclusions. A house can be simultaneously healthy, efficient, and durable. The Passivhaus standard makes efficiency economically realistic. Natural materials make the interior breathable. The three together make this kind of building plausible for someone other than a multi-millionaire.
Casa RIA was built between 2013 and 2016 as proof-of-concept: the world's most efficient prefab house, at 2 kWh/m²/yr. The retreat opened later. Biobuilds, the company that produces today's modular units, grew out of the same research.
Alin Muste
Founder · Biobuilds · RIA Retreat
Three principles
Efficiency
The Passivhaus standard makes sustainability economically realistic. 2 kWh/m²/yr, certified. Not as luxury, but as common sense.
Durability
You cannot build a family sanctuary while destroying the planet's future. Biodegradable materials, short supply chain, zero operational carbon.
You cannot build a family sanctuary while destroying the planet's future.
Alin Muste